First off I am not a nutritionist. My oh my though, I have been reading up on nutrition until my head spins and my gut mutters and splutters (hopefully in a good way).
People’s well-being and long-term health depends on many different aspects of their lives. There are also genetically inherited conditions to add to the mix. If you grow up in the Mediterranean and enjoy sun-loving food, you could get to live longer and be healthier than those eating less healthily in colder, sun-deprived climes.
Then it gets much more complicated and really interesting. Recent research from universities (Johns Hopkins and Harvard are two sources) strongly recommend that we all eat as much food as we possibly can that is prepared from scratch. It is impossible (and not necessary) to avoid processed food altogether: it is heavily processed foods that appear to do the damage.
The British Heart Foundation offers the following information and useful advice:
‘Unprocessed or minimally processed foods include produce such as fruit, vegetables, milk, fish, pulses, eggs, nuts and seeds that have no added ingredients and have been little altered from their natural state.
‘Processed ingredients include foods that are added to other foods rather than eaten by themselves, such as salt, sugar and oils. Processed foods are foods that are altered in a way that home cooks could do themselves. They include foods such as jam, pickles, tinned fruit and vegetables, home-made breads and cheeses.
‘Ultra-processed foods typically have five or more ingredients. They tend to include many additives and ingredients that are not typically used in home cooking, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colours and flavours. These foods generally have an extended shelf life.
A list of common ultra-processed foods
‘Examples of ultra-processed foods include ice cream, ham, sausages, crisps, mass-produced bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits, carbonated drinks, fruit-flavoured yogurts, instant soups, and some alcoholic drinks including whisky, gin and rum.
‘The belief that ultra-processed foods are bad for our heart and circulation seems to be growing. The type and quality of the research means it is still not clear that we need to completely exclude them.
How to cut down on ultra-processed foods
‘Eating a lot of processed foods leaves less room for healthier foods like fruit and vegetables, fish, unsaturated oils, pulses and nuts and seeds. So, if you want to change your diet, try to make some swaps, such as:
‘Instead of flavoured yogurts with added sugar or sweeteners, choose plain yogurt and add your own chopped fresh, frozen or dried fruit for sweetness. Instead of buying sauces or ready meals, cook your favourites in larger amounts at home and freeze the extra in portions to use another day.
‘Have porridge in the morning with fruit and nuts instead of sugary low-fibre breakfast cereals. Eat fresh, baked or stewed fruit instead of shop-bought fruit pies or cakes. Have some nuts instead of biscuits with your afternoon cuppa.’
British Heart Foundation is a registered Charity No. 225971.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport
To be fair, there was much well-intended research to bring healthy ready meals to busy families where home cooking, from scratch, in that ‘virtual reality’ impeccable state of the art kitchen was not even on the wish list. For convenience, flavour, pest control and to increase shelf life, there are emulsifiers, preservatives, insecticides, fats and added sugar and salt in some ready meals. The impact on the gut, not known until recent research, indicates that the mix of ingredients that would not be found naturally in home cooking can potentially damage long-term health.
Convenience foods (often quite heavily processed) may not be that convenient to people’s long-term health. Life patterns change and people’s views and eating patterns are affected by demands made on their precious time (which turns out to be finite: who knew).
Here is the thing. Many of the pre-packaged processed meals found in the supermarket set out to deliver on dietary requirements and seek to free up some much needed time for living. The unknown quantity and quality around heavily processed foods were assessed in recent research by Harvard University about the importance of the gut.
‘For example, less healthy dietary patterns (dairy desserts, unhealthy meats, (ultra) processed foods) supported gut species that were associated with measures of blood sugar, cholesterol, and inflammation that are significantly associated with higher risk of cardiac events, strokes, and type 2 diabetes.
‘In contrast, high-fibre vegetables like spinach, broccoli, nuts, and, heathy animal foods such as fish and eggs are linked to lower risk of certain chronic diseases. In addition, the study found that polyunsaturated fats (found in fish, walnuts, pumpkin, flax and chia seeds, sunflower, safflower, and soybean oils) produce healthy gut species linked to a reduced risk of chronic disease.’
Organic foods eliminate the use of chemical pesticides. Organic food which can resist pests and diseases grows stronger and usually retains greater flavour. Organic can be expensive, but it is worth checking out.
Pause for thought, for sure. Small changes can make a big difference. A baked potato is one healthy option: a Caesar salad another. A veggie curry is easily and quickly made from fresh vegetables, turmeric, black pepper, nuts, chilli, herbs and spices. Instead of bottled tomato sauces with additives, opt for cartons of passata that have no added ingredients. You can make a salad dressing from olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper and a few fresh herbs. It takes only a few minutes. The active ingredient in turmeric is a natural compound called curcumin, which has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. When using turmeric in home cooking, add black pepper to activate its beneficial properties.
It is worth mentioning too that taking a vitamin D supplement through the winter could be really beneficial. We do not get enough natural sunshine in the UK (particularly in the northern regions) through the winter.
‘The UK Government recommends that adults and children over 4 years old consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D from October to March. People at risk of vitamin D deficiency and infants and children up to 4 years old are advised to take a vitamin D supplement all year round. Further details are available: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/diet-disease-and-the-microbiome-2021042122400
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33432175/
From the archives: The Watering Can’s legendary Sunday Roasts are back on the menu
