If you want to improve your diet and are looking for changes you can make, then cutting down on ultra-processed foods would seem to be a good start.
According to a recent study in China, eating increased amounts of ultra-processed foods is linked with a higher risk of dementia, but researchers cannot conclude this is the sole reason for the association. Ultra-processed foods tend to be those with a long list of ingredients on the back that you wouldn’t normally add to a recipe yourself – or may not even recognise what they are.
The news about the dementia link is particularly concerning for those living in the UK, after a 2018 study found that more than 50% of the calories consumed by people in the UK could be classed as “ultra-processed”, with products such as sugary cereals, fizzy drinks, ice cream and sausage being examples of the culprits.
Read more: Crisps and cookies ‘linked to increased risk of dementia’
What foods are ultra-processed?
To be ultra-processed, products generally have to include some additives that you’d normally not put in your meals yourself, and as a rule tend to have more than five ingredients listed on the pack. The most commonly consumed ultra-processed foods in the UK include:
Factory made bread (11%)
Pre-packaged ready meals (7.7%)
Breakfast cereals (4.4%)
Sausages and other reconstituted meat products (3.8%)
Sweets and confectionery (3.5%),
Biscuits (3.5%),
Pasties, cakes and buns (3.3%)
Industrial chips (2.8%).
Soft drinks, fruit drinks and fruit juices (2.5%)
Crisps and other salty snacks (2%)
Sauces, dressings and gravy (2.1%).
What foods count as processed or minimally processed?
Processed foods aren’t always easily distinguishable from ultra-processed foods, but the easiest way to spot the difference is to look at how many ingredients they contain. For example, cheese and bacon count only as processed, even though people may think of them as not being too good for you.
The main examples of simply processed foods are: smoked and cured meats, cheeses, fresh bread, bacon, salted or sugared nuts, tinned fruit in syrup, beer and wine. As well as this, there is a separate definition of ‘minimally’ processed foods, that may have just been frozen or dried before they were packaged.
Some examples of food that is minimally processed is: frozen fruits and vegetables, frozen fish, pasteurised milk, 100% fruit juice, no-added-sugar yoghurt, spices and dried herbs.
READ NEXT:
Daughter shows off mum's huge cupboard filled with two-year-old McDonald's and pizzas
Mum who wanted adult meal for child at wedding divides opinion
Woman struggling to start family took a look at her diet - now she is mum of two
Morrisons launches ‘carbon-neutral’ eggs from hens fed insects not soya
Secret sandwich addict who didn't leave the house for five years loses 20 stone
