Are these UPF food?

[Hungryyet]

We are working parents with two little DC 1 & 4.
I am vegetarian and always have been and only started cooking meat for DCs for their protein and B12 value which I have been deficient of for most of my life.
I have started ordering these things from Ocado and wondering if you'll classify as UPF or unhealthy?
M&S British Buttermilk Mini Chicken Tenders
Cod fish fingers
M&S Crispy Breaded Chicken Tenders

I use one of them as dinner mains and serve with some air fried veggies like cauliflower and chickpeas, sometimes with sweet potato fries (frozen).
Is it all unhealthy or is it good enough?

There has been no proven link between UPF and mental health issues in children, if we’re going to throw this stuff around we need to see research studies in peer-reviewed medical journals.
I’m not in any way suggesting UPFs are great but they are a fact of life and have been around for a very long time. And in that time life expectancy generally hasn’t dropped off a cliff. What has risen is obesity and diabetes etc and they are often due to high fat and sugar which we know and which happens to be in lots of UPF too. It would also help if people exercised

Because we trade some things for convenience and taste. Some UPFs are obviously full of absolute crap and some are absolutely fine in moderation.

The massive bag of marshmallows we bought and toasted on fireworks night are UPF, but even they have their place in life. Foods like Coca Cola, sweets, and fast food have been around a long time and people enjoy them.

Sometimes my family eat the pulled chicken thighs I’ve slow cooked for tacos, with homemade guacamole and fresh salad. Sometimes we eat a fish finger sandwich on white bread. I don’t see the problem with that.

This is incorrect. Steaming is the healthiest way and maximises nutrients available in the food.

50 years ago was the early seventies. We lived on crispy Findus pancakes, and Fray Bentos pies, and chips. And spaghetti hoops. And Smash. And lollies.

ETA: And godawful burgers. And Neapolitan ice cream. And tea with sugar in it (for kids).

Nope. The steam leaches nutrients. The salt in the boiling water (you have to have a decent amount of salt) makes the nutrients stay in the veg.

lol, true re 50! I was thinking 50 years ago was 1950 😂😂

I’d say they are a world apart from frozen chicken nuggets which are often made with ground up skin and bone and deep fat fried before freezing.

But it’s not really the point. It’s better and as easy to just serve up a chicken breast done in the airfryer dusted with seasoning. It’s just a healthier habit to eat your protein without without needing it to be encased with salty bread.

I would generally avoid breaded stuff at that age as they will have so much of it when they're older.

When mine were nursery age I cooked a lot of things from the Annabel Karmel toddler book like fish pie and home made chicken nuggets made with home made bread crumbs or corn flakes. You could try that? Also made a LOT of eggs and egg fried rice etc, omelettes. I have twins and sometimes they'd both be hanging off a leg each when they were toddlers and I was trying to cook so they had a lot of scrambled eggs! 😂

Even though it is possible to buy or make breaded chicken/fish that isn’t massively upf it is not something I would feed as a regular meal. It is a gateway to making them enjoy beige food in general. Fine at a party or occasional treat out and about but no need to feed at home.
As others have said just feed them plain chicken or fish. You can buy them cooked if you don’t want the faff of cooking them.

That's a good point, thanks.

I occasionally buy those ready pizzas from M&S chilled section, not the frozen ones. Are those any good as Friday night treats once a month?

Seriously, don’t go down a rabbit hole. Your children will not die from fresh pizza a few times a month.
if you really want ease and non UPF, try the Crosta and Mollica range of foods and pizza

Why are you so worried about this?

Crikey, what 1970's cookbook did you fall out of? I suggest you go and read up on your cooking skills. Boiling veg is the worst way to cook it to retain nutrients. They all end up in that lovely salted water you are referring to which is then thrown down the sink. As well as being complete mush, who is cooking veg with salt and then giving it to young children?? Seriously, give your head a wobble, and stop sharing this garbage with people.

I am worried because my mum passed away with colon cancer in 50s. I feel concerned about things like UPF and gut health etc.

Buttermilk is just what's left when you churn the butter. Gluten is a natural component of wheat. If OP was milking her own cows and grinding her own wheat for flour her children would still be eating these things. You could be drinking buttermilk fresh in many parts of the world.

You are being over-cautious there.

People are getting obsessed with all this UPF avoidance nonsense. Just eat a balanced diet and you will be fine.

From what I can gather (and using a modicum of common sense), is that eating large quantities of UPF food (ie existing on a fast food diet for decades) is the problem, not the actual UPF food in itself.

Lets face it, if you stuffed your face with cheeseburgers and whole pizzas all day long, it's not healthy, is it? High fat, high salt, high carbs/sugar. We all know that anyway. It's hardly rocket science.

The occasional M&S goujon or two is not going to harm anyone.

Thank you for your reasoned reply. I will dig out the science for you.

@DelilahBucket , I use the cooking water instead of stock and don't add salt when cooking.

Then don’t feed them goujons and pizza 🤷🏻‍♀️

You think because it’s M&S it’s fine?

Or just feed them it sometimes like everyone else does. It’s fine.

Its standard processed - its not going to kill them as part of a balanced overall diet, its not what you want every day.

What makes you lack the confidence to raise your children veggie if you have always been veggie and what would help? What did you eat as a child and can you do similar? Protein and B12 are not difficult to manage in a veggie diet, a vegan diet needs a bit more practice if you did not grow up with it but is doable.

A wide variety of plant materials is one of the common correlations with low bowel cancer, with plenty of complex grains. If you have a genetic predisposition you may be eligible for the home screening tests at a younger age.

I’d try trout also if they don’t like things that are too ‘fishy’ or tinned sardines. I mush the sardines in a pan, add capers, garlic, parsley and lemon and serve over pasta.

They are UPF but not all UPFs are created equal and some aren’t particularly bad.

I don’t see how adding your own breadcrumbs to things makes them non UPF. Bread is a UPF so would first have to make your own bread.

I think they're fine alongside making your own too.
I do salmon in oven with grated parmesan on and seasoning. Sometimes breadcrumbs too
I've made my own fishcakes etc and I also buy them
Sardines on toast or in pasta is yummy
Prawn curry or fish curry are great
Prawns or chickens on skewers and roasted in oven or airfryer delicious. Can do with peanut butter sauce like a satay or just Italian herbs and seasonings/lemon
Actually I frequently do lemon fish w mashed potato - you mix the ingredients and microwave in a jug. Pour over fish and oven it
https://www.recipetineats.com/baked-fish-with-lemon-cream-sauce/

All wheat flour sold/used in the UK (with a few limited exemptions) is fortified and contains Niacin,Thiamine and Folic Acid, Calcium and Iron. It is a legal requirement much to RHM and the other big flour millers displeasure. Does that make it UPF, maybe, but the additives are there for health reasons.