I’m a nutritionist and these are the foods that you didn’t know can affect your mental health

Do you know what’s lurking in your food?

Eating ultra-processed foods — known as UPFs — can massively increase your risk of brain and ovarian cancer, Imperial College London says.

5

UPFs are defined by researchers as high in salt, fat, sugar, additives, and low in nutritional value.

Their report found that for every 10 percent increase in the UPF in a person’s diet, their chance of developing a type of cancer increased by 2 percent.

But Dr. Eleanor Bryant, a health and eating behavior psychologist at the University of Bradford, says it’s hard to break the lure of UPFs.

She explained: “People have been processing food for thousands of years, including pickling vegetables, brewing beer and curing meat.

“It’s only relatively recently that eating has been about volume.

“Broadly speaking, highly processed foods are about taste, and that usually comes at the expense of nutrition.

“It’s difficult to find a truly healthy food that has gone through so many processes to get to the endpoints.”

She added: “There is evidence that UPFs impair physical and mental health.

“It’s far too easy to eat a UPF diet because supermarket and store shelves are stocked with it. It is very easy to fall into a trap.

“Unfortunately, there is no simple solution. It takes willpower and government policy to address these foods.

“Canada, Brazil and France are all beginning to implement UPF guidelines.”

Here we show the difference between natural and ultra-processed versions of your favorite grub.

We also look at a number of popular food products that are so artificial that the list of ingredients in each product seems to bear very little resemblance to food.

NATURALLY

5

TOMATO, 1 ingredient: Rich in lycopene, which helps ward off heart disease and cancer. Full of vitamin C and K.

LEMON, 1 ingredient: The citrus fruit is rich in vitamin C – almost as much as an orange – and helps the body protect itself against cold and flu.

PORK,1 ingredient: The meat is a great source of protein and is also rich in iron and zinc.

YOGURT, 1 ingredient: The calcium found in milk is essential for keeping bones and teeth healthy. It is also high in vitamin B12, which supports brain and blood health.

BURGER, 1 ingredient: Beef is high in iron, which is good for energy and protein and helps you increase muscle mass.

CHICKEN, 1 ingredient: Britain’s favorite meat may support brain function and boost levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin. It’s also low in fat, so it’s good for your heart health.

MUSHROOMS, 1 ingredient: Studies have shown that mushrooms can lower cholesterol in overweight adults — and they also contain flu-fighting vitamin D.

POTATO, 1 ingredient: High in fiber, which makes it good for digestion. The root vegetable also has potassium to support the heart and nervous system.

CHEESE, 1 ingredient: All dairy products are great for calcium absorption, and cheese is high in vitamin A, which is good for your skin. However, it is also high in fat and sodium, so you should avoid eating it too often.

BUTTER, 2 ingredients: Real butter is made from buttermilk and added salt — which makes it good for calcium levels.
However, avoid eating it every day as it is relatively high in fat.

PROCESSED

5

CANNED TOMATOES, 3 ingredients: Has the health benefits of tomatoes and lasts longer. But beware – they often have citric acid added to them to make them last longer.

HOMEMADE LEMONADE, 4 ingredients: Making lemonade from lemon juice, sugar, and water gives you the same chill boost as a lemon. But go easy on the sugar to avoid weight gain and tooth decay.

HOMEMADE SAUSAGES, 11 ingredients: Handmade skinless sausages can be high in fat and salt — but when you season with sage or thyme, both have anti-inflammatory properties.

GREEK YOGURT, Fage Total: 3 ingredients: Greek yogurt is made primarily from processed milk and sometimes contains thickening agents. Avoid “Greek” yogurt, which may contain sweeteners.

HOMEMADE BURGER, With store-bought bun: 21 Ingredients:
Although the meat is processed, a homemade burger on the grill can be a relatively healthy choice when using low-fat ground beef.

HOMEMADE BREADED CHICKEN, 5 ingredients: Chicken breasts, flour, egg, breadcrumbs, and oil allow you to control portion sizes. If you cook them in an air fryer, you will also need less oil.

HOMEMADE MUSHROOM SOUP, 9 ingredients: Cooking is thought to cut the mushrooms’ nutrients in half, while cream and butter increase the calories. Adding parsley can aid in digestion

CRISPS, Walkers ready salted, 4 ingredients: While it’s not exactly a healthy meal, if you have to choose one brand of chips, they contain relatively natural ingredients, despite containing two types of oils.

