Low UPF diet - to think the experts weren’t lying?

And separately but related is so many parents insistence that their DC will only eat that shit. So many people lack the skills and knowledge to make a nutritious meal.

I don’t think it’s particularly surprising that UPF is inherently bad for us and our body. What I think is surprising is the extent in which it’s slipped into innocuous products, like breaded chicken, ready meals, cereals that seem relatively innocent like and how heavily it’s all marketed for health etc. I think we always knew chocolate and crisps were shit on the main.

I thought it was obvious that UPFs are not good for you, I never thought someone would say it's a discovery. The average UK/US diet is horrible, people eat crisps for lunch like it's normal and feed this to kids. But if someone was born and brought up in a country with their own cuisine based on fresh ingredients, they are usually horrified by i.e. the quality of bread in UK shops or school lunches.

Surely you could just drink less coffee/put less sugar in it?

I don't think she wants to.

I did wean myself off sugar in coffee and tea but I tend to have more milk - so calorie wise not sure it actually helps.

I could stop drinking entirely but I don't want to I enjoy them as beverages. I have tried various other teas - fruit teas dentist dislikes - but fennel tea, occasional nettle or mint tea or green tea is nice but not the same as proper tea.

Several PP said they have sugar craving after meals - I do too and find tea is about only thing that holds them off. I also avoid sweenters in things like low fat yogurts because they set of a sugar craving that is worst I experience though do get it same way with those in soft drinks.

I have only skimmed this thread, but I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this.

Giving up ultra processed food won’t necessarily make you lose weight. If you swap ultra processed foods for their less processed counterparts, you may be consuming way more calories.

We first got a bread machine when it was two of us in a flat with tiny kitchen with little side space and being out the house a lot.

It was less pratical more a novelty and I can't say we though the loaves great at all - then we found the book I linked earlier - and found there's a lot more out there than a standard loaf.

My IL have small kichen and only started doing bread when it was two of them - though they do eat a lot of bread and soup.

I think it fine to say not everyone wants to make their own bread and honestly I don't think supermarket bread is that terrible especially if your diet has little bread in it.

However if you do - bread machine do make the entire process - and if you get right make also yogurt making - much easier and less labour intensive.

I don't dispute that but there has to be a line somewhere between doing the best we can and being a slave to our diet.

If I ate nothing but lean meat, fish, whole fruit and vegetables, all unsalted I would be in amazing health but I'm not willing to do that. I drink wine, have sweeteners but I try and make better choices elsewhere.

Running is bad for your joints, I'm aware of this but I won't give it up because I enjoy it and it benefits me in other ways like cardio health. So to help prevent injury and bone crumbling I strength train alongside.

I think it's important for people to make better choices but it's not realistic to say "never eat or drink this" because we are humans and we make emotional choices.

Same! I eat mostly "real" or non upf food (I do eat wraps which i dont make) but I always want chocolate afterwards
And not 90% dark chocolate, it has to be milk choc

Because I have a tiny kitchen (I live in a flat), there’s only two of us so we don’t eat enough bread to make it worthwhile, and, to be honest, I can’t be arsed / don’t have time as I’m out of the house 12 hours a day.

Bread can/should be as simple as flour, salt and yeast - or if it's sourdough, flour, salt and sourdough starter. So there's no actual need for any more ingredients than that and I'd be questioning why anything else is in there. If it's nutritious eg olive oil in ciabatta or seeds on the top of a loaf, then great but otherwise no. Baked in store doesn't mean there aren't dodgy ingredients.

This is a really interesting point. I want to feel well now, be a weight I'm happy with, and be at less risk of things like stroke, but at the same time, I don't want to have an extremely long lifespan. I know that the health problems linked to bad diet can be disabling (like stroke if survived), so that's also a risk. A decent lifespan in good health and a quick death - how do we live to maximise the chances of that?

@mumuseli

There's a very different process used in mass produced bread

Look up Chorleywood Bread Process.

