Avoiding Ultra-Processed Foods Thread anyone?

[Treezan82]

I watched the recent documentary on Ultra-Processed foods and just generally would like to improve my health. Anyone else?

We already eat a lot of home-cooked food and make our own pasta sauces etc but def still room for improvement.

Some obvious swaps I plan to make:

Frozen pizza - home made pizza
Frozen nuggets - home made nuggets
Bake cake or biscuits at the weekend and that's it - don't buy any of the packaged stuff

Some things I'm stuck on:

Kids' breakfast. They love toast and cereal and both are full of unpronounceable ingredients. They love fruit too but need something else to fill them up.

Yoghurts - again, kids love them but are there any brands that aren't so full of crap?

Noodles - we just eat plain ones as part of home cooked recipes but even they contain potassium carbonate.

Would love to hear your swaps/alternatives/healthy, veggie-packed recipes!

I saw the programme advertised but didn’t catch it. I will watch it on iplayer when I get a chance
I do have a chocolate habit I need to quit, it’s going to be hard.

Teen who has ASD is a junk addict. We were always so good cooking from scratch & home baking but since high school he’s constantly buying biscuits, crisps & fizzy. All our hard work wasted!

Not watched the program yet but meaning to. Intrigued by yoghurt maker! Just been looking online and I'm definitely going to order one! And some refillable pouches (my toddler loves fromage frais pouches and they are less messy than a spoon) amazing idea! I love this thread I was actually wondering the same how to change our normal daily foods to be less ultra processed. The bakery bread is a great start, i use a pack of tortilla wraps every week so I might have a go at making some.

We usually go through a pack of bourbons a week from dunking into tea so I think I need to make some healthier home made biscuits. Any recipe suggestions? I haven't baked for quite a while. Maybe some healthy oat bars the toddler might like too? 🤔 I wonder if he'd like overnight oats. He usually has shreddies and toast for breakfast

@SpacePug These aren't healthy but are delicious and easy and would be a good substitute for Bourbons I think: pin.it/7DlN2IY

[quote bluechameleon]@SpacePug These aren't healthy but are delicious and easy and would be a good substitute for Bourbons I think: pin.it/7DlN2IY[/quote]
These look great thank you!

@FudgeSundae I agree that there is surely a sliding scale of ultra-processedness. A loaf of bread made of flour, yeast, salt and something like ascorbic acid must be significantly better than one with a long list of additives and a shelf life of two weeks. And the point made in the programme about ultra processed foods being designed to be more palatable and easy to keep eating applies to Pringles and mini rolls but doesn't really apply to the tinned pulses I mentioned above. Also, some of these kinds of additives you would add in home cooking - when I make elderflower cordial I add citric acid, and when I make jam I add pectin. That surely doesn't make my homemade items ultra processed?

I'm just looking at my online Tesco order for next week. Looking at oats. Are basic porridge oats better for kids (and adults) than Tesco version of ready brek, which is also just oats but with fortified vitamins added? I think someone else had a similar question above about bread. In my head more vitamins means it's better, but then it's processed? So it must be bad 🤨

Kids' breakfast.
Bread - the bread maker machine has been one of my best investments. We use it 3-4 times a week and always have fresh bread. That with Meridian peanut butter, which is just peanut, and blueberries / banana is a filling breakfast.
Porridge. I'm not a fan but DD is obsessed.
Overnight oats. Super easy - we like ours with hemp milk which is sustainable. It's nicer than it sounds!

Yoghurts
I get tesco free from soy yoghurt which is just water, soy, calcium and yoghurt cultures, no added sugar or added fat. Bonus: it's really nice - DD has it with maple syrup. Also goes well with oats / fresh, frozen or stewed fruit.

Noodles
Personally I think life is too short, and unlikely to be made shorter, by worrying about potassium carbonate. However, Mr Organic wholewheat tagliatelle (ingredients: whole durum wheat) is a reasonable substitute for noodles.

If you are doing family meals and want unprocessed, good recipes, designed to be child-friendly, I can massively recommend all the Dreena Burton cookbooks, especially Plant Powered Families.

@SpacePug

I'm just looking at my online Tesco order for next week. Looking at oats. Are basic porridge oats better for kids (and adults) than Tesco version of ready brek, which is also just oats but with fortified vitamins added? I think someone else had a similar question above about bread. In my head more vitamins means it's better, but then it's processed? So it must be bad 🤨

I found the below document online, it’s really helpful. Of oats it says under Minimally processed foods “grits, flakes and flours made from corn, wheat or oats, including those fortified with iron, folic acid or other nutrients lost during process”

educhange.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NOVA-Classification-Reference-Sheet.pdf

@SpacePug

I'm just looking at my online Tesco order for next week. Looking at oats. Are basic porridge oats better for kids (and adults) than Tesco version of ready brek, which is also just oats but with fortified vitamins added? I think someone else had a similar question above about bread. In my head more vitamins means it's better, but then it's processed? So it must be bad 🤨

Real oats are better - fortified with vitamins doesn't compensate for the fibre that is lost.

I have been trying to eat an anti inflammatory diet due to arthritis and fibro. So it is basically getting rid of processed foods, dairy and possibly gluten. I feel alot better since switching to Almond milk but wonder how processed it is? I'm interested in a yoghurt maker! Also made my first batch of hummus last week and it was yummy xxx

@WingingItSince1973

I have been trying to eat an anti inflammatory diet due to arthritis and fibro. So it is basically getting rid of processed foods, dairy and possibly gluten. I feel alot better since switching to Almond milk but wonder how processed it is? I'm interested in a yoghurt maker! Also made my first batch of hummus last week and it was yummy xxx

It's pretty processed but you can always make it yourself from just almonds with nothing added. Personally I just buy it from store even though it's processed but don't use that much of it.

@WingingItSince1973 non dairy milks are very easy to make and work out a lot cheaper. Soak the almonds, blend and strain the mixture. Or I bought a soy milk maker but it is also very good at nut/rice/oat milks.

I would also question some of the items that we are putting down as minimally processed. I've noticed that store bought plain yoghurt lasts weeks and weeks in the fridge without going off - home made would not. Also store bought UHT non dairy milks outlast my home made milks by a week or two. So there is some unseen processing going on.

@silentpool

I would also question some of the items that we are putting down as minimally processed. I've noticed that store bought plain yoghurt lasts weeks and weeks in the fridge without going off - home made would not. Also store bought UHT non dairy milks outlast my home made milks by a week or two. So there is some unseen processing going on.

Homemade yoghurt should last for 2-3 weeks

A question about homemade non-dairy milks. I know the shop bought ones are processed but as they're fortified do you think they would be better for dairy intolerant toddler DD?

@Huff1epuff

A question about homemade non-dairy milks. I know the shop bought ones are processed but as they're fortified do you think they would be better for dairy intolerant toddler DD?

I would say yes. DD has the Alpro growing up milk.

Watching with interest.

Re bread - is all shop bought bread UP? We have a great bakery near us, their bread is delicious. Is it ok if I ask for ingredients?

It’s going to be hard starting. Our family of 5 is currently self isolating and dd2 has Covid. I’ve just bought a stack of mini magnums to help us get through the week!

@bendmeoverbackwards

Watching with interest.

Re bread - is all shop bought bread UP? We have a great bakery near us, their bread is delicious. Is it ok if I ask for ingredients?

Of course it is And if they are not happy to inform you, I wouldn’t buy a thing from them

Following this thread with interest as I really want to try and get away from processed crap.

We are biscuit heads in this house! I need to bake more but mine are always crap. Cakes and muffins I can do but biscuits just always end up a bit cakey. No crunch! 😂

We’ve recently renovated our garden and have loads of veggies growing. I am looking forward to more organic veg. We have always cooked sauces from scratch, although I do cheat sometimes with curry pastes, does anyone else find buying all the ingredients for curries from scratch really expensive for a single meal or two?

I also get really overwhelmed thinking of how to feed my kids the best way. I have been trying to give them more fish as I am aware I’ve never liked it but want them to have the benefits...then I watched Seaspiracy and never want to buy fish again! 🙈

Sorry if someone has already posted this, but a nice easy breakfast you can prep in advance, crack a few eggs in a jug, mixed herbs, chopped onion/peppers/tomatoes/ham whatever you fancy, grated cheese, splash of milk, basically like you’re making an omelette. Grease a muffin tin. Pour the mix in the muffin tin and bake for about 15 mins. Until they have a golden top. You get these nice little eggy muffins. I usually have them with baked beans when hot but they are freezable, and you can microwave them too to reheat. Really good picnic snack. I eat tinned baked beans the reduced salt/sugar ones but they are probably still bad for additives 😬

Yay. So glad to have found your thread!!
We’re two weeks in. 2 adults. 4 kids

So..

breakfast is porridge and banana
peanut butter or cheese salad sandwich

Thank you for the bread tip about buying from the baker and getting them to slice it. Less UP than shop bought. I was stuck about bread, so thank you

I’ve just re-iterated to mine that no more than 2 slices of bread a day.

They all like ryvita.

Ive made home made jam with frozen berries and agave syrup boiled in a pan. They love it.

I make a ice pop every other day. Bought from Amazon an ice lolly mould kit. I whizz frozen berries, soya yog and splash soya milk and chia seeds. A squeeze of agave syrup or honey. Boom. Pour into the moulds and freeze

Yep valley natural yogurt with fruit and seeds and nuts. Or a bit of the homemade jam.

I’m baking flapjacks and granola for the yogurts.

I’ve made non cook ‘protein cocoa balls’. Mine love them (photo attached with recipe) Credit to Kate Dimmer Nutritionist.

www.facebook.com/katedimmernutrition/

I’ve got a few other recipes from her (including the jam) which I haven’t tried yet. So she’s worth a look for inspiration.

I think what I’m doing is cutting back on UP as much as possible. But still eating it. But way less than we have been. It’s a real eye opener.

Thank you for the mc cain rustic chips tip.

Oh. And I forgot to say. I’ve got kallo dark chocolate rice thins and Nairn’s Biscuit Oak Breaks coming from Asda. Needed some biscuits in the house. My flapjack is not as popular as it’s always crumbly.

Saw a flapjack recipe with 250g oats and 1 can of condensed milk But again reckons it’s UP.

I make hummus with chickpeas. Soya yoghurt and lots of lemon. Sorry. Will stop the drip feed

Just checked ingredients on a pack of Amoy straight to wok udon noodles - full of additives ☹️ We all love them, any good alternatives?

I'm very interested in this too. I used to be really on it but have slipped and there's a lot of convenience food in our diet now.

Apart from checking labels (ingredients for things like muesli vary wildly), I think organisation is the key - meal plans and batch cooking. If I'm being organised, I make yogurt in the instant pot, houmous, bread, soups etc. None of them actually take long to make.

I'd definitely recommend making sourdough, it only takes about ten minutes of my time a week, it's just a matter of being in a routine. If you can make pizza dough then naans and pitta are super easy too.

I do take it a step further and grow my own to make jams and pickles etc. I'm making elderflower cordial next week (elderflower from hedgerows) which is incredibly easy and lasts well.