How did you reduce your Ultra Processed Food consumption

[RollingInTheCreek]

Have just listened to the 'A Thorough Examination' podcast and was horrified. I thought we ate well, we cook a lot from scratch but especially with the kids foods etc. We use the odd packet (e.g old el paso), they love ham and sausages although I have really tried to reduce this due to the carcinogen risk, and they love ice lollies etc.
We are going to use up obviously any cereal, fishfingers etc so it doesn't go to waste but then I am really going to try and make some changes to our eating habbits. As I said we do eat fairly well and have an allotment so lots of homegrown fruit and veg but we can do better!
My plans are:

• Make fingers/chicken goujons myself with breadcrumbs


• Less bread/crumpets etc overall and buy from local bakery instead of supermarket


• More fresh produce, eggs, etc


• Dippy egg, porridge/overnight oats or yogurt and fruit for breakfast


• Less processed kids snacks e.g malt loaf (would appreciate ideas for alternatives! Cucumber sticks and hummous etc.?)


• Eat less meat generally and more veg based meals and fish

If you have tried this do you keep using things like marmite? I know its processed but we all love it and I feel like making big changes will mean small things like that should be fine.
Appreciate anyones experiences!

My kids have always eaten the same as the adults, I cook from scratch. I once tried cooking fishfingers and serving us fresh fish (something expensive like sole) and they complained bitterly so never bought fish fingers again.

I do buy good quality sausages and burgers occasionally but 95% is scratch cooked bar the stock which I do buy. Tonight we have Thai curry, I'm picking up lemongrass from Waitrose on the way home (don't sell in Lidl)

Great ideas! We've been trying to reduce it too - although it's a work in progress! Some of our successes:

I got a bread maker, it's surprisingly easy to use and cost effective! £50 Aldi one.

Peanut butter and apple slices goes down well here.

Homemade pizza with healthier toppings.

Yoghurt toppings like flax seeds, nuts and coconut is great for bulking up the snack.

Shredded wheat with dried fruit.

A salmon pesto tray bake with new potatoes - could not believe my 3 year old ate it and enjoyed it!

We still have processed foods but just try harder to get lots of unprocessed and less processed food in there.

Thanks so much for all the replies.
Yes- worrying about marmite was a tad excessive. I think the podcast really shocked me to be honest and I've had a bit of a kneejerk reaction. I went through our fridge and cupboard and couldn't believe some of the stuff we had in!

Commenting to place mark! I heard this too and it's changed my whole approach.

Things like cheese or marmite are just processed, not ultra processed (preservatives that you generally can't pronounce or wouldn't have in your cupboard).

Packaged breads are one of the worst so I've started making bread, slicing it up and freezing it. Also I make banana bread (quick and easy) as an alternative to malt loaf, slice it up and freeze it then defrost a slice when I want it.

An easy win I've found is low fat Greek yoghurt and flour makes a really quick bread dough for home made pizza or flat breads.

I've also really got into roasted vegetables. So much easier to do a one pan bake and save on washing up.

This thread is simultaneously inspiring and guilt inducingly frustrating. I really don't think this is compatible with working parent families. If it was just me I was feeding, or I had 1-2 days in the week to spend being organised and planning/batch cooking, I think it would be doable. Can't see how this is going to work with us both working 40 hours a week and commuting on top.

@FancyFelix i think that’s the awful thing- I feel crippled with guilt at giving the children such harmful stuff (I knew it wasn’t healthy but had no idea it was actively harmful) but the thought of having to spend more time, headspace and let’s be honest money on having to deal with it is overwhelming. I don’t know what the solution is but it’s not a case of easy swaps it’s a real lifestyle and cooking overhaul. But now when I’m feeding the kids and I see the ingredients and think wtf Is all this stuff?!

@FancyFelix we both work ft, and are making small changes. So tonight we’re having homemade burgers - which I made yesterday with the kids.
breakfast before school they had weetabix with fruit
snacks they’ve taken an orange and a banana
when they get to childminder they’ll have some cheese and crackers
then the burgers tonight with homemade chips

yesterday they had omelettes, Saturday was homemade pizzas with the yogurt and flour flatbreads mentioned above.

tomorrow I’m slow cooking a whole chicken all day and we will have with roast veg, part baked rolls, corn on the cob and homemade coleslaw. (Yes I know the rolls are shit but small changes 80/20 and all that)

Big help for us is a pretty fierce no snacks policy. Raw fruit and veg, but nothing much else. no snacks is good for lots of metabolic reasons too.
I can’t face making wraps, and I can never get my hummus to taste as good as boughten stuff. And DS loves a Rice Krispie…
my personal downfall is lunch - too often a pret type sandwich, which is pretty rubbish.

