How much of your diet do you think is UPF?

[Neverenoughbiscuits]

Listening to the Zoe podcast tonight and it estimates that the average diet is 50% UPF. I actually think that might be quite conservative but that is only based on my anecdotal observations.

I do try really hard to minimise UPF but it is so easy for it to creep in. Today I have had barely any - probably only some cream cheese with the toast, smoked salmon and spinach I had for lunch. I make my own bread but if I hadn't then 50% of my meal would have been UPF without even thinking about it. Yesterday I ate on the run so probably 85% of my diet was UPF; sandwich and packet of crisps from M & S at lunch and Ramona houmous and crackers for dinner along with some fruit and greek yoghurt.

Working in an office, I'd say the majority of my colleagues have a mostly UPF diet during the day. The office is near a Tesco and so many have a meal deal from there. There is always a constant supply of biscuits or cake around. I find it really scary that actually it's far easier to find and eat "non-foods" than it is to have real food.

What percentage of UPF do you think you have on your diet?

If you drink cashew milk it is ridiculously easy to make yourself. Literally a handful of cashews with a little bit of water. Blend to oblivion in a nutribullet. Add more water. Keeps for a while.

Nowhere near 50%.
I cook from scratch all the time and I don’t even eat bread very often. I use condiments which I assume are upf but they form a very small part of my diet, and if I eat out I’ll have what I fancy but at home I’d estimate 5-10% of my intake is upf.

I think maybe 30%
I try to eat healthily and cook from scratch but today I had some shedded ham (in an omlete) some chocolate and a graze bar, and a bottle of diet coke. Everything else I ate wasn't processed.

Like pp I use shop bought wraps, mayo, ketchup, teriyaki sauce, stock pots . I had sourdough bread today, which is not home made but not upf

About 20%. Pretty simple tastes but love a disgusting orange “cheese” slice, cheeseburger from Maccies now and then and a family pack of salt and vinegar crisps all to myself 😈

I don't think the majority of posters on this thread would be considered the norm sadly although a number of my wider friendship circle are certainly conscious of what they eat.

I always have a nose at people's trolleys in the supermarket and the amount of junk shocks me.

This thread has inspired me.

I’ve been out this morning and topped up on salad as our shop isnt coming until tonight so that I can have tofu salad for lunch to counteract the UPF dinner DH is planning, some sort of stove top pesto lasagne which will be using ready made lasagne sheets and pesto among all the healthy stuff. Other wise it would have been beans on toast for lunch. So I think that should put me at 70/30 for today?

Also had my coffee black instead of with oat milk

I might even look up what actually counts as a UPF!

I'm on low carb at the moment, so almost none.

I’d say about 70%. But I’m autistic and have serious sensory issues around food and texture.

Are Zoe like other researchers who base it on % of calories or are they basing it on volume? Just so I can have a think of my answer, based on calories it be high but on volume it would be a much lower figure.

Very very low UPF household over here.

About 60% I don't eat Smash anymore though.

Is there a formal definition if UPF, a list as such.

Maybe 5% max to account for the occasional meal out or ingredient I haven’t noticed.

It’s likely a lot of the foods you ate as a child were processed rather than ultra processed then but the current version will meet the UPF definition.

I really don't think so - white bread (Mother's pride), kids' cereals (Frosties etc.), processed meats, biscuits, margarine etc. All were UPF based on the usual criteria, but might have had different UPF ingredients. Certainly a lot less palm oil. But more artificial trans fats.

There’s no agreed upon standard but I think the Nova Food Classification Scale is the most practical and easiest to get to grips with.

https://world.openfoodfacts.org/nova

This is the Nova definition of group 4 foods, UPFs.

Ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, reconstituted meat products and pre-prepared frozen dishes, are not modified foods but formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives, with little if any intact Group 1 food.
Ingredients of these formulations usually include those also used in processed foods, such as sugars, oils, fats or salt. But ultra-processed products also include other sources of energy and nutrients not normally used in culinary preparations. Some of these are directly extracted from foods, such as casein, lactose, whey and gluten.
Many are derived from further processing of food constituents, such as hydrogenated or interesterified oils, hydrolysed proteins, soya protein isolate, maltodextrin, invert sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.
Additives in ultra-processed foods include some also used in processed foods, such as preservatives, antioxidants and stabilizers. Classes of additives found only in ultra-processed products include those used to imitate or enhance the sensory qualities of foods or to disguise unpalatable aspects of the final product. These additives include dyes and other colours, colour stabilizers; flavours, flavour enhancers, non-sugar sweeteners; and processing aids such as carbonating, firming, bulking and anti-bulking, de-foaming, anti-caking and glazing agents, emulsifiers, sequestrants and humectants.
A multitude of sequences of processes is used to combine the usually many ingredients and to create the final product (hence 'ultra-processed'). The processes include several with no domestic equivalents, such as hydrogenation and hydrolysation, extrusion and moulding, and pre-processing for frying.
The overall purpose of ultra-processing is to create branded, convenient (durable, ready to consume), attractive (hyper-palatable) and highly profitable (low-cost ingredients) food products designed to displace all other food groups. Ultra-processed food products are usually packaged attractively and marketed intensively’

Less than 5% for me.

I’m really into healthy eating. I read labels and avoid UPFs so the only time I’ll have UPFs is if I’m out/ travelling/ at someone else’s house. Or celebration like Easter when all bets are off - a few days of hot cross buns and mini eggs are part of the joy of a balanced life.

Me too.
I have very limited knowledge on this subject.
I knew ready meals count like that and things like biscuits, sauces etc. But someone on this thread mentioned milk? And then someone said that not home made bread might be count as UPF free and it made me totally confused.

Also less than 5% in our household. I make all the bread and cakes. They only thing that sneaks through is condiments and the occasional bar of chocolate/ sweets

😁 definitely less than 50%, today's delights:

Breakfast: rolled oats, lemon juice (freshly squeezed) and Greek yoghurt.

Coffee with whole milk - 3 large cups over the morning, and not giving this up!!

Lunch 1x egg omelette with fresh spinach & mushrooms.

Dinner: Moroccan Tagine with chickpeas, brown lentils and plenty of vegetables- will probably add a dolop of Greek yoghurt for taste. Served with brown rice (This meal is something I batch cook for ease)

Snack: banana & some whole almonds.

Plain filtered water for drink.

Taking bread as an example:

Homemade bread: flour, water, yeast, salt, maybe oil/butter depending on type.

A cheap white Tesco loaf in packaging: Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Yeast, Salt, Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Soya Flour, Spirit Vinegar, Emulsifier (Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Rapeseed Oil, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid).

White loaf from the bakery department: Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Yeast, Wheat Fibre, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Emulsifiers (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Palm Oil, Preservatives (Acetic Acid, Calcium Propionate), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Hydroxide)

Jason’s (expensive) brand: Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Mixed Seeds (Golden Linseeds, Sunflower Seeds)(6%), Sprouted Spelt (Wheat) Grains (1.5%), Salt, Fermented Wheat Flour

These are the problematic parts and most of which generally fall into the UPF category on most scales: Emulsifiers (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Palm Oil, Preservatives (Acetic Acid, Calcium Propionate), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Hydroxide)

So you can get packaged bread that is non-UPF (Jason’s in the above examples) and non-packaged bread that is UPF. If you want to avoid UPF you just have to become a label nerd and one of those annoying people standing in supermarkets reading labels on stuff.

I think it’s only oat milk etc, if you eat dairy then milk is fine?

and bread: Homemade is the gold standard but I think fresh bakery sourdough or whole meal is a different kettle of fish to Hovis or Warburtons? (due to preservatives?)

Thanks @doodleschnoodle!