If you’ve managed to completely give up UPF do you feel better for it?

[Sheswatchingyou]

Posting here for traffic.
2 months ago I stopped buying eating any UPF unless I was eating in someone else’s house.
Ive never eaten loads, I had a fairly healthy diet, rarely ate ready meals perhaps once a month, ditto take away, no pot noodles, breakfast cereals, fizzy drinks (I only drink water) flavoured yoghurts I love natural yoghurt etc but I did have a terrible weakness for biscuits cakes sweets and I bought my bread in a supermarket. Ive never eaten lots of red meat, I was always a big fruit eater but not an enormous vegetable eater.
Now I don’t eat any UPF, I buy my bread in an artisan baker, eat loads of vegetables of all colours, only eat organic kefir, red meat once a fortnight if that, chicken once a week, loads of beans, oily fish twice a week, very rarely any sweets biscuits or cakes and I don’t even like them when I do eat them. It’s definitely costing me more money but I’m very lucky I can afford it.
Before I disclose if I feel better or not for it Im very interested in others experiences.

I’ve never given up UPF specifically but I did keto a while ago which was non UPF (because added sugar made them impossible). I felt great, but I’ve since read that it’s not the fact that food has been processed that’s unhealthy in itself, it’s the added sugar and salt, which people can also add to home made food to make them just as unhealthy.

So I would expect artisan white bread to be pretty much the same as supermarket white bread in terms of health - both empty carbs.

Overall I feel better when I cut sugar overall so I guess those who cut UPFs are naturally cutting their sugar intake so could also feel better due to that.

Yes

I do not eat a lot of UPF but I do have supermarket bought bread a couple of times a week and I use a protein supplement for strength training.

However once a year at Lent I do 40 days with absolutely zero UPFs of any kind, really strict.

I definitely feel better.

How is artisanal bread not processed?

Ultra-processed is different from processed. Lots of foods are processed, and have been for thousands and thousands of years, e.g. cheese, yogurt, bread, olive oil. Ultra-processed foods have additives which are not substances that occur in nature. I think the idea is that consuming those is a problem because it increases inflammation in the body.

@NoArmaniNoPunani i think she is saying no ultra processed food, not no processed food - as that would pretty much involve being a raw food vegan!

If I make bread it will have flour, yeast, sugar, water, maybe some butter or something. Looking at the bread my husband bought today from a supermarket it has things added to it.

I think that is what she means.

I was just going to say the same. Just cos you pay a fortune for it, doesn’t mean it’s not processed. I make my own bread & granola but don’t follow UPF diet

if you read Ultra Processed People most supermarket bread even the “artisan” stuff in the bakery dept is UPF because emulsifiers and stabilisers have been added thus making it UPF. As a general rule of thumb only home made or what is often called “artisan” bread is not UPF.
I’m not taking about processed food which is now generally considered different from UPF.

Im not interested in starting an argument about what is processed and what is UPF. Im interested to know if people who have consciously decided not to eat any UPF feel better.

It is thank you.

I haven’t given UPFs completely but I’ve massively cut down. I was never one for ready meals or pot noodles - at least not since my student days - but I was partial to cakes and pastries and biscuits . I have them closer to once a week now which is way better than previously.

Most days I eat things like salmon, steak, ground meat and mackerel with brown rice or sweet potato and eggs and Jason’s sourdough which I don’t think is UPF. Plenty of vegetables and some fruit daily.

And yes I feel way better. Too much UPFs give me digestive issues, and make me feel generally unwell.

When you say you "feel better", in what way? By how much?

I read ultra processed people, cut all upfs and lost a stone and a half in six weeks. My weightloss has stalled but I do feel a bit better for it.

Anyway anything . Not constipated less diarrhoea less indigestion more energy better sleep happier better skin hair I don’t know or more tired worse sleep patterns etc. I’m genuinely interested.
I read Ultra Processed People and he said he felt better and lost weight so I’m interested in others experiences.

I was 3.5 stone overweight with GERD, a hiatus hernia and achey joints. Most nights I’d have acid reflux unless I took medication / Rennies.

I started drastically reducing my intake of UPF with the odd rare treat and have lost that weight, get no acid reflux and have no achey joints. I was clearly eating absolutely rubbish before. I’ve never felt hungry

I dropped UPF for six months once and yes, I felt great.
I eat them now. I feel shit.
I wish I could go back, it’s an addiction.

Yes it is an addiction

That’s what he says in the book.
This is absolutely fascinating thank you so much to all who are replying to my question.

Do you mind telling me approx how much you were eating?
I reckon I was eating 15-20% max of my diet.

A lot more than you, probably 50%. I was addicted

Was always anti sweeteners, low fat etc., as had chemicals long acknowledged to be bad for us, but read the book and started clean shopping, menu changing, dropping foods and avoiding the unnecessary chemical gloop products and yes, definitely feel better for it.

I thought I’d miss the stuff like chocolate for example I was very partial to a Ripple bought one every time I went into the petrol station not because I was hungry just wanted one it seemed to fill a need. I had a stressful day at work the other day went to the petrol station on my way home bought one and couldn’t even eat half of it absolutely disgusting God knows what I used to see in them.
Youre right it is addictive you just want it not because it tastes good. I just hadn’t realised it until I stopped eating it.

OP the Jason sourdough stuff is clean, three ingredients only.
Tbh for me, I didn't feel any better until I focused more on protein and that has made a marked difference.

Eating more or less protein?

Sorry, more. I mean not crazy high amounts but at least 80g a day. Much more energy and better post-exercise recovery.

I’ve cut out UPFs, eaten clean, eaten not clean, and I never really feel that different if I’m honest.