When the sun comes out, who doesn’t want to decamp to the park. Picnics these days are all about grabbing food from corner shops and supermarkets, most of which is marketed in eye-catching packets, and easy to crack open on the grass. But if you’re not careful, all these convenient tasty treats will build an ultra-processed feast full of additives and high in salt, sugar and saturated fat. Here are a few easy swaps that will improve the nutritional quality of your picnic without compromising on the occasion. Add in a bag of apples and some fresh fruit and you’re done.
I avoid: Doritos Cool Original Tortilla Chips
£2.50, 100g
Here’s my rule for buying crisps: anything with more than three ingredients is probably best avoided. The laundry list of flavouring and preservatives on this product — and so many similar corner shop offerings — should be enough of a warning sign that they are ultra-processed. And if it isn’t, the 22g of fat per 100g should do the trick: these chips are 22 per cent fat! While that’s an impressive feat of food engineering, your arteries will thank you for avoiding them. Add in 1.1g of salt and you have all the nutrients linked to heart disease and obesity.
I buy: Mister Freed Tortilla Chips with Blue Maize
£1.60, 135g
These chips are higher in fibre than a lot of similar products, making them a better nutritional option. Blue corn also contains polyphenols called anthocyanins, which gives it the blue colour. Polyphenols are great for your gut health, although I don’t know how much of the anthocyanins make it into the final product. Importantly, these chips are made with just three ingredients: corn, salt and sunflower oil. That’s a big difference from most of the ultra-processed crisps in the corner shop.
Swap processed meat-filled snacks for convenient mini cheeses
I avoid: M&S Chorizo and Chilli Cheddar Rollitos
£3.90, pack of 10
So tempting at a picnic but, where possible, it’s always best to avoid processed meat, whatever its form. Research shows that eating it regularly is associated with an increased risk of bowel cancer. Once you add in the processed cheese, you’ve got a high-risk snack that your gut microbes will not relish.
I buy: Cathedral City Mini Mature Cheddar Cheeses
£2.10, 6 x 20g
You can of course cut up some cheddar at home and put it in a Tupperware but these are great for picnics. Basic cheddar, with minimal processing, is high in protein. Cheese has had a bad rap over the years due to its saturated fat content. However, we now know that a bit of cheese as part of a diverse, plant-based diet can support health. Because it’s a fermented product, some types contain live, probiotic bacteria, which may also help to bolster your gut microbiome.
Avoid cheese twists and plump for an oatcake
I avoid: Sainsbury’s Cheese Twists
73p, 100g
Yes, they’re delicious and moreish, but that’s thanks to their carefully engineered hyperpalatability. Food scientists know that a combination of high fat, simple carbohydrates and salt is irresistible to human taste buds. Because of this, you’re gobbling down 1.3g of saturated fat and 0.14g of salt per twist without even noticing. They also contain emulsifiers, which are bad for your gut; palm oil, which is high in saturated fat and harms the planet; and added sugar, which, when eaten in excess, increases your risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes.
I buy: Nairn’s Cheese Oatcakes
£1.60, 100g
These are on the salty side too but they contain zero sugar, less fat and almost three times the fibre of a cheese twist. Fibre is one nutrient we could all do with eating more of: it feeds your gut microbiome, and consuming adequate fibre is associated with better heart health. Also, oats contain a type of fibre called beta-glucan that can help to reduce your cholesterol levels.
Swap Veggie Straws for these minimally processed crisps
I avoid: Eat Real Veggie Straws
£2, 110g
I have never been a fan of crisps that pretend to be vegetables, especially when they’re marketed towards children. Just eat the real thing. The processing here takes away any natural benefits and you’re left with a highly processed snack that’s high in salt (1.89g per 100g). The same rule applies to any processed product that barely resembles the real thing: leave it on the shelf.
I buy: Tyrrells Veg Crisps
£2.75, 125g
In comparison these have just three ingredients, no colourings or flavourings, and a surprising amount of fibre for a packeted snack at 11.3g per 100g. You can’t have a picnic without crisps so these would be my preferred option. However, be warned that they’re high in sugar and salt, so don’t go mad. Also, during processing a lot of the nutrients of the vegetables will be lost, so don’t be fooled into thinking they’re as good as eating whole veggies.
Forget sausage rolls and try a spinach and feta version from Gail’s
I avoid: M&S Large Sausage Rolls
£1.10 for 2
It’s time to ditch the sausage roll as a picnic staple. The combination of processed meat, which has been linked to colon cancer, and factory-made pastry, which is full of saturated fat and preservatives to lengthen its shelf life, makes this an instant no from me. All mass-produced sausage rolls are best avoided, even the mini ones. But because these are quite big, it encourages you to eat more than you need, along with 8.1g of saturated fat per roll.