MAC ‘N’ CHEESE, Homemade, 9 ingredients: Rich in butter, cheese and carbohydrates, but without additives. You can add garlic to the recipe, which is good for your immune system and high blood pressure.

STREET BUTTER, Lurpak, 5 ingredients: Relatively natural, with ingredients from milk, rapeseed oil, water and salt. But it also contains natural preservative milk cultures to make the product last longer.

ULTRA PROCESSED

5

PASTA SAUCE, Dolmio Bolognese, 13 ingredients: Contains citric acid and modified corn starch. A 750g jar contains 42g of sugar, more than a Snickers bar. In 2016, manufacturers warned customers not to eat it every day

SPRITE, 8 ingredients: Though this brand of soda pop boasts natural lemon flavor and sparkling water, it’s also packed with additives like sodium citrates and the low-calorie sweeteners acesulfame K and aspartame.

HERTA FRANKFURTERS, 16 ingredients: Made from only 86.5 percent pork. Some of the other ingredients include carmine for coloring, sodium nitrite for longer shelf life, and smoke.

GREEK STYLE YOGURT, Muller Bliss Lemon Yogurt, 14 Ingredients: EACH tub of this flavored yoghurt contains 6g of fat – as much as a slice of bacon – and the additive E472b to make it thicker

MICROWAVE BURGER, Rustlers Quarter Pounder & Cheese, 62 Ingredients: A burger contains 12 different E numbers. In addition, there is 2.8 g of salt – almost half of the recommended daily dose.

CHICKEN NUGGETS, Birds Eye Southern Fried Nuggets, 24 Ingredients: Contains only 50 percent chicken breast. The other half is highly processed carbohydrate maltodextrin—which is low in calories, after all.

CANNED MUSHROOM SOUP, Heinz Creme v
mushroom, 19 ingredients: It’s low in calories and may seem healthy, but one can contains 11.4g of fat and just six percent mushrooms.

PRINGLES, Original, 11 ingredients: The popular snacks are made from dehydrated potatoes, which can lose some of their potassium during processing. The yellowish, crisp hue comes from the processed annatto-norbixin dye.

INSTANT MAC ‘N’ CHEESE, Mugshot Pasta, Macaroni and Cheese, 18 Ingredients: Sweetener Dried Glucose Syrup offers no nutritional value other than calories.

SPREAD, Benecol Light, 14 ingredients: Plant stanol esters, a natural compound, have been linked to lowering cholesterol levels. But the spread also contains
Potassium sorbate to keep it from getting moldy.

IT’S HARDLY FOOD

5

Super Noodles Chicken Flavor, 24 Ingredients: The many ingredients in each pack include butylated hydroxyanisole, propyl gallate, and potassium chloride. But you might be surprised to learn that it doesn’t contain real chicken.

Diet Coke, 7 ingredients: By using the sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame instead of sugar, Coca-Cola can claim the drink has zero calories. Diet Coke also contains a tiny amount of phosphoric acid, which is known for its caustic properties.

Skittles, 18 ingredients: Their slogan is “Taste the Rainbow” – so it’s fitting that these candies are colored by seven E numbers. These are E162 (red), E163 (purple), E170 (white), E160a (orange), E100 (yellow), E132 (blue) and E133 (greenish-blue).

Birds Eye Green Cuisine Meatballs without meat, 22 ingredients:
Plant-based is synonymous with natural — but these meatballs contain a thickener and chemical compound methylcellulose, which is also used in some wallpaper paste and eye drops.
Non-toxic in food, the compound is used to replicate the texture of meat.

Elmlea double plant alternative to cream, 15 ingredients: Mainly made from oils and lentil protein, this cream substitute also contains the emulsifier sugar esters of fatty acids. This non-naturally occurring ingredient is also found in products like deodorant and chewing gum.

Monster Energy Drink, 22 ingredients: Unsurprisingly, this energy drink isn’t particularly rich in natural ingredients. An interesting addition to the list is the sugar inositol, which is used to treat polycystic ovary syndrome and bipolar disorder.