Your Christmas dinner is chock full of toxic, hidden, ultra-processed foods. Here’s our essential guide to safe, sound swaps
Defrosting the turkey at 6 a.m., followed by spending hours prepping vegetables, making gravy and whipping brandy butter.
And then we haven’t even mentioned the military operation to buy all this.
Christmas dinner may be a joy to eat, but almost half of us say cooking it – which takes an average of six hours – is one of the most stressful things they do all year.
So you could be forgiven for wanting to cut a few corners and prepare some ready-made dishes to get things going faster.
But where does that leave you when you’re trying to avoid ultra-processed foods (UPFs)?
These prepared products are made with thickeners, flavorings and preservatives that a growing number of experts fear could be harmful to health – increasing the risk of everything from diabetes to heart disease and even cancer.
And ready-made Christmas meals from supermarkets can be packaged with it.
The good news is that you can make some smart choices while shopping that will save you time in the kitchen—without the hidden UPFs.
Read on to find out…
Sauce
UPF: Morrisons Best Turkey Gravy Pellets, 200g, £1.90
UPF Ingredients: Flavorings, ammonia caramel, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy lecithin
Bisto favorite gravy granules, 190g, £2.80 from Tesco
UPF Ingredients: Maltodextrin, palm fat, ammonia caramel, monosodium glutamate, disodium 5′-ribonucleotides, soy lecithin
It can be convenient, but pre-made gravy can be a UPF minefield, with flavorings added to improve taste and color.
Gravy granules also likely contain soy lecithin, an emulsifier. These compounds prevent liquids and solids or oils from separating and are found in almost half of UPFs.
Experts have raised concerns about the impact of emulsifiers on the gut, with some claiming they could even be linked to the rise in cancer rates among young people.
UPF FREE: Taste The Difference Chicken Gravy, 450g, £2.75 from Sainsbury’s
Swap the granules for fresh gravy that doesn’t contain as many (or any) flavors or colors.
‘They may be a little more expensive and some still contain caramel colouring, but they are probably safer than gravy granules,’ says Dr Duane Mellor, a dietician at Aston University in Birmingham.
Roasted potatoes
UPF: Aunt Bessie’s Roast Potatoes, 720g, £2.50 from Morrisons
UPF Ingredients: Palm oil, dextrin, natural flavouring
Tesco roast potatoes, 800g, £1
UPF Ingredients: Dextrin, dextrose
Dextrin is an ultra-processed type of starch often used in batters and coatings to make fried foods crispier.
It is also used as a preservative, thickener and fat substitute. It is added to most frozen foods because it helps prevent the formation of ice crystals.
It can be made from virtually any starch source, including corn, wheat or potatoes, and comes in powder form. It is also used to make glue.
UPF-FREE: Waitrose roast potatoes, 450g, £3.25
Roasted potatoes found in the refrigerator rather than the freezer are less likely to contain UPF additives, so this may be a better option. Or buy peeled potatoes and add oil to them at home before putting them in the oven.
Bread sauce
UPF: Colman’s bread sauce mix, 40g, £1, from Iceland
UPF Ingredients: Potassium chloride, flavourings
Waitrose Christmas Bread Sauce, 300g, £3
UPF Ingredients: Dextrose, ascorbic acid
To maintain the rich flavor, minus the calories, many store-bought bread sauces use salt alternatives and flavorings instead of salt and butter.
Potassium chloride is one of those low-sodium salt substitutes that often appears in the ingredient list – and is also used as a flavor enhancer, flavoring, stabilizer and thickener.
Dextrose is an artificial sweetener made from corn or wheat.
UPF FREE: Morrisons The Best Bread Sauce, 300g, £2.50
Cooking with M&S bread sauce mix, 70g, £1.15
However, not all bread sauces contain additives. The mix from both Morrisons and M&S is completely UPF and sugar free.
Beef wellington
UPF: Iceland Luxury Perfect Beef Wellington, 1.08kg, £26
UPF Ingredients: Modified corn starch, maltodextrin
Taste the difference British Beef Wellington, 1kg, £40, from Sainsbury’s
UPF Ingredients: Potassium sorbate
Many beef boots you can buy contain preservatives and emulsifiers added to the dough and mushroom mixture to extend shelf life. ‘The flours and fats in puff pastry often need an added stabilizer to stay fresh and crispy,’ says Dr Mellor.
Potassium sorbate is such a preservative. It is also commonly used in eye shadow, lipstick and moisturizer.
UPF FREE: Morrisons Best Beef Fillet Wellington with Mushrooms Duxelles, £35
According to Dr. Mellor, frozen beef boots typically contain fewer additives because they require less stabilization. However, Morrisons The Best Beef Filet Wellington has no UPFs at all and does not need to be defrosted.
