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!

I've been thinking recently that I need to cut out most of the processed foods we eat, but realistically they help me get through the day when my health condition makes life hard. Perhaps some of the ideas in this thread can help with that.

I already try to make double batches of things so I have something healthy in the freezer, and I'd say I make about 90% of our evening meals from scratch. I used to make my own bread but I'm too tired most days now. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into that (and my sourdough starter died so I need to make a new one anyway).

Any good alternatives for Doritos? I love the nacho cheese ones, but they're full of weird stuff.

I hadn’t heard this phrase until recently - not sure why the ultra part

But I find low carb gets away from processed food

Ultra as opposed to just processed. Cheese is processed, but still contains only things we would call food. And you could make cheese in a domestic kitchen.

ultra processed is because it contains stuff which isn’t food. It is used to bulk, flavour and contains calories but no nutritional value.

Thanks, I don’t have any bread in. And I need to find a source of unprocessed bread. And wraps. The wraps I had in freezer have all sorts of crap in them.

I ended up making some pasta with avocado, was actually yummy!

@TorviShieldMaiden wraps is a big thing as we have them a lot here! I’m gonna use my bread maker for bread but not sure how I feel about making wraps as a lot more effort. I’m keeping my eyes for any low ingredient wraps but they may well fall into the 20% of my 80/20 plan!
Today I’ve used natural yogurt and fruit to make ice lollies for the kids, made my first loaf in the bread maker and just been more aware of what I’m eating and drinking instead of doing it mindlessly. I did a food shop and focussed on the labels and basing meals around veg and protein.
Im feeling positive just for making some move towards a healthier diet! DCs hated the overnight oats today though so back to the drawing board with breakfast 🤣 thinking homemade bread and dippy eggs!

I'm trying to make sensible switches and feeling better for it - but feel terrible about all the crap I've fed DC (and myself!) until now. Is the damage done or can it be reversed?

Easy malt loaf recipe:
2 cups of self raising flour
1 cup of dried fruit
1 cup of dark soft brown sugar
1 tbsp of treacle mixed into -
1 cup of warm milk
pinch of salt

mix flour and salt together. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Pour into a loaf tin (I use a silicone one for ease of removal) and bake for 45mins to 1 hour (depends on your oven) at 180c.
i usually use a small mug and it makes a malt loaf that lasts most of the week.

I feel the same but the tone of the podcast was very much that being aware and making change is good and that actually you can ‘reverse’ the addiction type element and create a more healthy attitude to food and being satiated by food.
That was my interpretation anyway!

I got diagnosed Celiac.

It's a very simple way to cut out the vast majority of UPFs overnight. Because practically everything in a packet has sodding wheat/gluten/barley/oats in it.

My UPFs are also so dammed expensive, we can't justify too many of them in a month - one loaf of bread a fortnight, one bag of GF pasta a month and that's about it. The rest of the time, it's potatoes, rice, rice noodles (just processed, rice

It's actually quite an easy way to work out if something is ultraprocessed - is there a labelled gluten free equivalent being sold? If yes = it's most likely UPF.

For the PP who asked, Miso is not UPF, it's processed - as long as it's actually Miso living happily at the back of the fridge for months and not the weird granules in a plastic packet.

Mind you, when I was referred to an NHS dietician, her recommendations were to eat mostly UPFs and some vegetables. I was not impressed.

@Greydogs123 thank you that sounds great!

Not RTFT but If no one has said this already, the bliss balls will go well with the condoms.

Crosta & Mollica durum wheat flatbreads might be a good wrap substitute OP - ingredients are flour, water, olive oil & salt.

Porridge every morning, with fresh fruit - berries and banana.
Roast veg, so easy, with quinoa for protein.
Home made 'pot noodles!' ie. Ramen, very quick and easy to make, you can prepare with rice noodles, veg and beans/ tofu or meat strips, ready to just add hot water 10ins before eating. (Lots of recipes online).
Baked sweet potato with salad and beans.
Stacks of bean burgers for the freezer.
Roasted beans, nuts and fruit for snacks. But if you have enough protein with each meal you shouldn't need snacks.

I listened to the podcast too and it had more of an impact than the bariatric surgeon’s book Why We Eat Too Much for some reason. Annoyingly the paneer I have in the fridge has “acidity regulator” as one of the two ingredients. Other paneers don’t! So annoying. But i did just input my calories into my app and I only had 1300 and I’m very full.

preparing to make home made pizzas at the weekend.

for wraps; when I low carbed I would sometimes do a wrap from one egg, as the thinnest omelette I could manage. It wasn’t too bad!

I always struggle with getting enough protein. I eat eggs, fish, meat, cottage cheese etc and still don’t often manage to get enough.

Great thread

I got the simple shredders for when I need a really quick breakfast, they only have 4 ingredients. I miss the sugar from the regular shredders but I'm getting used to them

Ugh I meant Shreddies not shredders

Ooh thank you!

You can't change the past but like smoking giving up and changing your ways will make things better going forwards.

Thanks, which herbs?

Following with interest...

M&S own brand full fat soft cheese is just milk as well, no thickeners/stabilisers. If you have a Turkish/middle eastern shop near you, labneh cheese is usually made without additives.

Shreddies are a upf. Porridge is quick if you have a microwave. 3 mins.

@TorviShieldMaiden this is the simple shreddies, they only have 4 ingredients in them