A busy nutritionist said making his own bread and breakfast cereal from scratch makes it easier to cut down on ultra-processed foods.
Rob Hobson, who is based in the UK, decided to eliminate UPFs from his diet as much as possible after learning about their links to diseases such as type two diabetes and cancer.
While there is no agreed definition of UPFs, they typically contain five or more ingredients, many of which you wouldn’t find in a regular kitchen, Hobson told Business Insider.
They are typically highly marketed, have a long shelf life, and are designed to be ultra-palatable and, therefore, easy to overeat. Treats like candy, soda, and potato chips are obvious culprits, but even some nutritious foods, like wholemeal bread or fruit yogurts, are considered ultra-processed.
For a year, Hobson tried to cook everything he ate from scratch, but it was too time-consuming. Now takes what he sees as a “realistic” approach to eating fewer UPFs: cooking some dietary staples from scratch, but leaning on healthier UPFs like pasta sauce when he’s busy or tired.
Hobson’s advice for those who want to cut down on UPFs: “If you want to do this, you’re better off making lots of small changes and doing the things that make life easier.”
That includes making habits, such as buying a smaller bag of chips than you usually would, which are easy to stick to.
For Hobson, that includes baking his own bread and cereal.
Instead of relying on store-bought breakfast cereals, which often contain additives and syrups, Hobson makes his own.
Ultra-processed cereals were recently highlighted as harmful to children in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plan to Make America Healthy Again. Kennedy is President-elect Donald Trump’s new pick for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
To make his granola, Hobson mixes together oats, pecans, seeds, dried coconut, cinnamon, extra virgin olive oil, smooth almond butter, and honey before placing the mixture on an oven tray to bake for 30 minutes at 302 degrees Fahrenheit, “so it’s all toasted and lovely,” he said.
He usually pairs it with Greek yogurt and some fruit.
Wholemeal bread is a dietary staple that contains fiber, a nutrient most of us are lacking in, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, many store-bought versions also contain additives or preservatives, making them ultra-processed.
Hobson often eats bread, so making a loaf or two each week helps him eat fewer UPFs overall. He slices it up and puts it in the freezer so it lasts longer, but if he runs out of homemade bread, he’ll happily buy a packaged loaf from the store.
“I still buy whole-meal packaged bread, and even though it has a few additives, you have to keep it quite real,” he said.
This is Hobson’s recipe for wholemeal and rye seeded bread:
Makes one loaf (12 slices)
Ingredients:
Method:
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