Six easy swaps to help you avoid ultra-processed foods

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are in more foods you might realise. These tasty recipes will help you avoid them.

When we buy ice cream, we tend to expect a delicious, fat-rich base – such as cream or milk – and some kind of flavouring, such as chocolate. But many of the versions for sale in my local supermarket also contain ingredients I would never add myself, and certainly don't have in my kitchen cupboards: guar gum, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, carotenes. 

These are typical ingredients found in ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – products which have been through more processing than usual, often on an industrial scale.

Today it's widely known that diets rich in UPFs are bad for our health. They have been linked to a range of adverse health conditions, including obesity, cancer and type 2 diabetes, all of which can lead to an early death. And yet, they are not easy to avoid. From supermarket bread to readymade sauces, on average UPFs account for over 50% of an adult's energy intake in the US. They tend to be cheaper and more convenient than healthier alternatives, and are potentially addictive. 

But it doesn't have to be this way. I set out to find six simple, inexpensive swaps you can make at home to avoid unnecessary UPFs, from stir-fry sauce to crisps.

This summer my freezer has continuously been filled with overripe bananas – I just can't seem to eat them before their skin goes black. So, when the temperatures rose and I started craving ice cream, I tried blending them together with unsweetened cocoa powder. 

It may sound worthy, but it was surprisingly rich and had the normal consistency of ice cream, without the numerous additives. The cocoa powder has the bonus of beneficial compounds such as flavanols (an antioxidant) and theobromine (a compound that can reduce inflammation). Next time, I'll try adding peanut butter for extra creaminess.

Another method I tried was freezing yoghurt and then blending it with fresh or frozen fruit. Again, I made mine sweeter by blending in some of my stash of over-ripe bananas. But you could cook down any fruit you happen to have in the fruit bowl – strawberries, peaches, etc – to add a hit of fructose.

For a more detailed recipe, try this one from BBC Good Food.

I love bagels for a quick lunch but, as with many foods, shop-bought ones can be full of additives and other things I don't want in my bread, such as extra sugar. 

I tried making my own recently using only two simple ingredients, self-raising flour and yoghurt. I sprinkled some salt into mine, though you don't really need it. While bagels are usually boiled before baking, for this recipe I combined the ingredients in a mixing bowl, shaped them into that classic bagel shape and simply cooked them in the air fryer for 20 minutes at 180C (356F) – though you can also bake them in the oven.

These home-made bagels were both delicious and rich in calcium, as well as protein, which is important for keeping our bones strong. They weren't a perfect shape but I was quite happy with my knobbly creations. To save time in the future, you could freeze some dough first – I've now used the same recipe for a simple pizza........

© BBC