Unprocess Your Life: The new cookbook to help you break free from ultra-processed foods

by Rob Hobson

‘This brilliant book is the answer for anyone wanting to make a profound shift away from eating ultra-processed foods, but just doesn’t know where to start’ – Dr Hilary JonesSay goodbye to artificial flavourings, excess sugar and unfamiliar ingredients.Say hello to delicious, nourishing, real food that will invigorate your body.

Research shows that one in seven of us across the globe is addicted to ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Often labelled as ‘healthy’, UPFs are everywhere we look – in our shopping baskets, our children’s lunch boxes and our kitchen cupboards. Yet research has shown these foods are synonymous with ill-health and a litany of chronic conditions, such a type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Breaking free from the hold of these cheap, convenient UPFs is one of the best things we can do for our health, but it can feel impossible to know where to begin.

Here, expert nutritionist Rob Hobson sets out the steps to make your diet cleaner and healthier, yet still bursting with flavour. With practical tips, effortless wholefood swaps and tasty recipes, he shows how to make all your go-to ready meals, freezer favourites, sauces and snacks without the nasties, so you and your family can embrace an unprocessed life that is simple, satisfying and achievable.

Let Unprocess Your Life be your compass for navigating the modern food landscape, reclaiming your health from the hidden perils of UPFs one delicious meal at a time.

‘If every household in the UK had a copy of this book, it could change the health of the nation and save the NHS billions. I wish I could prescribe it!’ Dr Dawn Harper

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Health, Cookbooks, Self Help

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 4, 2024

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recipe book of the month July 2024

Not a recipe book I own, ebook borrowed from the Libby library app.

Pretty badly written and information is clearly grabbed from all sorts of other sources, probably not very well explained for those who are not knowledgeable about UPF yet. I guess it might be a simple introduction?

For example author writes: “Frozen veggies are classed as a processed food, believe it or not” above a recipe for North Indian Spiced Cottage Pie, but does not clarify that they are Nova Group 1: Unprocessed or minimally processed foods. Additives are absent in this group. Examples include fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, fresh meat, eggs, milk, plain yogurt, and crushed spices. Read a better book on UPF and then try some of the recipes here?

I’ve read Tim Spector, Chris Van Tulleken and Giles Yeo’s books which are far better quality. But the main point of this book is the recipes and there are some good ones, albeit nothing absolutely different or groundbreaking from any other good quality cookbook, which relies on using whole food and healthy ingredients.

For me the interesting section is probably the condiments recipes. I’ve never eaten a lot of ultra processed food having always cooked from scratch, and grown up on homegrown veg, home cooked meals and baking. I’ve baked my own bread for years now and always made cakes and some ice cream. Everyone has their own favoured UPF even if they don’t eat a lot. Mine I think mainly comes from buying occasional crisps, snacks and sweet treats, but I definitely use UPF condiments: salad cream, mayo, pesto (which I must make sometime if I can face stripping all my basil plants) ketchup occasionally and coconut milk. Honestly though, I can’t see me making coconut milk. I might try it. Running a food processor for 4-5 minutes doesn’t feel like it will be long before people hear a bang and the processor grinds to a halt though! I’m sure they’re more of a pulsing machine, not long running?


RECIPES:

Grilled peach (nectarine) feta and couscous salad: tasty and delicious. I suggest you place couscous in the bowl, put the dressed salad veg on top and then the quartered grilled fruit and a generously drizzle some reserved dressing (otherwise the dressing flavours are lost)

Have saved other recipes to make from the book, will update if I make them

26/7/24

North Indian Spiced Cottage Pie: just the filling, it’s not Shepherds Pie weather yet. Making sans peas. Why would you cook them for 25 mins then a further 20 in the oven?! They will be ideal stirred into this Lamb Keema, near the end of cooking. It’s smelling great. 7/9/24

[Mills]

I am by no means intending to give up processed food but I am trying to add some more nutrient dense items into my diet so when this popped up on KU I thought I'd take a look. I haven't tried any of the recipes but they all look achievable.

I will not, however, accept the author referring to a tortilla stuffed with nothing even resembling cheese as a quesadilla. No. I would consider dying on this hill.

I only skimmed the non vegetarian recipes and the rest of the text so for fairness' sake, I'm not going to give a rating.

[Victoria Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a debate between 3 and 4 stars, but ended on 3 as there was a mistake in a recipe and I found it annoying having to go from one recipe to another to actually complete a meal, as he'd say to use something on another page. Maybe a bit of a pain to put them (cooked legumes, sauces, etc) in with a recipe, but it certainly would've helped me.

[Hazel Goodfellow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book to be useful. I tried out the tuna puttanesca pasta with a couple tweaks as I was missing so of the ingredients. Really happy with the how it turned out and I’m looking forward to trying the chocolate nut butter recipe.

[Bismod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great balance between recipes but also background information with an informative introduction.

[Gary Pargeter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shame about the grammatical and spelling errors in the book…the publisher should know better. However, it makes you think and so far so good with the recipes I have tried.

[Marie Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant and insightful cook book.

[E Aktas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was too thin on the knowledge. The recipes were not aligned with the contents.