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Defrosting the turkey at 6am, followed by hours spent prepping vegetables, making gravy and churning butter with brandy.
And not to mention the military operation to buy all this.
It may be a pleasure to eat Christmas dinner, but almost half of us say that cooking it (which takes, on average, six hours) is one of the most stressful things we do all year.
So you could be forgiven for wanting to make some cuts and use some ready-made dishes to get things moving faster.
But where does that leave you if you’re trying to avoid ultra-processed foods (UPF)?
These prepared products are made with thickeners, flavorings and preservatives that a growing group of experts fear could be harmful to health, increasing the risk of everything from diabetes to heart disease and even cancer.
And with them you can package Christmas dishes prepared in supermarkets.
The good news is that there are some smart changes you can make while shopping that will save you time in the kitchen, without the hidden UPF.
Keep reading to find out…
Dip
UPF: Morrisons The Best Turkey Gravy Granules, 200g, £1.90
UPF Ingredients: Aromas, ammoniacal caramel, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy lecithin
Bisto Favorite Sauce Granules, 190g, £2.80 from Tesco
UPF Ingredients: Maltodextrin, palm fat, ammoniacal caramel, monosodium glutamate, disodium 5′-ribonucleotides, soy lecithin
It may be convenient, but ready-made sauce can be a UPF minefield, with flavorings added to enhance flavor and color.
Sauce granules are also likely to contain soy lecithin, an emulsifier. These compounds prevent the separation of liquids and solids or oils and are found in almost half of the UPF.
Experts have raised concerns about the impact of emulsifiers on the gut, with some claiming they may even be linked to the rise in cancer cases among young people.
NO UPF: Taste The Difference Chicken Sauce, 450g, £2.75 from Sainsbury’s
Swap out the granules for fresh salsa that doesn’t contain as much flavoring or coloring (if any).
“They may be a little more expensive and some may contain caramel coloring, but they are probably safer than sauce granules,” said Dr. Duane Mellor, a dietitian at Aston University in Birmingham.
roast potatoes
UPF: Aunt Bessie’s Roast Potatoes, 720g, £2.50 from Morrisons
UPF Ingredients: Palm oil, dextrin, natural aroma.
Tesco Roast Potatoes, 800g, £1
UPF Ingredients: dextrin, dextrose
Dextrin is a type of ultra-processed starch that is 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 ice crystals from forming.
It can be made from almost any starch source, including corn, wheat or potatoes, and comes in powder form. It is also used to make glue.
NO UPF: Waitrose Roast Potatoes, 450g, £3.25
Baked potatoes found in the refrigerator rather than the freezer are less likely to contain UPF additives, so they may be a better choice. 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, aromas.
Waitrose Christmas Bread Sauce, 300g, £3
UPF Ingredients: Dextrose, ascorbic acid.
To keep 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 agent, stabilizer, and thickener.
Dextrose is an artificial sweetener made from corn or wheat.
NO UPF: Morrisons The Best Bread Sauce, 300g, £2.50
Cook with M&S Bread Sauce Mix, 70g, £1.15
However, not all bread sauces contain additives. Both the Morrisons and M&S mix are 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 wellingtons you can buy contain preservatives and emulsifiers added to the dough and mushroom mixture to prolong their shelf life. “The flours and fats in puff pastry often need an added stabilizer to stay fresh and crisp,” Dr. Mellor said.
Potassium sorbate is one such preservative. It is also commonly used in eye shadows, lipsticks, and moisturizers.
NO UPF: Morrisons Best Beef Wellington with Duxelles Mushrooms, £35
According to Dr. Mellor, frozen beef wellies tend to have fewer additives because they require less stabilization. However, Morrisons The Best Beef Fillet Wellington does not have any UPF and does not need to be defrosted.
Stuffed
UPF: Morrisons Caramelised Onion Filling Balls, 360g, £3.25
UPF Ingredients: Sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, diphosphates, triphosphates, sodium metabisulfite.
Apple, Honey and Sage Stuffed with Tesco Finest Pork, 350g, £3.25
UPF Ingredients: Bamboo fiber, tetrasodium diphosphate, disodium diphosphate, sodium metabisulfite, sulfur dioxide, caramelized sugar syrup
Store-bought filler mixes often contain emulsifiers, such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose and tetrasodium diphosphate. The latter is also used in water softeners, dental products, and in the manufacturing of metals, paints, and fragrances.
Sodium metabisulfite, for its part, is a preservative that can also be found in disinfectants.
NO UPF: Shropshire Spice Roasted Onion and Wild Sage Stuffing Mix, 150g, £2.87 from Butcher’s Sundries
M&S Chestnut and Blueberry Filling, 300g, £5.75
“More traditional fillers are drier and therefore have fewer emulsifiers,” Dr. Mellor said. “Those containing pork also tend not to contain emulsifiers, as 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 Finest 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 are a food that will never be UPF-free,” Dr. Mellor said. ‘Bacon and sausages often 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 definitely needs to be consumed in moderation, regardless of the additives.”
UPF FREE: M&S Artisan Sausage Roll Garland, 630g, £10
If you want a truly UPF-free Christmas, then pigs in blankets may be off the menu. But these sausage rolls contain uncured pork, which contains no nitrites or nitrates.
Prawn cocktail
UPF: Waitrose No.1 Prawn Cocktail, 180g, £4.20
UPF Ingredients: guar gum
Be careful with guar gum: it is added to María Rosa sauce as an emulsifier and preservative.
In addition to often being found in ultra-processed foods, it is used in textile dyes, in the paper manufacturing process, and in explosives.
NO UPF: Asda Outstanding Prawn Cocktail, 200g, £3.40
Morrisons Best Prawn Cocktail, 200g, £3.50
Fortunately, many prawn cocktail sauces on the market do not contain guar gum, such as those from Asda and Morrisons.
christmas pudding
UPF: M&S Christmas Pudding Matured for 12 Months, 907g, £14
UPF Ingredients: Anthocyanins, E471, E472e
Waitrose No.1 Christmas Pudding, 400g, £7.50
UPF Ingredients: Palm oil, vegetable glycerin, natural caramel color, anthocyanins
Requiring anywhere from a week to a year of rest to allow the nuts to ferment and their quintessential nutty flavor to emerge, 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 tallow, swapped in for beef tallow, a fat used in traditional recipes.
Palm oil is about 50 percent saturated fat, the highest of all liquid oils. It has also been linked to inflammation, certain cancer risks, and type 2 diabetes.
NO UPF: King George Christmas Pudding, 907g, £36.95, from Fortnum & Mason
For an additive-free Christmas pudding, try this handmade beef suet pudding. Or look for ones with minimal UPF.
mince pies
UPF: Morrisons The Best Stuffed 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 metabisulfite, 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 foods to extend their shelf life and enhance flavors.
Phosphate is derived from phosphorus, a key ingredient in fertilizers. They are used in animal feed, as well as cosmetic and beauty products.
NO UPF: organic minced meat Tarts, £12 for six, from Daylesford Organic
Some organic mince pies are UPF-free but come with a high price tag. However, this might encourage you to eat a little less, reducing the Christmas overload of sugar and calories.