I’m just starting out on this exciting journey but am lacking in some of the kitchen equipment mentioned in some of the recipes. Is it ok to use things like shop bought almond or peanut butter and hummus or does it have to be home made? I know its easier to control what goes into stuff if it’s home made but does it really make a big difference?

Hi Jess
I am cooking from scratch a lot more than I used to – but certainly use shop bought stuff as well. the thing is to look closely at all the ingredients, and the nutrition analysis.
Learn all the names of hidden sugars (fructose, glucose, etc) – I have a feeling that they are listed in the BSD book

Some nutrition labels are horrendous to read – small print, dodgy colour schemes. Some supermarket websites list all the nutrition details on their websites (ocado, waitrose, I think sainsburys) – so I often look there rather than squinting at the illegible packets forever.
Take care and cross check with the packet or supermarket data when you use databases that are user generated (my fitness pal, calorie count, etc), they aren’t always accurate – for example if someone enters a new food, and they aren’t counting carbs, they may not bother to enter carb values, and I have come across wildly different values for the same food.

One gadget it is worth investing in is a spiraliser – you can get small ones for £10 or less on Amazon, and they are the same size as a standard can of baked beans.

Good luck, hope it goes well for you.

One more point. Be cautious buying chicken or cooked meat in supermarkets. Many of them include sugar, especially in cheaper ranges. I would never have believed it until I started reading labels carefully.

I confess I occasionally use some shop bought products, but ALWAYS read labels before purchase. Watch out for those hidden sugars and be sure to check the carb values. Try to stick to things that aren’t over processed and pick those that have as few ingredients as possible. This regime is a great opportunity to get back in touch with real food though and getting creative with it just seems to follow automatically. I am enjoying the creative culinary process again and there is a lot that can be done without fancy equipment.

Thanks everyone for your input it has been really helpful. I cleared out all the cupboards today and went shopping to stock up on the things I think I am going to need. I’m really excited to start on this life-changing journey and hope I do as well as so many others on this site seem to have done. I’m looking forward to cooking again and have found so much inspiration on here already.

Good luck Jess J. Sounds like you are all ready to go and focused on making real change. I’ve found a new culinary creativity and I’m sure you will too. Make sure you let us all know how you progress and shout out if you need any support.