I wish someone would tell my body that! I cook a meal most evenings, with protein and masses of vegetables, but still crave something sweet every single night - and often more than one sweet thing

Nigella has a recipe for no knead sourdough - you dump everything in a bowl the night before, mix it for 30 seconds or so, no kneading at all, leave it overnight, cook the next day. It does require you to plan your timing, but takes up very little hands on time and creates much less mess than kneading bread on your worktop, getting it all over your hands etc.

I would say i wish i had time to think about UPF's and cook from scratch but i don't. i HATE cooking and baking with a passion. I leave the house at 6am and get home around 8:30pm Mon-Fri and my weekends are just as manic. My house is basically just there to sleep and shower in 😂i can't think of much worse than spending time in the kitchen - what with not wanting children, i'm not the most wholesome version of a female 😂

What do people who are rarely home eat on the go if they are avoiding UPF's?

I’d disagree with this comment.

I lived in a Scandi country for quite a long time. The bread there is all made the old fashioned way with normal amounts of yeast and being left to prove/rise.

The difference on returning to the UK was so stark that I read up about it. I understand most UK sliced bread is baked using a different method, where there are higher yeast contents and much less time.

It’s very noticeable to me that even nice baps/rolls in the UK quickly feel doughy in your mouth. It’s not imaginary or psychosomatic.

Google Chorleywood bread process, if you’re interested.

Apologies if this has already been said. I haven’t reached the end of the thread yet.

You’re so right; I am mostly UPF free but am going to try harder. It’s definitely a question of making it a habit and always having UPF free options to hand, and no tempting crisps or biscuits in the cupboard. There is so much UPF food - it’ll be interesting to see whether consumer demand does push the industry towards making healthier options.

Once again, people completely misunderstand the fundamental problem with UPFs.

It's not the fat or the sugar that's the issue! It's the impact of additives (even 'natural' ones) and processed ingredients on the bacteria in your gut.

That impact is huge and not yet fully understood - but we do know that the result is more inflammation, which itself impacts many/most f our biological processes.

This is why it's increasingly clear that UPFs affect mental as well as physical health.

Well done!

I’ve eaten whole foods since the 1980s, when I stoped eating meat and bought The Whole Food cookbook in my late teens. Have always used wholewheat pasta, whole grain rice etc.

Have brought my kids up the same. When they were little and wanted a snack, I’d give them a box of raisins or a little bowl of chopped up fruit, e.g. apple slices sprinkled with lemon juice, grapes, mango etc. Though they obvs ate crisps, pizza etc when they were older. I’m not a zealot or anything

I cook from scratch most evenings. Once you get used to it, it doesn’t seem like a chore. Stick the radio or a podcast on and get into it. And lots of meals only take 30 mins. My DS’s now all love to cook. It really helps to grow your own herbs. It’s so easy and adds so much flavour. As do spices. If you have a freezer, batch cooking really helps to provide frozen ‘ready meals’.

I honestly think carbonated drinks are the worst. I hated them as a kid. Some people drinks gallons of it every week.

I wish schools taught kids how to cook properly, e.g. a basic tomato sauce, white sauce, basic curries, slaws. It’s the most beneficial thing you can be taught IMHO.

This is fascinating; I didn’t read @Gattopardo’s post that way at all.

I'm really shocked at how many people this seems to be news for.

I'm now approaching 60 and have been a healthy weight and (touch wood) in good health all my life. Whenever people say "you're lucky, you don't have to worry about your weight" I say "real food, at regular intervals in sensible portions". It's not rocket science. I've never had a particular policy not to eat much processed food, but why would you? Most of it doesn't even look like food!

well good for you OP
I can't afford to and don't have the time to home cook everything and honestly can't be bothered.

i don't plan to be around more than about 70 anyway if I get there. i don't want to end like my parents - what is the point of all this lovely healthy mediterranean diet and forcing your kids to eat things they absolutely hate and bullying them about their bodies to end up incontinent and senile at 80+ with kids who don't give a fuck.

I'll eat what i want and what i can afford

Buy a breadmaker and you can make all sorts of of breads with different flours. Only take less than five minutes to weigh the flour, add salt and oil, set the timer, and wholesome bread ready in the morning, great if you are short on time, never eat shop bread again!