There is a big difference between processed and ultra processed. It is also about improving things rather than wholesale change in one go.

We are working (currently 1.8 FTE between us but we cook every day, not on my day off).

I made panzanella salad yesterday, it took 10 minutes.

I work more than full time plus traveling so have seriously lazy habits. My mum's lesson of roast on Sunday, cold on Monday means no cook Mondays unless I want jacket potatoes.

I've already mentioned one pan meals where you chuck everything in the oven and agree with PP who suggested batch cooking and slow cooker meals.

Potato wedges or sweet potato chips oven baked or cooked in an air fryer only need chopping and corn on the cob is amazing wrapped in foil or grease proof paper and oven baked. I often Boil some eggs for lunch the next day whilst dinner is cooking or take leftovers.

I think the main challenge is planning, rather than cooking. We are eating an awful lot more vegetables so have to meal plan & shop with more thought so that don't run out.

Yes it does. I thought the first two were boring. Definitely picked up on the third (more food info, less about the twins' backgrounds).

@DuneFan would you mind sharing your recipe for Bara brith? How much do you make at a time? Do kids like it?

I have been making various things from scratch and seeing if it's worth the effort.

I made pizza dough from "An Italian in my kitchen" website and it was definitely worth it, and not hard with a food mixer.

My bread is variable quality. I tried 100% wholemeal and it was very dry. Using 66% white and 33% wholemeal and double proved worked much better. It's easier than I expected though. I don't do it every week though because of time. I was shocked that the supermarket bakery bread isn't really better than the bagged stuff.

Tried homemade gnocchi. What a faff! Not sure I'll bother again.

Homemade soup is easy and worthwhile.

Homemade biscuits and cake are worthwhile.

But the biggest difference is cutting out commercial cereal. Homemade granola is easy, quick and delicious! Who knew?! My DC loves it, fortunately. I'd recommend that.

@HBGKC I use Mary Berry's recipe which is more or less this one www.cakebaker.co.uk/mary-berry-inspired-bara-brith.html

My 3yo loves it, especially buttered, but you could argue he's been brainwashed into it - I've always made it. I make 3 loaves at a time simply because I have 3 loaf tins. I could fit 4 in the oven. Fruit to soak before bed, and baked after work the next day.

On another note, we always have porridge, I was surprised recently when staying with friends how unsatisfying cereal is in comparison.

Supermarket bakery bread is definitely not a better option. On the Zoe podcast about bread they pointed out that you have no idea what’s in the supermarket bakery stuff as there’s no requirement to list ingredients. Also it’s rarely, if ever?, freshly baked. I recommend the podcast as a real eye opener on this (and all of their podcasts, actually) podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/zoe-science-nutrition/id1611216298?i=1000563985052

I’ve been baking all my own bread since lockdown. It takes a bit of getting into, but now I find it really easy to fit into life. I only eat sourdough, which is more of a time commitment, but I do a basic white loaf for the kids that doesn’t require a lot of attention and takes about 3 hrs from start to finish. Added bonus - it’s a million times nicer than shop-bought stuff (also know as ‘air bread’ in our house, because it doesn’t taste of anything).

I also work FT, btw… I bake bread on days I’m wfh or weekends. It’s a good excuse to get up from my desk every half an hour to stretch the dough, pop in oven, etc

Low GI Bread from the local bakery.

Whole milk from the milkman.

Meat from the butchers fortunately all those are delivered.

Try and grow fruit and vegetables.

Greek yogurt to stir fruit in.

Just made a homemade coleslaw which is so much nicer.

Baby steps and unfortunately quite expensive.

@DuneFan thanks!

Can you please let me know your home made coleslaw recipe?

thanks

Soda bread is easy and quick to make.

@Primatrying I also really struggle with breakfasts (don't like eggs which seems to be many people's alternative to cereals) would you mind sharing your granola recipe please.

I agree dinner is fine and to an extent we can have leftovers of that for lunch rather than sandwiches etc but breakfast is already a rush so cereal is our go to and I want to stop!
Ive just prepped some overnight oats for the kids so fingers crossed they like them in the morning as they will be my go to if they do! I’ve tried mashed banana and cocoa with extra chia sees- they do look delicious!

Breakfast here is mostly porridge or weetabix (that one I know is terrible) the porridge has a banana mashed in, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a few dark chocolate chips

Once you get in to it, it's fine. DH and I both work full time, 2 pre/ primary school kids. I batch cook. just double everything and freeze the leftovers, means we always have a ready meal. And stir-fry is always super quick.

My biggest issue is kids breakfast. They end up with toast and jam most days (both homemade) as one doesn't like porridge and I don't have time for eggs.

Also school relies on lots of UPF.