UPF.... WTF - I knew it was addictive but didn't realise...

That may be true for some but it isn't true for everyone. For all the whining about menopause, the women in my family didn't really have an issue so I doubt I will, either.

41 is young in body ageing terms! I can’t believe how many people on this thread are assuming that a 70 year old doesn’t know her own body when she says it has taken very little time for her fitness to diminish. For many women menopause is a watershed after which the timings of these things are completely different. I am 52 and it has recently taken me about 5 weeks to get back to running 5k after not doing it for a while. Just 5 years ago it would take me a fortnight. Same with weight, it becomes very much harder to lose where in my 40s I just had to cut down alcohol and it would fall off.

I am 41, so not 'young'. Don't get me wrong, I have a fairly healthy diet and I exercise a lot as well, I'm not some couch potato. But I also eat the odd Krispy Kreme. On here, people think that makes you some sort of Frankenfood devotee, which is bonkers to me.

Honest to fuck only on Mumsnet would a healthy diet with no UPFs and daily exercise be considered an eating disorder.

The OP is seventy years of age, I can only hope I'll still be as fit and healthy as she is when I reach my 70's.

Exactly!

It is all very well someone saying they are fit, healthy and strong and eat plenty of junk and therefore to dismiss concerns about ultra processed food. Perhaps they are fortunate with their genes and physiology, perhaps they’re just young and it will come back to bite them. Who knows?

However, on a population level there is no denying that the processed, commercialised nature of much of the western diet is doing people a great deal of harm.

Personally, I find it difficult to understand why, armed with the research knowledge we have and appropriate financial resources, an individual would not choose to give themself the best chance of a healthy life by eating the best diet they can. That’s simply what the OP is trying to do.

Our attitude to food has been so warped by the processed food manufacturers over the last decades that some people think wanting to eat only real food rather than UPFs made with non food items constitutes an eating disorder.
Balance means eating healthy quantities of different nutrients, not that you have to eat both food and non food.

You are being ridiculous and you sound orthorexic to me. I am so tired of all the nonsense about UPF. I am a fit, shapely size 8 who eats a lot of 'junk'. It's all about balance.

This is about waiting lists and Long Covid though.

Its not about UPF’s

This time last year l was healthy and fit. Caught Covid last summer. Bern housebound by severe Long Covid ever since

The IFS's recent report on the increase in claims for sickness benefit (up 40,000 per month since the pandemic) makes frightening reading. They estimate the cost will require a 4p rise in income tax by the end of this decade. I read it in the Times this morning, but it's probably published elsewhere too, without a paywall.

Can you imagine the additional strain on the care system when more obese people become ill whether from age or complications. There will be a requirement for 3 or 4 staff to move people, it would really impact the workload and lead to even more delays. I have never thought it through before but its quite scary when you think of it.

Yes, it is noticeable that you don’t see many people who are fat and old - even in care homes.

It sounds like you’re not eating anywhere enough protein and fat, which is probably why you’re craving carbs.

Sorry, does any one want me to ask for my diversionary threads to be to taken down?

I'm posting on two threads and may have confused them.

But in the good news column, the effort has paid off. We're now mortgage free, with a too large house to sell and downsize, and keen to move for a new life where volunteering is likely to be our passport into the next social circle.

We have an epidemic of ill health in the UK, we are heading the same way as America

Have you heard about the huge jump in Colon/ Pancreatic cancer in the young?
Down to UPF and drinks.
It's not a craze,stop being so ignorant

I think a lot of the issue is snacking, its been normalised by guess who - the same companies that bombard us with tempting ads and promote obesity. I'm not just talking about fatty or unhealthy treats either, often the snacks advertised are healthy enough in terms of fat but still processed and still contributing to the concept of snacking. We cannot deal with hunger anymore. Kids have a quick snack while dinner is being made to 'keep them going', adults snack all the time, I admit I'm bad for this so I need to take my own advice here.

I often think of my Grandad who lived well into his 90s, if you offered him a biscuit at 4pm he would look at you in disbelief, 'but what about my dinner, that would ruin my appetite!'. We need to bring back the idea of a healthy appetite, i.e. feeling genuine hunger in anticipation of a meal. The majority of picky eaters especially children would find themselves suddenly eating previously rejected foods.

I wonder would an information campaign around this work, like the 5 fruit and veg thing we all obsessed with years ago. Never eat 2 hours before your meal, you could ruin your appetite, that sort of thing. The 2 hour rule etc. It won't change all our problems but if would normalise not snacking and particularly make it a lot easier for parents to say no.

If you are engaged enough in cooking to be making your own stocks, then you probably don't have much to fear. If your idea of making dinner is about tearing a few packs open, then maybe it's time to pay more attention.

I will agree that I am a bit of a foodie, and like to cook, and have a kitchen I have designed to have prep space and all the rest, AND that there are a million people who don't share my privileges. But, I am oldish at 67, and have only arrived at this comfy place after 45 years of work. I did not have what I have now at 25, or 35, and I was only just beginning getting there at 45. I also did not have my DC (only one) until I was 43, because before that I was working to put a roof over my head.

I agree, but I have to say homemade mayo or Cesare dressing is easy and really tasty.

Yes. I did the same. I am of the view of reducing UPF, not entirely removing it from my diet. I just had a big salad with chicken breast, I’m not concerned about the UPF majo/ceasar dressing although I’ll use the least UPF item. I went down a rabbit hole with it a bit and started making my own stock etc. I just couldn’t keep it up, now
i try and assess objectively - my homemade chilli or spaghetti bolognese won’t be null and void of nutrition if I add a stock cube.

My mother's (geriatric) psychiatrist who diagnosed her with Alzheimers explained to me that vascular dementia more often occurs with co morbidities like diabetes and COPD and alcohol misuse. Also being overweight and having high cholesterol and HBP. I'd never really made the link before, but it's not just the organs you'd think of being directly affected by poor lifestyle choices. Unfortunately Alzheimers is less preventable.

I recently joined 2 different FB groups about UPFs , for information and recipes. There was lots of really obsessive behaviour and posting of "is this UPF free" whilst holding up sauce bottles, prepared foods, powders and potions. I thought "just cook with as many real and unpackaged foods as you can" rather than just trying to find commercial products that are UPF. I left the groups. They were silly

Aslong as you’re ok, we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

If you are interested in gaining one knowledge that’s not entirely subjective I’d recommend Chris Van Tulleken’s book.

I've seen UPFs referred to as "engineered food" which I think is a helpful concept to distinguish them from food that already exists as food then processed to preserve it.