Please please tell me if this is stupid (blog)

[Catladytobe]

Looking for the wisdom of MN here as part of me thinks its stupid and self absorbed (hence the NC in case everyone agrees with this!)

I really want to start a blog or website , possibly with attached Instagram

It would be around the concept of cutting out ulta processed food for my kids sharing recipes etc. Based on my own experience and recipes

In my mind the points for starting it are:

. When I searched for similar content I could find nothing
. There is lots of current interest around UPFs
. I think I can write okish content and the recipes I've created seem to work

Points against:

. I've never done anything similar before and worry I would struggle with the technical side
. I worry that no one would actually be interested
. It sounds pretentious AF 😂

So please MN hivemind , either encourage me to actually do this (tips appreciated) or talk me down from the ledge

P.s I gave ADHD so know I can be impulsive, hence second and third guessing everything I do

Listen to A slob comes clean's very first episodes where she talks about the fear associated with starting something similar.

Sounds like a great idea with your background, why limit it to children's diets though. I'm also autoimmune and food choices are aa minefield.

I'd like to think that I wouldn't be discouraged by limited engagement

No engagement at all and I might feel a little sorry for myself though😂

I guess it's the thought of that that's a bit worrying and why I wanted to gauge opinion first

Thanks that's really kind of you to say! After taking everything people have said into consideration I'm going to aim to have it up by end of the week after checking out and comparing some hosting providers and seeing if I can borrow a decent-ish camera from a friend 😅

Please don’t think I’m being rude but I’d also get someone to proofread it for you. You’re using ‘weather’ for ‘whether’ and ‘bare in mind’ for ‘bear in mind’ - those might not get picked up by a basic spell checker and while it doesn’t matter on MN it does make a difference when you want to look professional. (And getting someone else to have a look before you go public is just a good idea anyway!)

A lot of the food blogs I’ve visited recently have a Jump to recipe link that gives people the choice between reading it all or just getting the recipe if they’re in a hurry. I’ve found that really helpful.

@Catladytobe oh you mean a vlog!! Even better!!

I’ve just noticed your name. Will there be cat pics?

Thanks @EmpressaurusOfCats , I'm usually pretty pedantic around spelling and grammar but I guess that slipped through in the blur of toddler rearing tiredness

I always thought it was 'bare' (as in bare essentials etc.) For bear in mind so I've actually just learnt something new! Maybe its the fact that if I type bear my phone always offers me a Teddy emoji that steered me wrong 😂

And yes there may be cats 🐈 I have 3 and occasionally fosters haha

Sounds good I would watch the content or read the blogs. Put the link here when you hacw made it!

It’s all way too easy to do, I put draws instead of drawers once & didn’t notice until someone pointed it out.

I foster cats too so that would be a definite bonus on your blog as far as I’m concerned!

When you’re thinking about a title, this is probably going to sound obvious but I’d Google whatever you come up with, just to see what you’re likely to be competing against.

I would read this! If you were clever you could get the attention of brands that wanted to promote their non-UPF food.

Good luck!

Additives aren't really relevant, almost all, if not all, are harmless. If they were a problem then they'd be mentioned on the NHS website as being a problem. The only ones they mention is that certain colourings may potentially cause hyperactivity in children who are already prone to it or have ADHD.

Almost all foods probably don't have those colourings in now, anyway, as they won't want to include things that might put people off buying their product.

@porridgeisbae unfortunately it's just not true that most additives are not harmful. The NHS has not yet published guidance but multiple medical journals (including the BMJ which is the most widely followed by NHS practitioners) have published research showing alarming findings with many everyday additives.

The NHS website itself is often very slow to update information especially when something could potentially be harmful to industry

I’d do it but a) don’t breach your DCs privacy by including photos of them. I loathe it when people do this.

and b) make sure what you’re writing on UPF’s is grounded in evidence and fact, not “well ness” woo.

If you were to link peer-reviewed studies then that would give a lot more credibility. There are very few science based (as in, that actually link the science) food sites.

But otherwise, yes, I would probably follow an instagram account that shared recipes and advice about UPF.

Thanks I will definitely give it a listen

As for autoimmune food choices I feel like I am still getting used to that myself (diagnosed 2.5 years ago and still learning lol)

It's something that I would consider and all of the recipes and things that I make for my DD are things I have myself. It's also following on from advice and discussions with my neurologist and NHS dieticians.

So far it seems to have worked well for me but I'm also taking medication and it's very hard to tell what is or isn't working when managing my autoimmune condition basically means trying to make sure nothing new happens (I.e avoid a flare up)

I totally agree with both of these points, wellness and even healthiness mean such different things to different people in the first place and I know exactly what you mean by all the BS that can go with the concept