Top 5 Tips for Avoiding Ultra Processed Food (UPF) on a Budget

I caught up with the GastroDoctor in-house Dietitian, Bryony Campion, to talk ultra processed foods (UPFs) and find out what her top tips were for cutting down whilst on a budget.

But, first of all, what are UPFs?

UPFs refer to food products that have undergone extensive processing and contain additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients. They are often pre-packaged, ready-to-eat or require minimal cooking and are designed to be convenient and have a long shelf life. Examples of ultra-processed foods include sugary drinks, packaged snacks, frozen ready meals, and fast food. These foods are usually high in calories, added sugars, unhealthy fats, sodium, artificial ingredients like emulsifiers and sweeteners, while lacking essential nutrients.

So, what’s the dietitian’s perspective?

I asked Bryony what her thoughts on the recent explosion of news about UPFs meant?

“UPFs have certainly hit the headlines recently, high profile scientists like Chris van Tulleken have done a huge amount to raise the profile of the discusssion, but they’re something that have been of concern for many health professionals for a long time. The emerging, and in some cases established, evidence is that a high consumption of UPFs is associated with more negative health outcomes. In everyday language, the more of these you eat, the more likely it seems to be that you will be overweight or obese and develop chronic health conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. Interestingly for my practice, there also may be a link with some chronic gut issues like IBS but there has been much less research in this area.”

So why are we still eating so many of these foods and how much is cutting down on UPFs going to cost?

“Well, they’re products that are designed to be eaten. Untold millions have been invested in making them seem delicious – just the right amount of sweetness, saltiness, tang, fizz or crunch to keep us reaching back for more. And they’re convenient. But worst of all, often they are simply either the only, or the only affordable, grocery option that people have access to. The calculations of what a low income family would have to spend on food, as a proportion of their income, to eat a low processed diet are simply terrifying and impossible.”

So what are her top tips for doing this on a budget?

Try to be prepared

If you can have an unprocessed snack about your person most of the time, you’re less likely to have to grab food on the go when avoiding UPFs is, frankly, impossible. This can be as simple as a banana in your handbag or a bag of unsalted peanuts in the glove compartment.

Frozen fruit and vegetables are not UPF…

…as long as there are no other ingredients in the bag. If you are running a freezer anyway it will be more efficient if it is fuller, so buy less of the UPF ready meals and products and try to fill up with more frozen fruit and veg. It may not have quite the same crunch as fresh but they’re less expensive, convenient and you’re much less likely to have to bin them if you don’t use them soon enough.

Go old school with breakfast.

They’re not exciting, or particularly photogenic, but the humble porridge oat (not instant oats) remains relatively cheap and is an excellent starting point for the day: low GI and high in soluble fibre. Most boxed breakfast cereals are expensive, processed and full of additives but there’s not a lot you can do to a porridge oat except squash it or cut it up! If you like porridge hot, go for it. Make it in the microwave, on the hob, in an instant pot or overnight in a slow cooker, whatever works. With milk or water and if you’re desperate for a touch of sweetness, try adding a sprinkle of cinnamon or handful of sultanas. If the idea of porridge (or cooking in the morning) is horrifying, soaked oats are a great alternative. Mix porridge oats with plain yoghurt and a splash of milk to your favoured consistency (it will get thicker) and leave in the fridge overnight (and for up to 3 days). Again, cinnamon, dried fruit or grated apple are great flavourings if you can stretch that far.

Ditch fizzy drinks and squashes.

They’re expensive, full of additives and have no redeeming features nutritionally. And, as a gastro dietitian, do not get me started on energy drinks. Drink water. From the tap. It’s free. I met a lady the other day who said she had never bought a water bottle to carry with her as she felt they were a rip off. We worked out she was spending upwards of £12 a week on bottled drinks and for an outlay of £15 (for a super trendy stainless steel insulated water bottle) she could potentially save herself around £600 a year. That’s astonishing. If you really hate plain water, you could get an infuser bottle and use some of that frozen fruit we talked about to flavour it.

Get label reading and shop around if you can.

Great examples of making clever choices are things like peanut butters. Instead of buying your usual highly processed brand, look to see if there is a supermarket-‘own 100% peanuts option. Whilst the health targeted premium brand will probably require a second mortgage, many supermarkets do their own version (in much less aesthetically pleasing packaging, admittedly) for a fraction of the price. You want one ingredient on the label only – peanuts! And, yes, it will inconveniently split into oil and solids – this is because it isn’t packed full of artificial emulsifiers to hold it all together – but it’s nothing a quick stir won’t fix.

So, is this conversation going to change the way I shop and eat?

Yes, I think so! I just searched my usual brand of peanut butter as I eat loads and alongside peanuts it has palm oil, emulsifier, sugar and salt! I always assumed it was just peanuts so it’s off to find the 100% peanuts option for me!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice.