Some foods in our cupboards, which we take for healthy and raw products, are actually much more processed than we think. Raphaël Gruman, dietitian nutritionist, offers us healthier alternatives concerning 6 consumer products.
According to two articles in the English press, many “basic” everyday foods, which we take for rather “healthy” products, are in fact ultra-processed, harmful to health.
Not-so-basic products on our shelves
If we have become accustomed to being wary of prepared meals, colored foods, or assembled foods whose labels list many preservatives, sweeteners and artificial colors, we generally buy without batting an eyelid other products that we consider healthy. such as yoghurts, cereal bars, ham, pasta sauce or margarine. But beware, most of these products actually hide many transformations and additives.
According to the Daily Mail:
- The ham in a tray, for example, would contain stabilizers used to improve or help maintain the texture, the structure of the slices and make them more appetizing.
- Margarine, used in hopes of reducing fat intake, is also said to contain food additives such as emulsifiers, which help to stick ingredients together.
- Cereal bars are said to be loaded with bulking agents, acidity regulators, gelling agents and firming agents.
- Protein shakes, vegan meat and brick soups are also targeted by the cited experts.
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6 over-processed foods and our tips for replacing them
Discover these often ultra-processed foods and the tips of Raphaël Gruman, dietician-nutritionist, to replace them with healthier versions.
Flavored yogurts
Milk and dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, are good sources of protein and calcium, essential for bone and muscle strength. But flavored yogurts are ultra-processed, as they contain artificial substances to enhance taste, color and overall appeal.
“For a healthier version, just take a natural, non-light yogurt (they are better), in which you can melt a little dark chocolate that you add to the yogurt. You can also add a few drops of flavoring vanilla in yogurt, a spoonful of jam, honey, or compote” advises us Raphaël Gruman, dietitian-nutritionist.
The cereals
Cereals are essential for good nutrition. However, the improved versions found on the market are both too sweet and ultra-processed, with additives not found in nature.
“To stay in the cereal version, it is better to take the most raw version that we find. The simplest mueslis, oatmeal, in which we can add dried fruits such as goji berries or of chocolate, and a drizzle of honey on top.”
Fruit bars and protein bars
Protein bars are a convenient on-the-go snack and can contain many macronutrients. Still, they usually contain a lot of additives.
“It is very simple to replace these bars with homemade granola, oatmeal mixed with oilseeds (almond nuts), chocolate chips, honey, we make a kind of dough, which we spread on paper We roast it in the oven and once cooled, we can crush it without problem for a healthy snack”.
Pasta sauces
Essential in a family kitchen, some pasta sauces are not only too sweet and salty, but also contain many additives to achieve long shelf life. Not very natural, then.
“Here again, you can make a sauce quickly with cherry tomatoes, which you roast in a little garlic with basil. You mash them a little and add them to the pasta. There is nothing simpler and better” answers our expert.
vegan meat
To avoid animal protein, vegan alternatives, recreated to look and taste like meat, contain added flavorings to make them tasty and chemicals to make them appealing. “They are even the most processed in nutrition” admits our expert“I totally advise against them”.
“What you need is to stay on the raw product, like lentils, which you can mix, with tomato, a little agar-agar to grill it in the form of a puck resembling a steak For those who are not vegan, I also recommend it with a little egg white, to be grilled in a pan with a cookie cutter. In terms of product, it will be much better”.
brick soups
Canned soups often contain more than just cooked vegetables. In addition to salt, which is too present, there are regular acidity regulators to control the taste, as well as the PH level to stop the growth of bacteria. But also stabilizers.
“I understand those who think that making a soup is long and complicated. But that’s not the case! There is a very simple method: it’s to buy frozen vegetables as raw as possible, which you sauté in onions, with a little water. All you have to do is mix everything when it’s cooked!”.
Simple ideas to consume more naturally!
Slide: Selection of complete vegetarian recipes
