“”I am a dietician, and I sometimes consume ultra-transformed foods with family“. This sentence may surprise and yet it simply reflects a reality, according to dietician Julie Boët. “Because to be a parent is also to deal with everyday life, fatigue, unforeseen … And in this context, processed products are not enemies, if you know how to choose them”.
For her, choosing this type of product punctually is “Neither an admission of failure nor a lack of knowledge: it is the reality of modern life “ she says. Words that will certainly be guilty some parents.
Ultra-transformed foods are not very rich, from a nutritional point of view
Contrary to popular belief, ultra-transformed products are not limited to sodas or ready-made dishes.
“”They bring together a wide range of products containing many industrial ingredients: aromas, preservatives, emulsifiers, dyes or texture agents “ defines our expert. Their texture, taste and appearance are reworked, often to please the consumer, but to the detriment of their nutritional quality.
“”They are therefore found in everyday products: some breakfast cereals, milky desserts, savory snacks, even cereal bars“Lists the dietician. But not all of them are to ban. What matters is the frequency and the context of consumption.”It is the excess and the high frequency that are problematic ” she still assures.
To finish reassuring the most reluctant, Julie Boët recalls an essential point. “”Giving a product transformed from time to time does not make you a bad parent. What matters is the whole food over the week, the month, the year “.
Here are the products she consumes … without feeling guilty
As a food professional, she therefore assumes draw from time to time in this type of product, to prepare the meal or snack of her family. But always knowingly, and with particular attention paid to the composition of products.
Here are the ultra-transformed foods Julie Boët chooses, with her dietician look:
- Cereal bars. “”Provided that it is simple, not very sweet, rich in fiber. This remains a transformed product, but acceptable to snack so well chosen“;
- The breaded fish. “”Yes, but in moderation. Choose products containing at least 65 % fish, and avoid versions rich in additives. Better yet: homemade with breadcrumbs and fish net“;
- Nuggets. “”For punctual troubleshooting, but beware of the real meat content and the oils used. House, it’s much better with a breading based on oats for even more crisp and fiber! “ ;
- Pizza. “”A complete dish if it is well balanced (vegetables, little cheese, fine dough). Why not from time to time, especially if you accompany it with a salad“;
- The dishes to warm in the microwave. “”Check the labels and in particular the content of salt, sugar, saturated fats … to keep for rush days, not for all lunchtime “.
Find balance, in the middle of loaded weeks
Far from encouraging the overconsumption of industrial products, Julie Boët is campaigning for a guilty and realistic vision of family food. And share some simple tips to limit them without putting the pressure:
- Bet on raw frozen frozen: vegetables, unpaid meats or fish;
- Plan express recipes such as vegetable omelettes or tuna pasta salads;
- Cook in larger quantities and freeze homemade portions.
And above all, teach an essential lesson. “There is no prohibited food, only habits to be built. Food balance does not exclude pleasure”.