Ultra Processed Food- how much do you eat?

[pigeonpies]

Reading an article about ultra processed foods (UPF) and the link to poor health. Not rocket science I suppose, we all know the risks. But today is for me thinking because a lot of food typically targeted at kids ( sugary cereals ex)

I want to change the way my family eat. AIBU to think this will be more difficult than I imagine?

I thought we were doing ok but then saw how much stuff in my kitchen is ultra professed!

In theory cooking from natural foods feels great but not always practical!

If you are already followed a low UPF way of living I'd like to hear the sort of things you eat!

Thanks

I've tried to avoid eating things with long lists of ingredients for years. Bread makes me feel awful but I'm OK with porridge and rice. Most meals are cooked from scratch but I'm not above eating a bit of junk food sometimes (I have a weakness for chocolate)

I cook from scratch most days and actively try to avoid ready meals and processed food. We are also trying to limit sugar as a family.
We might have the odd supermarket ice cream or few biscuits or a can of coke once a week, but not much else (porridge for breakfast, no sausages etc).

However, the main think I struggle with is bread. I buy the 50/50 one, mainly for my toddler's sandwiches. He likes that it's very thin and moist. I should try 'real' bread from the bakery but I am worried it wouldn't be as soft. And how processed is it? How do I know it's different from the one I buy in the supermarkets?
It might be me overthinking and should give it a try.

@TheKeatingFive

Buying bread from an (even in-store) bakery will be better than packaged sliced bread. You don’t need to make your own.

I used to work in a bakery and supermarket bread baked in store still contains additives that would not be present in home made bread, or a lot of specialist bakery bread.

This is a really interesting discussion. I think the point that people angsting about buying sliced bread or baked beans are slightly missing is that it isn't the processing itself that is 'unhealthy' per se (after all if you lovingly homemake your own bread or weaved lentil bake or whatever you are 'processing it' just as much as the factory is), it's the fact that (a) UPF can be higher in things like sugar and salt than homemade versions and (b) these foods can be highly palatable so it's easier to unthinkingly eat them to excess than it is with say fruits and veg.

Personally I'm familiar with the evidence and I really wouldn't be panicking or trying to totally eliminate all processed foods on health grounds (fair enough if it's on an environmental or financial basis) if you are otherwise healthy and eat a balanced diet. Things like the much maligned on MN ready meals or chicken nuggets can be perfectly healthy in moderation, and if having a few in your fridge/freezer means you/your family eat a proper meal on a busy night rather than reaching for the takeaway or biscuit cupboard then that's great. Things like sugar, salt, fat are not poison (they are actually essential dietary components in fact), they can just be harmful in excess. So be conscious of what's in your processed foods (good strides have been made in food labeling in the last few decades so the information is there, if not totally perfect yet) and try and make healthier choices e.g. choose reduced salt versions, and be conscious of portion sizes and e.g. if you've had something that's salty/sugary/fatty one meal then choose something different the next meal. People on here tend to really dislike the NHS dietary advice, I think on the grounds its too 'moderate' and still allows the consumption of some carbs, dairy and even, shock horror, sugar (!) but personally I think it's very sensible and if you stick to their recommended limits and portion sizes/calorie intake recommendations then you should be doing fine.

Part of this for me is that while a link can evidentially be shown between increased consumption of UPF and poorer health outcomes, I am not yet convinced it's a proven causative link rather than a correlation or risk factor. People/populations that tend to eat a higher proportion of UPF also tend to have other things going on that may be a greater factor in why they are less healthy than those that eat more whole foods, e.g. more poverty, poorer housing, poorer educational or employment opportunities, worse mental health. It's really really hard to untangle all this and identify a single 'cause' and 'effect' pattern, e.g. does poor mental health cause a poor diet which causes poor physical health or vice versa or it is all complex and interlinked (personally I think the latter). And ethically and practically it's hard to see how you could design a valid longitudional study to try and isolate any one of those factors to really 'prove' it so anyone who confidentially proclaims that their diet/cookbook/app/snake oil is the one single factor that will transform everyone's health and life is likely a charlatan in my view.

So what I'm trying to say is if you're having beans chips and nuggets for tea don't worry your killing your DC but do perhaps be more thoughtful about it and strike a balance??

