{"id":514697,"date":"2026-03-02T22:28:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/514697\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T22:28:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:28:08","slug":"easy-swaps-to-avoid-ultra-processed-foods-for-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/514697\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy swaps to avoid ultra-processed foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ultra-processed foods<\/a> have been linked to a range of poor health outcomes, from diabetes to obesity and heart disease \u2013 so how can we reduce these risks?<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to believe there\u2019s always a healthier choice \u2013 it\u2019s about knowing how to find the healthier choice,\u201d Biddick says.<\/p>\n

Planning ahead is key for this, she adds; at the start of the week, think about how busy you\u2019re going to be, what you want to eat, and where you can double up on cooking to save time and energy.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to reduce your processed food intake throughout the day, and what to reach for instead.<\/p>\n

\"SwapSwap sugary cereals for homemade porridge or overnight oats. Photos \/ 123rf<\/p>\n

Breakfast<\/p>\n

\u201c[It\u2019s] the most important meal of the day, but it often gets skipped,\u201d Biddick says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen by morning tea we\u2019re hungry and we\u2019re going to go grab a scone from the cafe. So if we can make time to eat something, it\u2019s going to make a big difference and set us up for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some supermarket cereals<\/a> appear healthy, but contain a lot of fat and sugar, she points out.<\/p>\n

\u201cSwap to a nice hot bowl of porridge made with wholegrain oats … I have my oat mix with chia seeds and quinoa flakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you do eat sugary cereals, Biddick suggests adding yoghurt and fruit for balance. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s going to slow down how the sugar hits your system and prevent you from having a spike.\u201d <\/p>\n

If you have toast for breakfast, choose a grainy bread and top it with something nourishing like a nut butter instead of jam, or a couple of eggs, to keep you full. <\/p>\n

\"SwapSwap processed meats like ham and salami for proteins like eggs, chicken or tuna. Photos \/ 123rf<\/p>\n

Lunch <\/p>\n

Processed meats<\/a> like ham and salami are a popular choice at lunchtime. <\/p>\n

However, as Biddick points out, \u201cWe know they\u2019re not great for our health; they do have some carcinogenic properties if we eat heaps of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome good proteins we could look at swapping to would be lean chicken, canned tuna.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eggs or cold cooked red meat are better protein options as well.<\/p>\n

If and when you do eat processed meat, make sure you pair it with wholegrain bread, vegetables or salad, and healthy fats such as hummus, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201c[That] can help us eliminate some of the salt, the sugar, the fats in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IfIf you’re having takeaways for dinner, opt for something with added vegetables. Photos \/ 123rf<\/p>\n

Dinner <\/p>\n

Many of us will find it easier to eat less processed foods at dinnertime \u2013 unless it\u2019s takeaway night.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a dream world we\u2019d all have our prep done and we\u2019d have some extra food in the freezer \u2013 that\u2019s a lifesaver \u2013 but sometimes we don\u2019t,\u201d Biddick says.<\/p>\n

She suggests, if you do order a takeaway, choose an option that has a vegetable side.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you go with a chow chicken chow mein with veggies versus sweet and sour pork, which doesn\u2019t really have any veggies? Could you have a souvlaki over a hamburger, swap meat for falafel, salad, hummus, and Greek yoghurt sauce?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another option is to add a healthier side to your fast food, such as a salad alongside your Friday night fish and chips.<\/p>\n

\"InsteadInstead of icecream, try yoghurt with fruit for a sweet treat. Photos \/ 123rf<\/p>\n

Snacks, drinks and desserts<\/p>\n

The afternoon or evening \u201csnack attack\u201d comes for us all, Biddick says \u2013 especially when we haven\u2019t eaten properly earlier in the day. <\/p>\n

Instead of a bag of chips, she suggests roast chickpeas or unsalted roasted nuts as a better alternative.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake some veggie sticks and have them with some hummus, or cheese and crackers \u2013 you\u2019re getting some protein at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sweet treats aren\u2019t out completely \u2013 you just need to think about your choices.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I was having ice cream, maybe I could have it with some fruit … or a healthy banana split \u2013 a half or a whole banana, Greek yoghurt, a sprinkle of dark chocolate chips and some different nuts and seeds.” <\/p>\n

Another way to reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods is to swap out sugary drinks such as fizz and juice for water, herbal tea or reduced-sugar cordial.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about \u201cdoing what you can\u201d, Biddick adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key is not to beat yourself up about it. [UPFs] are in our food environment, we are going to eat them … it\u2019s not about one food, it\u2019s about where we can be making the best choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can feel overwhelming, but it\u2019s those small changes in those foods we have every day that can make a massive impact on our overall health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bethany Reitsma is a lifestyle writer who has been with the NZ Herald since 2019. She specialises in all things health and wellbeing and is passionate about telling Kiwis\u2019 real-life stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ultra-processed foods have been linked to a range of poor health outcomes, from diabetes to obesity and heart…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514698,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[25235,617,3204,64,22065,63,78787,1887,8126,42884,76279,155000,6986,57116,580,5587,71156,137,15499,21512,10873,532,337,211427,44944,319,236971,6620],"class_list":{"0":"post-514697","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-according","9":"tag-and","10":"tag-around","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-auckland","13":"tag-australia","14":"tag-avoid","15":"tag-breakfast","16":"tag-diets","17":"tag-dinner","18":"tag-easy","19":"tag-everywhere","20":"tag-fact","21":"tag-foods","22":"tag-for","23":"tag-from","24":"tag-half","25":"tag-health","26":"tag-kiwis","27":"tag-lunch","28":"tag-make","29":"tag-nutrition","30":"tag-research","31":"tag-swaps","32":"tag-they","33":"tag-to","34":"tag-ultraprocessed","35":"tag-university"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}