Lunch to go: Easy ways to reduce ultra-processed foods

Enjoy this hearty winter warmer from Delicia Bale's 'Unprocessed Made Easy'

A healthy twist on mac and cheese, which includes a serving of butternut squash, making the sauce “super creamy”

It’s hard to look at a packet of chocolate biscuits now without the words ‘ultra-processed food’ (UPF) flashing through your brain.

You might even be putting them back on the supermarket shelf when you realise half the ingredients are pure gobbledegook, a confusing blur of additives, emulsifiers, preservatives, and flavour enhancers, none of which resemble any real ingredients you could buy individually.

UPFs “are industrially processed foods and contain ingredients that aren’t typically used in home kitchens,” explains food writer and registered nutritionist Delicia Bale. 

“They’re also normally high in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, salt and low in fibre and micronutrients. In research, they have been described as ‘hyper palatable’ — they’re designed to be over-consumed.”

That’s why, once you pop, you can’t stop with crisps, why a packet of chocolate buttons is gone without you even realising, and why two slices of white bread don’t seem to touch the sides.

And the other problem is, some things you would never expect to be ultra-processed, are, like stock cubes, shop-bought pastry (“one of the harder ones to make from scratch,”) and mayonnaise. 

“I swap it for Greek yoghurt,” says Bale. “If you find one that’s not too sour tasting, it’ll work quite well and it also increases the protein slightly and decreases the fat in recipes.”

Then there’s bread, which she calls “probably the most widely consumed ultra-processed food”. 

Homemade, it’s just four ingredients: flour, salt, water and yeast. But check the back of your supermarket loaf; the ingredients list may shock you.

Even when you are aware of UPFs and the many health dangers associated with eating them, including an increased risk of obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers, they are ubiquitous, so can feel borderline inescapable.

Unprocessed Made Easy by Delicia Bale.

Which is why Bale, 27, has written her debut cookbook, Unprocessed Made Easy. 

“When reducing UPFs in people’s diets, they don’t really know where to start,” she says. “So my book is focused on direct swaps for foods that typically are processed.”

She provides homemade trades for everything from granola and pancakes, to noodles, soups, pizza and burgers, while keeping costs low and, crucially, meal prepping speedy.

“People have less time, so they rely on those foods,” says Bale, without judgment.

Her mother was a personal trainer, so she grew up eating “pretty healthy” and has been interested in eating well since. 

While studying nutrition at the University of Surrey, she began writing recipes and fell in love with food photography. 

Now, she has 116k followers on Instagram and one million likes on TikTok.

For a moreish lunch option, try her healthy twist on mac and cheese, which includes a serving of butternut squash, making the sauce “super creamy,” she says.

“The wholegrain macaroni also adds some extra fibre.”

Delicia Bale's baked-squash mac and cheese

For a moreish lunch option, try this healthy twist on mac and cheese, which includes a serving of butternut squash, making the sauce "super creamy,” says author and chef Delicia Bale. “The wholegrain macaroni also adds in some extra fibre.”

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 40 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks

• 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 2tbsp chopped sage

• 2tbsp thyme leaves

• 60g plain flour

• 900ml semi-skimmed milk

• 2tsp Dijon mustard

• 75g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

• 50g vegetarian Italian hard cheese, grated

• 400g wholegrain macaroni

• Salt and black pepper

• For the topping:

• 4tbsp breadcrumbs

• Grated Cheddar cheese

• Thyme

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

2. Place the butternut squash in a baking tray along with half the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Roast the squash for 20-30 minutes until soft and golden brown.

3. Cook the remaining olive oil, garlic, sage and thyme in a pan for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

4. Then add the flour and mix together. Cook this for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the milk, a bit at a time, mixing in between to avoid lumps until it thickens.

5. Stir in the mustard, cheeses and roasted butternut squash and cook for a couple of minutes, then blend until smooth.

6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

7. Stir the cooked pasta and sauce together, then transfer to an ovenproof dish and top with breadcrumbs, grated Cheddar cheese and thyme. Then grill for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.

8. Unprocessed Made Easy by Delicia Bale is published in hardback by Ebury Press, €29. Photography by Delicia Bale.