Good Lifestyle

We all know that processed and ultraprocessed foods need to be consumed in moderation. When the consumption of this type of food is high, especially the external foods, we run the risk of developing health conditions such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, among others.

Therefore, in this text we brought 7 tips so that you can decrease the consumption of this type of food and introduce more minimally processed and integral foods into your diet.

Understand the differences between processed and ultraprocessado

Many people do not know what the difference between a processed food and an ultraprocessado, and ends up putting them both in one box. However, in terms of nutrients, processed foods end up being better than ultraprocessed, and many are even considered healthy. For example, the rice we eat in a day-to-day basis is processed as it was refined in a factory. Frozen vegetables are also processed, as well as flours, whole juices, dry seasonings, among others.

Ultraprocessed are drinks, snacks, ready-made foods, and many other products made with substances extracted or food derivatives, but having few intact foods, or even none. Generally, we see many chemical additives in the ingredients list of ultraprocessed foods, as well as saturated fats and refined carbohydrates.

Change refined foods by integral

A simple tip to decrease processed food consumption is to make an exchange for the integral option. It is possible to change the white rice by the whole rice, the common noodles by the integral option, or even the common refined wheat flour by an integral alternative, whether it is wheat, or even by the oatmeal, for example.

Have healthy snacks always at hand

The greatest difficulty in abandoning the ultraprocessed is the practicality they bring to life. It is much easier to eat a package of fries with soda than to prepare a meal. So the tip not to fall into the temptation at the time of the snack is to have some healthy options always at hand.

Choose full yogurt with granola instead of ice cream, or fresh fruit instead of box juices. Carrot or raw celery with a chickpeas pastinha are rich in fiber and proteins, as well as potato chips in the oven.

Add Vegetables at each meal

Vegetables are the easiest integral foods to consume, since they can be introduced at any meal without much effort. If you eat scrambled eggs, how about adding spinach sheets in the frying pan? Carrot and grated cauliflower can be placed on any dish with broth or sauce, and end up dissolving in the mix - you can add them in the beans, the beans, or even in the lasagne sauce and noodles.

Drink more water

Her difficulty is to abandon the ultraprocessed drinks, like soft drinks, iced teas, and box juices? A tip is to drink ice water whenever this will arise. If you do not like a lot of drinking water, you can try to make an infusion with fresh fruits or herbs to add flavor and a certain natural sweetness.

Replace processed meats

For a long time since processed meats have been associated with various health problems, including cancer. So if you eat sausages, bacon, calabresa, hamburger and excess ham, it may be time to decrease consumption.

The simplest way to replace processed meats is changing them by less processed options such as fresh chicken meat or fish. If you like sandwiches with ham, you can try to replace them by boiled eggs, tuna, or even chicken breast.

Buy fewer Ultraprocessed foods

You can not eat what you do not have at home, then the final tip is to exercise self-control in the supermarket, and buy less ultraprocessed. First, fill your cart with healthy and minimally processed foods, read the labels and see the ingredients of each item, and buy only the necessary. Of course, this needs to be done gradually, so do not eliminate everything at once.