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 must admit I’m finding this hard. Are ANY packaged snacks UPF free?

Sorry photo here

@bendmeoverbackwards - some have far less in that others. Ie regular crisps we have are just potato, oil and salt. Yes processed, but no weird extras.

www.ocado.com/products/tyrrells-sea-salted-furrows-60363011

Most cake/ biscuits in packets will have to have certain preservatives in as otherwise they would go off in 2-3 days. Most Cake at home starts going stale after a day or two.

Bakeries best place to buy cakes/ biscuits/ breads that you want if you can’t make yourself as they generally stick more to the make each day motto and regular sugar etc. Again not ‘healthy’ necessarily but less unknowns

Remember though, the guy on the show was saying he usually eats 80% good, 20% processed. For the experiment it was swapped to 80% processed. So he’s saying it’s better if ‘most’ your diet is unprocessed, not that everyone has to be 100% all the time. You do your best that works for you

So what’s the rationale do you know? Presumably not all additions to food are equal. Are there specific issues with some forms of preservatives over others?

Obviously the group of the population eating the highest percentage of their calories as UPFs are bottle fed babies who are 100% UPF fed. Any evidence it’s causing them any particular health problems?

I swapped out the Usual plastic sliced loaf for a fresh 'eat on the day' loaf and DH and DCs did indeed eat it on the day. The whole loaf. As a snack between them. Usually a loaf is emergency food and I often end up freezing half a loaf before it goes off. If I keep buying good bread they'll be the size of houses!
Otherwise I don't rely too heavily on very processed foods, bar the occasional pizza, so am not too worried. It's good to think about and keep an eye on it though. Last year my DD and I switched to a much higher proportion of processed crap and did put some weight on. At least when it is warm there's a greater incentive to eat lighter!

[quote Caspianberg]@bendmeoverbackwards - some have far less in that others. Ie regular crisps we have are just potato, oil and salt. Yes processed, but no weird extras.

www.ocado.com/products/tyrrells-sea-salted-furrows-60363011

Most cake/ biscuits in packets will have to have certain preservatives in as otherwise they would go off in 2-3 days. Most Cake at home starts going stale after a day or two.

Bakeries best place to buy cakes/ biscuits/ breads that you want if you can’t make yourself as they generally stick more to the make each day motto and regular sugar etc. Again not ‘healthy’ necessarily but less unknowns

Remember though, the guy on the show was saying he usually eats 80% good, 20% processed. For the experiment it was swapped to 80% processed. So he’s saying it’s better if ‘most’ your diet is unprocessed, not that everyone has to be 100% all the time. You do your best that works for you[/quote]
Thank you @Caspianberg that's really helpful.

@Vickles20

Hi of course I found it on here It’s says 250g oats (I used 300g as it seemed too wet) I can condensed milk

Combine. Bung in oven in oven until they look done. (Sorry. No timings were stated)

Wait until cool to cut up

They’re good. And definitely just whole milk and sugar in the condensed milk. No nasties

Trying these - thanks!

@TankGirl97

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.

Please could you share your houmous recipe? Thanks!

For my houmous, it’s an old slimming world recipe

Chickpeas (drained 1 can)
2-3 tblsp of thick natural yog (used to use skyr but use soya now)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Whizz up… boom

I tend to use an old Delia recipe for houmous...

www.google.com/amp/s/www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/mediterranean/greek/hummus-bi-tahini%3famp

For anyone who can't afford a bread maker.

This £55 bread maker is perfectly adequate for an average loaf of any type or colour. East to use. I have it and like it, and it saves money. A home made loaf for as little as 50p.

Ps Whatever any recipe book says, you do not need skimmed milk in bread dough!

Russell Hobbs 23620 Compact Fast Breadmaker, 660 W, Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HMITHY2/ref=cmswwrcppapiglttfabc74G4ZBX2JBDDJJCDKXP3

Also, you can make yogurt in a food thermos , like this one, as well as using it for hot food:

Thermos 184807 Stainless King Food Flask, Red, 470 ml https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DGPPY20/ref=cmswwrcppapiglttfabcZ2JTAD0584REE33S0BKX

How’s everyone doing?
We’re still mostly sticking to it.
Porridge in the morning (I have homemade smoothie) it’s the sachets, original.
We use the Vogel’s Soya and Linseed Bread. Co-op sell it.
Organic milk and I have organic soya (Morrison’s)
Clover spread
We don’t buy ham anymore.
Tuna and Helmans Mayo
Organic Cheese
Chutney (from farm shop)
Tyrells crisps or shop own brand tortillas
Salad stuff and fruit (non organic, just can’t afford it)
Organic sacla pesto (red and green). Morrison’s sell it
Homemade bolognaise with tinned toms
Lemon garlic thyme garlic and pots
Aubergine curry brown rice

Still have fish fingers and oven chips

I do homemade panko covered chicken pieces.
Organic Heinz baked beans
Normal Ketchup and Mayo
Puddings are Yeo valley yoghurts. Tinned fruit and Yeo valley natural yogurt
I make smoothies most days (frozen berries, banana, yogurt and milk seeds) I pour the mixture into ice pops for kids
Making flapjacks every other day with condensed milk (no nasties in it, just whole Milk and sugar. I use 250g oats with 1 can)

Nairn’s Dark Chocolate Chip & Coconut Chunky Biscuit Breaks. For biscuits

Dried apricots and dates. Nuts

Had hotdogs last week. A treat

Homemade houmous with veges
Organic Eggs and toast

We’re probably 70% no ultra processed. Happy with that
It’s more money. 6 of us in our family.

I’m nipping to Waitrose next week to do an organic top up. See what they have.

Hope everyone is doing ok with it

French bread and ham tomorrow for lunch!

Vickles20 Sounds like you're doing really well. My intentions were good but I have not made as much positive change as I would have liked.

It’s hard. And expensive. And needs really thinking about. I bought an air popcorn maker. Teens have popcorn most nights. Just a bit of salt. Hiding the sugar! Infact I’m seriously needed some more hiding places in our kitchen !! Litre gannets!
I think it’s nice to have treats at the weekend. White bread. Nachos. Ice cream. Etc.
I think the plan is to continue as low UP during the week. Then let our hair down at the weekend.
Porridge is a real game changer. And the flapjacks. And Nairn’s biscuits. And popcorn.

Hi all, is this thread still going? I've just been listening to a new podcast from Chris and Xand van Tulleken (Chris did the original TV programme that raised awareness of UPF) and the podcast is Chris trying to help his brother to eat more healthily. It's really good.

So anyway I'm trying to rid of as much UPF as possibly from our diet but it's hard when three year old DD will basically only eat oven pizza or fish fingers and chips for tea any tips for non-UPF meals that a very fussy 3yo might deign to eat?

As it's been so hot I've been making enormous bowls of tabbouleh and other salads to go with chicken or fish for dinner for us - delicious! Porridge with honey for breakfast instead of cereal is going well, and I'm about to buy a breadmaker so we can attempt to ditch packaged bread...

We make homemade pizza.

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/bread-recipes/pizza-dough/

Make the topping. Onions, oil, tinned toms and tomato paste. Whizz.

We make chicken nuggets. A bowl of whisked 1 egg A bowl of panko breadcrumbs. Cut chicken or fish. Dip in egg then panko. And place on greased tin. Spray or drizzle with a bit of oil

Chips. McCain naked ones aren’t so bad. Or make your own.

Marking my place :)