If you are not reducing your intake of UPF…

[maybein2022]

… with all the media attention on UPF at the moment and so much research coming out about it. Interested to know. If you’re NOT reducing your intake of it, is it because you’re not able to (finances/accessibility/time), because you don’t want to or don’t think it’s a problem, you and/or your kids are neurodivergent and a lot of ‘safe’ foods are UPF or other reasons.

YANBU: I am reducing mine/my family’s intake
YABU: I am not for reasons listed above (or other reasons)

Yes I've been changing our food, I've always cooked from scratch and made healthy choices. However it was wraps, pitta bread, bread etc which shocked me. So I have been making better choices and checking ingredients lists. Also baking 'treats' from scratch a bit more, I'm a terrible baker but so many easy quick recipes on Instagram which seem to keep my 4 year old happy! My food bill has definitely gone up but I am happy I'm making better choices. My DH isn't as fussed and eats a lot (active job) so he still has the cheaper wraps etc to help keep the cost down a little. Not sure how I will manage to maintain it (cost wise) when my 3 boys are teenagers though!

But does that not indicate to you that it's more subtle than UPF = bad?

@SnowflakeSparkles a brief Google tells me that Kiana Docherty has no formal qualifications in dietetics, nutrition, medicine etc. Why would I follow her advice?

I have IBS. Upf especially the bread doesn't have me sitting on the toilet for hours. Can't reduce it

There is so much out there about how to eat - from keto to carnivore. There are probably people making money out of it. Avoiding UPF resonates with me as it seems more about addiction. I think I was addicted to crisps which I now haven't eaten for a couple of years.

I know the twin doctors are not experts and I know that they people are making money with book deals etc... but it makes a kinda sense to me to try and eat whole foods and cook from scratch more and try and enjoy food. Try not to turn food into a forbidden fruit.

I've not seen it all over the media at all. The book is/was in the supermarkets but that's it.

I only hear about it on mn.

I don't eat much uhp anyway.

I've discussed switching to making our own bread with dp but we haven't actually done it yet.

We’re not changing our diet, we’re just switching UPFs for non UPF. So we now make bread, pasta, pizza, sauces, cakes (freeze where necessary). Kept some things either because of convenience (sausages, fish fingers) or preference (fortified cereal has its place for my toddler). The thing I’m struggling most with are homemade non-nut savoury snacks (I tried a chickpea recipe but a lot of work for a small yield) so we still have crisps and also pre packaged kids snacks like malt loaf. Yes I know I could do crudités but I worry about food waste too. I think it’s a balance and we do cook from scratch a lot too.

The idea of replacing pasta with celeriac is depressing.

I haven't seen it anywhere in the media outside of MN, to be honest.

But no, I won't be changing my diet.

I would love to emulate you, OP. Many foods I’ve already done.

I struggle with sweeteners.

When I try to do it, reintroducing full fat dairy and making my own cakes etc, I pile on weight.

I can do 75% of it at a time. Can’t manage the last bit.

So clearly UPF foods aren't all awful, then!

I think the jury is still out regarding upf and health impacts.

yes, reducing refined sugar/carbs is a good thing, but the vocal media supporters seem very cult like.

Who's bringing guilt into it? The point is if you believe "ALL UPF BAD" then surely there should be a big incentive not to feed it to babies for the first 6 months of their lives?

plus busy household with three hungry teens...
we eat a wide range of food and lots of veg. but a frozen pizza once a week is not a bad thing.

I'm not. I don't drink or smoke, low BMI and work out. Eat a 99% veggie diet. Lots of batch cooking. Love a big salad.
When my teens are older and leave home I will be able to eat really healthy again but I don't have time for now.
For now, if I want a biscuit or crisps I will have a handful.

@ColleenDonaghy @lifebeginsaftercoffee @closbang not all UPF is ‘bad’. Obviously it’s not as simple as UPF = bad. Formula is necessary for some babies (including mine). There should be more support for BF to get rates up yes, but I don’t think that giving your baby formula for a year is equal to giving your child or yourself tonnes and tonnes of UPF for their/your whole life. That said, I have already said that I don’t think the nova classification is particularly helpful, placing stuff like double deckers in the same category as wholemeal seeded bread from a supermarket, for example. Absolutely some UPF is fine. I am also realistic, we don’t have a completely UPF free diet and I know my older kids eat UPF when out of the house.

@MooseOnTour yes I know. I do have disordered eating for sure, and so far, this way of cooking and eating SEEMS to be helping/working, however, I totally understand what you’re saying.

I think they are really hard to avoid totally, but I do look at the ingredients more carefully these days. There can be quite big differences between the same products, like mayonnaise for example.

Not aware of the media.
Autistic.
Can't cook.

I have a very fussy/possible Afrid DC and unless we roast a whole chicken every night she wouldn’t eat much food if we didn’t give her the safe UPFs that she will eat (along with the fruit and veg that she will eat).

We mostly do eat fresh food but sometimes we are tired and busy and a ready meal, sandwich or pizza is just all we have the energy for.

It's about finding a balance. The majority of our food is homemade but my toddler will have a little dish ready meal maybe once a week alongside fish fingers/chicken nuggets and beans another time a week. We eat supermarket bread and things like snacks are all ready bought.

It's not just physical but mental health too. If I was to start making my own bread, making my own oat bars, breading my own fish fingers and making absolutely everything from scratch I'd probably have a nervous breakdown and be burnt out after a week. I remember reading a post on here that someone got up at 4am to make their own bread? That just seems absolute madness to me.

It’s nothing new! My mum brought me up (in the 80s) avoiding processed food (what would now be classed as ‘UPF’) Surely the majority of people know healthy vs unhealthy foods, and have to balance cost/convenience etc against what’s ‘best’.
Sadly a great diet is by no means a guarantee of lifelong good health.

And the latest food bandwagon idea....will probably last a few months until something more interesting comes along.
I doubt all the working 50 plus hours a week, fanny around cooking everything from scratch most nights no matter what they might claim on here.
For context, I'm veggie and eat lots of fruit and veg anyway, but that is my diet. I use processed to a degree and some upf. But I couldn't get wound up about it tbh.

I've got bigger things to worry about. I eat a good and varied diet so should be OK.

People keep on going on about bread. There is nothing wrong with bread, it has been a staple of human diets for millennia.

Homemade bread or a nice artisan loaf is nicer but bread generally is not bad.

Giles Yeo is very good on this. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/06/ultra-processed-food-healthy-diets-pr