I'm not too focused on the BMI/weight reasons for cutting out UPF. It's easier enough to lose weight and still eat these foods but that won't make me 'healthy'

There is a suggestion that UPF are linked to poor health later on in life ( cancers, heart disease, bowel issues etc) and it comes from a lifetime of eating these type of foods. It's worrying that we feed this same diet to our children.

Those saying I only eat butchers meat or cheese made locally, that's great for your local economy but it's still highly processed ( cheese being one of the worst)

Anything that doesn't resemble it's original states is considered processed. Ultra processed is taking it a step further. I've always white supermarket bread horrible but it's convenient! I will be stopping that from now on. Meats, spreads, lunch box fillers are all changing!

@user1471523870

I cook from scratch most days and actively try to avoid ready meals and processed food. We are also trying to limit sugar as a family. We might have the odd supermarket ice cream or few biscuits or a can of coke once a week, but not much else (porridge for breakfast, no sausages etc).

However, the main think I struggle with is bread. I buy the 50/50 one, mainly for my toddler's sandwiches. He likes that it's very thin and moist. I should try 'real' bread from the bakery but I am worried it wouldn't be as soft. And how processed is it? How do I know it's different from the one I buy in the supermarkets?
It might be me overthinking and should give it a try.

Artisan sourdough bread from a proper bakery is expensive (and crusty with a soft middle) in my experience. I went through a phase of making my own in a bread maker, and you can make it as you prefer then. But if your diet is otherwise good, a few slices of chorley wood processed bread won’t hurt.

I used to work in a bakery and supermarket bread baked in store still contains additives

Well I’m sure, but probably still better than packaged sliced pan.

@user1471523870

I cook from scratch most days and actively try to avoid ready meals and processed food. We are also trying to limit sugar as a family. We might have the odd supermarket ice cream or few biscuits or a can of coke once a week, but not much else (porridge for breakfast, no sausages etc).

However, the main think I struggle with is bread. I buy the 50/50 one, mainly for my toddler's sandwiches. He likes that it's very thin and moist. I should try 'real' bread from the bakery but I am worried it wouldn't be as soft. And how processed is it? How do I know it's different from the one I buy in the supermarkets?
It might be me overthinking and should give it a try.

As above, I wouldn't worry too much. I think the main concern with supermarket bread is the salt content and other additives, but if you don't give him salty snacks and generally avoid other processed foods I would have thought you're fine on that front... as the PP said previously, high street bakery type 'proper' bread will likely still have at least some of the same additives and preservatives as Hovis (unless it's organic artisan sourdough or similar but as you say that would be wasted on your toddler ) and unlike with the Hovis you don't get a detailed breakdown on the pack so harder to monitor what's actually in there. Of course do try it if you want to, but if Hovis 50:50 is what he likes and will eat, personally I'd be happy with that, some days it's hard enough to get anything that isn't a nugget or a sweetie down a toddler at all (awaits MN flaming for being a neglectful parent)

100 days of real food is a great blog. She also has three cookbooks. We eat about 85/90% real food but it has taken us a while. Start with one habit at a time, replacing drinks with water, or one meal such as breakfast- porridge, homemade granola, greek yogurt with fruit etc

@cosmopolitanplease thank you for the tips. Interesting thread OP

I have nothing against the sort of processing that makes milk into cheese. Or pasteurization for that matter.

UPF foods are way beyond that. It's the hyper palatability that is the problem for me (and others I believe!) That's what makes the "balanced diet, everything in moderation" argument hollow imho.

(I did try going dairy free and my joint pain actually increased!)

My term for UPF is 'edible food like substances' I avoid wherever I can

Very interesting, definitely need to improve my diet.

I do SlimmingWorld lost 5 stone in 8 months and maintained a healthy bmi since. It gets criticised on MN but emphasis is on whole grain, lots of fruit snd veg, lean protein and cooking from scratch. It’s very much in line with this - very limited amounts from ultra processed. So I eat 0% Greek or natural skyr not muller lights. 1/3 plate veg every meal. Very little bread. Oats not cereal. I do eat from middle processed section eg beans, reduced fat sausages, ham, tuna but most of my diet is from top unprocessed.

@PetuniaPot this is the main reason I started looking in to this. It's the way the foods are made to reach optimum palatable-ness! Usually high salt and sugar content you can't consciously taste.