Filling
UPF: Morrisons caramelised onion stuffing balls, 360g, £3.25
UPF Ingredients: Sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, diphosphates, triphosphates, sodium metabisulfite
Tesco Finest Pork Apple Honey Sage Filling, 350g, £3.25
UPF Ingredients: Bamboo fiber, tetrasodium diphosphate, disodium diphosphate, sodium metabisulfite, sulfur dioxide, caramelized sugar syrup
Filling mixtures purchased in stores often contain emulsifiers, such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and tetrasodium diphosphate. The latter is also used in water softeners, dental products and in the manufacture of metals, paints and fragrances.
Sodium metabisulphite is a preservative that is also found in disinfectants.
UPF-FREE: Shropshire Spice Wild Sage & Roast Onion Stuffing Mix, 150g, £2.87 from Butcher’s Sundries
M&S Chestnut Cranberry Filling, 300g, £5.75
‘More traditional fillings are drier and therefore contain fewer emulsifiers,’ says Dr Mellor. ‘Those with pork are also typically free of emulsifiers, as the meat naturally contains some of the fats needed for a doughy, moist filling.’
Pigs in blankets
UPF: Morrisons Pigs in Blankets, 210g, £2.75
UPF Ingredients: Triphosphates, diphosphates, sodium metabisulfite, ammonium carbonates, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite
Tesco Best Pigs in Blankets, 210g, £3.25
UPF Ingredients: Calcium lactate, tetrasodium diphosphate, disodium diphosphate, sodium metabisulfite, bamboo fiber, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate
“Pigs in blankets is a food that will never be UPF-free,” said Dr. Mellor. ‘Bacon and sausage usually contain preservatives known as nitrites, which are added as part of the curing process and have been linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer.
‘Overall, it’s not the healthiest food and certainly something you should eat in moderation, regardless of the additives.’
UPF FREE: M&S Handmade Sausage Bunting, 630g, £10
If you want a truly UPF-free Christmas, then pigs in blankets may not be on the menu. But these sausage rolls contain uncured pork, which contains no nitrites or nitrates.
Shrimp cocktail
UPF: Waitrose No. 1 Prawn Cocktail, 180g, £4.20
UPF Ingredients: Guar gum
Beware of guar gum: it is added to Marie rose sauce as an emulsifier and preservative.
In addition to being commonly found in ultra-processed foods, it is also used in fabric dyes, in paper making and in explosives.
UPF-FREE: Exceptional by Asda Prawn Cocktail, 200g, £3.40
Morrisons The Best Prawn Cocktail, 200g, £3.50
Fortunately, many prawn cocktail dips on the market are free of guar gum, such as these from Asda and Morrisons.
Christmas pudding
UPF: M&S 12 Month Aged Christmas Pudding, 907g, £14
UPF Ingredients: Anthocyanins, E471, E472e
Waitrose No. 1 Christmas Pudding, 400g, £7.50
UPF Ingredients: Palm oil, vegetable glycerin, caramel coloring, anthocyanins
Because you need a week to a year of rest for the dried fruit to ferment and bring out the typical nutty flavor, making your own Christmas pudding takes a lot of effort.
But store-made versions contain emulsifiers, colorings and preservatives. Many also contain palm oil – a factory-made oil that is a UPF used in vegetable suet, replaced with beef tallow – a fat used in traditional recipes.
Palm oil consists of approximately 50 percent saturated fat – the highest percentage of all liquid oils. It has also been linked to inflammation, certain cancer risks and type 2 diabetes.
UPF-FREE: King George Christmas Pudding, 907g, £36.95, from Fortnum & Mason
For an additive-free Christmas pudding, try this handmade pudding made with beef tallow. Or look for ones with minimal UPFs.
Chopped pies
UPF: Morrisons the best Deep-filled mince pies, £2.75 for six
UPF Ingredients: Modified corn starch, potassium sorbate, acetic acid, diphosphates, sodium carbonates
Tesco Mince Pies, £1.25 for six
UPF Ingredients: Glycerol, glucose-fructose syrup, palm oil, potassium sorbate, sodium metabisulphite, sulfur dioxide, disodium diphosphate
As with Christmas pudding, a UPF-free mince pie can be very difficult to find. Many contain phosphates, which are added to food to extend shelf life and improve flavor.
Phosphate is derived from phosphorus, an important ingredient in fertilizers. They are used in animal feed, but also in cosmetic and beauty products.
UPF-FREE: Organic Minced Meat Cakes, £12 for six, from Daylesford organic
Some organic mince pies are completely UPF-free, but they do come with a hefty price tag. However, this may encourage you to eat a little less, reducing the Christmas sugar and calorie glut.