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?

10% - 15% at the most. I don't buy it, avoid it and reading the book did more for me losing weight than any diet! I make a great deal more from scratch and was already good at this but now reading labels convinces me to cook more!

Honestly, I have no idea and I don't care. I'm not giving myself yet another thing to worry about.

As long as I'm happy and healthy and eat and balanced and varied diet then I'm really not interested in monitoring UPFs in the slightest.

I feel amazing.

But a typical days diet for me, from when I was 31 (something bad happened), until 4 years ago when I was 41, was all shit. I mean, I used to eat home made food and lots of veg, but I would eat shit all day long too. I was always stuffing something in my face.

I gained 17 stone in 7/8 years, I must have been eating 6,000 cals a day I’ve estimated. Take aways 3-4 nights a week, massive kebabs and pizzas, Greg’s sausage rolls most days, chocolate and crisps constantly on the go. And then 4- 5 nights a week, a bottle and a half or wine or 6 cans of larger.

So yeah, going from all that to a daily diet of mainly meat, eggs, kefir and nuts - I feel fucking amazing! I had so many health issues, all gone (aside from coeliac, obviously).

But obviously, now if anyone asks what I eat and I am honest, I get told I eat too much meat and I will definitely drop dead, right now. Funnily enough, no one had that thought when I was killing my self with KFC and crisps and was morbidly obese.

I have a health issue hanging over my head which could come back to finish me off, so I have regular bloods and colonoscopies. All prefect, so I’m doing okay on what I eat.

Non UPF curry:
Onions
Garlic
Ginger
Spices
Tinned tomatoes
Lemon juice
Veg of choice ( potatoes, sweet potatoes, aubergine, spinach)
Ckick peas
Vegatable stock
Swirl of greek yoghurt to finish

You could add chicken/ chicken stock if you wanted.

Don't people know how to cook ?

It was in reference to me saying what foods I ate and that I made curries. I forgot to mention any spices or tomatoes in my list, so it seemed impossible to make them with the foods I’d listed!

Oh do you eat tomatoes ?

You misunderstood my question but maybe your recipe will help someone. I don't think you need the stock.

Zero, none of it, I do not eat any upf, only proper food.

Hardly a recipe but thanks, i am sure mumsnet is full of poster who make a better curry than me.

Sometimes. When I make a curry or chilli I will use a tin of tomatoes, or I mainly blitz some tomatoes in a blender myself.

Or I will fancy a salad and I will have tomatoes and mozzarella with spinach and rocket leaves, olive oil and salt, usually with roast chicken.

50% is probably about accurate for me- I hope it’s not more than that. I’ve just had lunch which was toast (supermarket granary bread) with avocado, tomatoes, mozzarella, balsamic vinegar. A salad of pea shoots and coriander, and some cous cous with feta. The UPF elements being the bread, the cous cous salad (in a tub from Sainsbo’s) and some sweet chilli sauce. I’m happy with that though. My main issue is sweets and chocolate 😬 I do know how to bake and can make nice cakes but largely can’t be arsed. I’m not overweight so don’t have much motivation to cut down on sugar (yes, I know it’s bad for my teeth and moods etc, but that isn’t enough incentive for me to give up my sweets).

Not too much. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are normally none although we'll occasionally have a curry made with curry cubes or frozen fish and chips. Snacks are my main UPF that I eat - I love chocolate. The children have more than me as they like sugary breakfast cereal in the morning, ham sandwiches for lunch and flavoured yogurts for their snacks.

Me too - who's decided where the demarcation line is between UPF and just PF?

I highly recommend this thread. The changes the OP has experienced since giving up UPF are very impressive.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/general_health/5280165-upf-help-my-lifestyle-is-killing-me?page=1

Some days zero some days loads but also I’m not strict on certain added things eg absorbic acid.
Eat a diverse range of fruits and vegetables. Ferments and low processed foods. Minimal seed oils but definitely not 0% but they’re in things like dried cranberries. I’ve had some upf veggie protein foods this week but that’s a rare treat.

I don’t aim to be perfect but try to balance differing dietary needs and tastes.

I would say quite a lot but it is something I am more mindful of. I bake sourdough bread and wraps and I like cooking so most meals are non UPF (minus seasoning packets for some meals) but it’s snacks that get me and it’s not something I’m willing to sacrifice. I do eat non UPF if I can but if there’s not an option I will still have it. I eat non UPF chocolate (Hu hazelnut is the best thing ever) but chocolate digestives, protein yoghurts, cheese and onion squares and Pepsi max I haven’t found a substitute for.

It varies but probably averages out at 20% UPF.

This week the only UPF thing I’ve eaten is some dark chocolate (not 100%), and a sauce.

Unless Babybel counts as UPF? 🧐 I eat a LOT of Babybel, it’s my go-to high protein snack.

I’m generally not sure what counts as UPF. Is bread from a restaurant UPF? It’s baked on-site but I have no idea what they put it in. I had some bread on the side at a restaurant twice, which may be UPF, in addition to the above.

Babybel is not an UPF, it’s just cheese, so crack on! I also love a Babybel.

I’ve not read the full thread so someone may have picked up on this already but two of these researchers have previously received funding from Mars and Danone.
Most scientists who say there is no evidence tends to to have received funding or done studies on behalf of these massive conglomerates

Im lucky in that I can cook and dont actually mind cooking so cook from scratch every day

I also make my own Greek yoghurt/labneh

Most of the food served here is whole food . We arent a household who snack on cakes and biscuits and sweets, not to say we dont have the occasional treat, but they arent lumped in with the shop weekly . We also dont eat breakfast cereals , just plain boring porridge oats

Bread, DH still likes a white sliced, but IF I'm having bread its a wholemeal pita - least messed about with

I use a vegetable stock mix which is 99% dried vegetable and no preseratives

So the odd tablespoon of tomato ketchup/hp/mayo doesn't bother me

Jams are bought locally as is honey

Sure I have days ( like today ) when Ive craved crisps - and had them ( feel like crap now )

The longer I stick to a whole food diet, the less often I crave and when I do give in I know Im going to feel rough. Apparently stick with it long enough and the cravings go completely - here's hoping :)

Ultra-processed foods are operationally distinguishable from processed foods by the presence of food substances of no culinary use (varieties of sugars such as fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, 'fruit juice concentrates', invert sugar, maltodextrin, dextrose and lactose; modified starches; modified oils such as hydrogenated or interesterified oils; and protein sources such as hydrolysed proteins, soya protein isolate, gluten, casein, whey protein and 'mechanically separated meat') or of additives with cosmetic functions (flavours, flavour enhancers, colours, emulsifiers, emulsifying salts, sweeteners, thickeners and anti-foaming, bulking, carbonating, foaming, gelling and glazing agents) in their list of ingredients.[10]

Nova classification - Wikipedia

I also feel rubbish after I’ve eaten rubbish.

A big motivator for me is how much better my skin looks when I have a long run of no UPF. Especially if I’m on top of my skincare at the same time. I look like I’ve just had a facial and don’t need to wear any foundation! Unfortunately eating out is a big part of how I socialise so I can never manage more than a few days of completely clean eating.

I do the same with rice, it's such a time saver. I use souper cubes type container so I can just pop out the rice bricks when they are frozen and they don't take up too much space. I do the same for quinoa.

Lots at the moment after switching to UPF faux meats in order to low-carb. I've lost weight and look much better, so unfortunately reluctant to change my diet now.
Started a thread about this recently.

I'd like to go back to my previous diet, but without the podge!