I buy: Gail’s Spinach and Feta Roll
£4.40 for 1
Yes, they are four times the price, but these rolls still have the delicious savoury, flaky combo that makes a sausage roll such a picnic favourite. In addition, they offer good quality protein and flavour from the feta and some fibre from the spinach. Importantly, they are devoid of processed meat, which is a win. As these are made fresh, they are also less likely to have a variety of high-risk additives, which are often added to industrial pastry.
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I avoid: Waitrose Cheese & Chive Dip
£1.85, 200g
This dip is likely to be creamy and delicious but it’s also high in total fat and saturated fat, and carries a relatively high dose of salt. At the same time, it has virtually no fibre. It also contains a long list of ingredients, including colourings and thickeners.
I buy: Duchy Organic Houmous
£2, 200g
You can’t go wrong with a good hummus, and this version doesn’t contain any untoward additives. The main ingredient (49 per cent) is chickpeas, a type of bean. Beans are hugely underrated in this country. They’re high in fibre and healthy plant compounds, cost-effective, versatile and go with pretty much any savoury food. Just call me the bean queen. When choosing a hummus, opt for one that contains only ingredients you’ve heard of, and avoid those with things you wouldn’t find in your kitchen, such as potassium sorbate or acidity regulators.
I avoid: Tesco High Fibre Wholemeal Loaf
£1.15, 400g
If you’re making picnic sandwiches you’ll probably be grabbing a loaf of supermarket bread. Many look fresh and wholesome but contain a variety of ingredients that are best avoided. For instance, this one includes palm oil and palm fat, which are high in saturated “bad” fats. Palm oil is also bad for the planet, another important consideration: I don’t want to add to the environmental destruction of far-off lands while enjoying nature at home with a picnic. This loaf also contains mono and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides of fatty acids. These act as preservatives and emulsifiers, which the latest evidence suggests may negatively impact your gut microbiome and heart health.
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I buy: Jason’s Grains & Seeds Ciabattin Sourdough loaf
£2, 580g
This is one of the few supermarket loaves with a simple ingredients list. If you can see the seeds and grains in a loaf, that’s a good sign. Seeds are a great addition to a wide range of foods — they’re cheap, accessible and contain healthy fats, plant protein, fibre and a wide range of micronutrients. Crucially, this loaf doesn’t contain any emulsifiers, which interfere with gut health.
Most ice cream is full of additives even if it seems wholesome. Brickell’s is a notable exception
I avoid: Mackie’s Strawberry Swirl Real Dairy Ice Cream
£3.30 per litre
Sadly, most ice cream products are best eaten only occasionally. When you look down the ingredients list, you’ll find a raft of high-risk additives that help to create an irresistible consistency and flavour. At the same time, they generally lack the simple ingredients that are used to make traditional ice cream. Because this one says it’s made with fresh milk and cream, it appears wholesome at first glance, but it has more than a dozen ingredients, including four types of emulsifiers and loads of sugar, which they’ve attempted to hide using three different names: glycerine, sugar and modified maize starch.
I buy: Brickell’s Roasted Strawberries Ice Cream
£7.50, 475ml
This is my favourite ice cream and it comes from a Somerset-based business that uses milk from the family dairy and mostly British-sourced real ingredients. There are no stabilisers, emulsifiers, artificial flavourings or preservatives. Most good delis and a lot of corner shops now sell it, and I hope it will be in big supermarkets soon.
I avoid: Stella Artois Premium Lager Beer
£2 per can
Although many of us enjoy alcohol, there’s no getting away from the negative health effects. Alcohol is highly addictive and increases the risk of developing certain forms of cancer.
I buy: Athletic Alcohol-free lager
£2.89 per can
If you like the taste of beer, there are a growing number of alcohol-free versions to choose from. That they don’t contain alcohol is, of course, the healthiest thing about them.
Fizzy drinks are linked with poor health outcomes. Try kombucha instead
I avoid: Orange Fanta
£3.50, 6x250ml
A classic example of a sugar-sweetened beverage: it is entirely devoid of nutritional benefit. Of all the highly processed foods, fizzy drinks are the most robustly associated with an increased risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. If you have a can every now and then, it’s unlikely to do much harm, but regular consumption is linked to poor health outcomes.
I buy: Holos Kombucha Drink Citra Hops
£37.99 for 12 bottles
Kombucha contains live microbes that support your gut health. Unlike a few years ago, there are many options out there now. When you’re choosing a kombucha, look for one without too much sugar and as few ingredients as possible. Also look for “live cultures” and check it hasn’t been pasteurised, which kills off the microbes.
Dr Federica Amati is nutrition topic lead at Imperial College School of Medicine and head nutritionist at Zoe, the science and nutrition company