Ask Ottolenghi: how can I wean myself off ultra-processed foods?

I want to eat more whole foods, but I am finding it challenging. Do you have any template recipes to get me started and away from ultra-processed foods?
Rachel, Canada
Wanting to make the shift in the first place is half the battle, so keep things simple and take it one day at a time. Let’s crack breakfast, for starters. Put oats on your shopping list, then add some seeds and/or nuts (pumpkin or sesame seeds, walnuts, pecans: whatever you like, really), fruit (apples for grating, say, or berries or bananas) and plain full-fat unsweetened yoghurt. You might fancy some honey, too, though the fruit should make things nice and sweet enough. Soak the oats overnight in water or milk, and they’re ready to go the next day. Once you know what you do and don’t like in your UPF-free, 100% whole foods breakfast, accessorise to taste – I like tahini on my porridge, for example, or a spoonful of nut butter.

Eggs are another whole food winner, so eat them however you like: fried in olive oil or butter with some turmeric, say, scrambled or boiled. I especially like them in shakshuka, for which they’re steamed/poached in a simple tomato sauce (make it in batches and freeze for just such an eventuality). Heat a little sauce in a small pan, make one or two wells in the surface, then crack an egg into each one. Swirl the whites a little, cover the pan and leave to cook until the eggs are set to your liking. Shakshuka can also be jazzed up to your heart’s content: crumble feta on top, for example, or bulk it out with good crusty bread, sliced avocado or some green leaves. Drizzle with good olive oil or tahini, and you’ll be left wanting for nothing more.

So long as you’re actually chopping what you’re shopping, you’re in a good place. Get your confidence up and running with breakfast, then move on to lunch and dinner. Spoiler alert: rice will definitely feature.