Dr Chris van Tullekenhas just made a documentary about this, is on BBC at 9pm Thursday, he basically eats processed foods for a month and they look at the effects on his body and his brain. Looks fascinating and equally quite scary. www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/nutrition/diet/eating-ultra-processed-food-month-aged-body-10-years/amp/

@Rocketpants50 thanks! I'll be watching

We definitely lean on the less processed side.

We make our own bread, any treats like cakes, flapjacks and pastry based things are always home made.

I occasionally make ice cream but we do also buy those. Same with pizza, we should make them more often but it’s very helpful to have one or two in the freezer!

I also still buy sausage meat to make scotch eggs with.

I stopped buying ham for sandwiches a long time ago because of the potential link to cancer, we occasionally by a big joint and cook our own though I’m fairly sure there’s a lot added to the joints aswell.

IMO having a bread maker really helps, it obviously does the bread but we also use it for pizza dough, bagels and dough for cinnamon rolls. I keep meaning to do croissants in it at some point as well.

A good food processor is also really helpful for pastry, I make a lot of quiches from scratch and being able to wuzz up the butter and flour definitely saves time. Same for recipes that need breadcrumbs, being able to throw some homemade bread in the food processor and keep the bread crumbs in the freezer makes cooking more exciting things from scratch easier.

And fundamentally unsatisfying in the way eating pork crackling isn't!

We are generally quite healthy though I think this thread highlights we could do better. Some of my purchases I could easily make at home so def going to make a bigger effort especially with breads.

Hyperpalatable foods are hyper stimulating and tend to trigger us into eating compulsively

[quote Rocketpants50]Dr Chris van Tullekenhas just made a documentary about this, is on BBC at 9pm Thursday, he basically eats processed foods for a month and they look at the effects on his body and his brain. Looks fascinating and equally quite scary. www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/nutrition/diet/eating-ultra-processed-food-month-aged-body-10-years/amp/[/quote]
This programme is being aired on May 27th on BBC.
I read the article about it this morning in The Daily Mail and quite honestly it’s frightening, especially the irreversible damage it UPF can do to our brains.

Really interesting thread! To answer your original question OP, I eat very little UPF. I also eat low carb (as it prevents me getting aching joints and a bloated stomach) but my ds (who is 20) eats more carbs than I do.

I don't usually eat breakfast, but if I did, it would probably be something like scrambled eggs with mushrooms or Greek yoghurt with berries. On the days I work I have an early start so I do take a small snack, (usually cubes of good quality cheese and cucumber slices) as I don't know what time I might get lunch.

My ds often has some leftover dinner from the night before for breakfast. Otherwise he might eat eggs on toast. We buy bread from our local bakers which make it on the premises, so this is probably less processed than supermarket bread but more processed than home made.

Lunch for me is usually some kind of salad, or maybe a cheese and vegetable omelette. Occasionally I might have soup. If I buy soup I choose one of the fresh cartons and check the ingredients carefully.

Dinner is always cooked from scratch, so various things. Tonight I'm making a chicken curry with some fresh veg on the side, and ds will also have some rice with it. Whatever we have always includes fresh veg, and I never buy jars of sauces, always make what we need.

The only tinned things I buy are tuna, tomatoes and occasionally something like red kidney beans. I do buy mayonnaise, but have found one from a local manufacturer which has a reasonable list of ingredients and tastes lovely. Expensive though!

As I eat low carb I don't have things like cakes, puddings etc. Ds doesn't eat much of this sort of stuff either, but sometimes I will make biscuits for him to enjoy as a snack.

When ds was growing up, I very much fed him food that was mostly made from scratch. That's not to say he never had UPF, and he certainly ate UPF at parties when he was a child. As an adult he now chooses to eat very little UPF and really enjoys eating fresh food and cooking from scratch.

@Rocketpants50 thank you for that link! I will definitely watch the programme.

I dislike the taste of most UPF.
I think if you get used to cook from scratch then you start to prefer the taste. I find cooking from scratch takes more organisation and time. We have a weekly menu planning session with the whole family and share the actual cooking between all of us - kids can cook too!

I'm surprised to hear that baked beans and other tinned beans are bad as I do regularly use these. I might switch to dried beans as I do think they taste better and have better texture.

I agree that most UPF tastes horrible. Mostly too sweet/salty and just kind of artificial.