+34
A writer makes chicken nuggets, muesli bars, almond milk, potato chips and Mint Slices from scratch to compare cost, time and taste against ultra-processed versions, as a nutritionist says the proportion of UPFs in diets matters most.
A writer has tested how much time and money it costs to make non-ultra-processed versions of five common foods: chicken nuggets, muesli bars, almond milk, potato chips and Mint Slices.
The experiment compared homemade versions with store-bought ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, are often regarded as cheaper and faster than homemade dishes. Dr Priscila Machado, a nutritionist and public health researcher at the Deakin Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, describes UPFs as branded, commercial formulations made from cheap ingredients extracted or derived from whole foods, combined with additives, and mostly containing little to no whole food.
How to identify ultra-processed foods
She says looking at ingredient lists is a practical way to spot them. If there are ingredients you do not recognise or use at home, like protein isolates, emulsifiers, colour, flavours and other additives, it is probably ultra-processed, she says. Consuming these sorts of ingredients occasionally or in small quantities is not a problem. There is also no strong evidence supporting ranking the healthfulness of different types of UPF.
Machado says the bigger concern is the role of UPFs in overall dietary patterns. The evidence shows that the proportion of UPFs in our diets is what matters most; in Australia, the UK and the US almost half or more of total energy consumption comes from UPFs, she says. Machado stresses that individuals are not to blame for high levels of UPF consumption.
Instead, it reflects a food system dominated by powerful UPF corporations that use cheap ingredients and intensive marketing to make products highly available, convenient and profitable, she says. We need to be careful not to put the responsibility back on individuals by telling people they should cook everything from scratch, she says. People are making food choices in environments where UPFs are often cheaper, quicker and easier, particularly for families with limited time or money.
The true cost of homemade chicken nuggets
The writer used proportional cost allocation when calculating the price of homemade items. If 25% of a $10 bottle of oil was used, it was costed at $2.50. For chicken nuggets, the writer once used chicken mince and followed a reputable recipe, but no one in the family liked them. Better success came from chicken thighs cut into nugget-sized pieces, dipped in a mixture of egg, mayonnaise, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
The nuggets are coated in bread crumbs that have been sprayed with oil and baked briefly until golden brown. They are placed on a wire rack on a baking tray, sprayed with oil and baked until golden brown. For this attempt, store-bought bread crumbs containing only flour, yeast and salt were used, and mayonnaise was made at home because no store-bought mayonnaise without emulsifiers could be found.
The homemade mayo took about 20 minutes using a whisk and bowl; it would have been quicker with a machine. The kitchen setup is temporary because the writer is moving, so cooking takes longer than usual. In the previous home, without making mayonnaise, the recipe typically took about 45 to 50 minutes. The non-UPF nuggets cost about double the UPF ones and are more time-consuming, but the writer is happy to make them because they taste significantly better.
Making cheaper homemade muesli bars
The writer's eight-year-old gave two thumbs up and said they are better than restaurant nuggets. Muesli bars are one of the easiest snacks for kids and are often thought of as not unhealthy. But the ingredient list of the ones the writer had been buying, Uncle Tobys chewy choc chip, reveals they are ultra-processed, as are other bars in the same aisle. The recipe followed involved melting butter and honey, adding vanilla extract, then mixing it through rolled oats.
The mixture was pressed firmly into a slice tray lined with baking paper and baked. When done, the bars were chilled completely in the fridge before slicing. They tasted good but fell apart more than store-bought muesli bars, which may have been user error. They are significantly cheaper than the ones bought from the supermarket and were not particularly onerous to make: 10 minutes of prep, 20 minutes to bake, then chill time.
The kids liked them fine but prefer the ones with chocolate chips. The writer has made them before with chocolate chips but left the chips out for this article because none without emulsifiers could be found. The writer would make these again but next time would add chocolate chips. Non-dairy milk is a growing market, driven by dietary restrictions, environmental concerns and innovation.
Why store-bought almond milk is processed
Almond milk is a common non-bovine milk that the writer has bought in the past. The ingredient lists of four widely available brands of almond milk included various gums, stabilisers and emulsifiers, and almonds made up just 2.5% to 7% of the ingredients. The writer tried to make almond milk with just raw almonds and water. One cup of almonds was soaked overnight, then drained and rinsed.
They were added to a blender with two cups of water and blended on high for two minutes. The mixture was poured into a nut milk bag over a bowl to strain.
Homemade Food Costs Chicken Nuggets Muesli Bars Almond Milk
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dental care costs push one in four Australian adults to delay treatmentA new analysis shows one in four Australian adults delayed or skipped dental care in the past year, with cost cited as a key barrier, as calls grow for expanded public dental funding.
Read more »
Live: ASX to fall slightly as Australian dollar weakens after RBA rate hikeThe ASX is likely to start its day flat, or even slightly lower. It comes after a weak session on Wall Street as government bond yields continued their march towards multi-decade highs. Follow live.
Read more »
Australian MPs lead English-speaking world in AI-assisted parliamentary speechesA sample of Australian parliamentary speeches found more than 20 per cent of House of Representatives speeches were flagged for AI-generated or AI-assisted text, the highest rate among English-speaking legislatures.
Read more »