AIBU to think that the anti UPF books and diets around at the moment are just a new version of Clean Eating?

[TeaforTheWins]

Demonising all foods that have emulsifiers in and making us think that a “upf” free diet is realistic, to me, is madness. I eat well, I cook meals from scratch most of the time but of course I have “UPF” in my diet. A sandwich in my packed lunch made from supermarket bread, the odd tin of soup, biscuits with my tea, fruit yoghurts, a sandwich on the train, a supermarket croissant on a Sunday morning etc.
Am i not getting something? Or is this just another way to make women hate our bodies, hate ourselves for not having the time to be baking bread at home, and part with our hard earned money to buy artisan chocolate rather than the kit kat that we actually want.
I’ve read Ultra Processed People and I’ve listened to the podcasts, but I can’t see how this is at all realistic for working parents to live up to.

"I made a pan of curry last week with odds and ends of veg. It fed four people and there was some left over to go on a baked potato for lunch."

If you had enough for 4 people then it wasn't just some odds and ends!

As for someone buying a big bag of carrots, I can understand that happening because the smaller supermarkets don't sell them loose so they had to buy a big bag.

How silly. It was odds and ends! Something like two small carrots, a few potatoes, bit of cabbage, some spinach on its last legs and something else I can't remember now. Maybe peas. Added chickpeas and tomatoes, and we had it with rice.

Yes, I can see how it happens. It doesn't make it any less wasteful!

i wouldn't call citric acid a perfectly fine ingredient - not after reading how it is made these days. Blech.

"Approximately 99 percent of the world’s production of manufactured citric acid is developed from the Aspergillus niger fungus, also known as black mold."

Yes, but even there - what's really wrong with eating the same thing, not varrying your carrot dish or herbs every day?

Why do we feel we have to have so much variety?

There's some natural variety through seasonality and availability. But what's wrong with the same chicken thigh/peppers/sweet potato sheet pan mean every day with some rice?

If people like to cook they can do what they want to entertain themselves but there is zero reason I can see they need to feel like they have to.

There's nothing wrong with it! I personally like different flavours most days, but I'm happy to use the same ingredients. Some days I'll also just happily eat the same soup or sandwich or salad. I do personally enjoy cooking so I like playing with flavours, but there's nothing wrong with having the same dish if it's balanced.

I'd add - a change of protein would probably be good. But if you're getting those things in other meals (salmon for lunch maybe, eggs and cheese for breakfast) then it isn't much of an issue.

It's not really news

Homemade is better, always

Achievable though? Perhaps not

Totally agree with the variety thing and the odds and ends in the fridge point

I made a quiche the other day: pastry, an onion, a large potato, spring onion, bit of red pepper, 4 eggs, splash milk, big tablespoons cottage cheese, big tablespoons cheddar.

Twas lush

Had the same meal 3 times

Cost about £3 to make, if that

The idea is to eat a diversity of plant ingredients to encourage diversity in the gut microbiome, which directly and indirectly affects the health of every organ in the body, including the brain.

Also, produced by the gut microbes, many vitamins and other helpful substances, the vast bulk of the body's serotonin, and the gut also plays a huge role in the immune system's health.

I would also agree with this. My response was assuming Tempest meant a few days in a row. Every day of the year, not so much. Variety of different vegetables and protein sources is important.

While it wouldn't be as bad as a diet full of UPF's and super high sugar, etc., I'd not recommend literally the same thing every single day for the rest of your life and nothing else.

Ffs. What a load of bollocks 🙄 Processed food is shit, it's not new news. It's also fact.

Hmmm, what about the parents? Why do the schools have to do everything?

As humans we are getting further and further from a natural way of living in everything we do. What we eat, where we live, technology etc and its manifesting itself more and more in mental and physical diseases. Isn't too late, yes, as PP have said the horse has bolted. It's the price of convenience and modern life.

This is such a Western world privilege statement. Ever been to an actual poor country? They aren't fussy about what they eat. Also, another thing I've observed is it's only in Western countries where the poor people are fat.

Guys - carrots last ages in the fridge.

Yes, was just scrolling down to say this. We try to eat as many plants and fruit we can each week for this reason, to the point that I tick them off a list. We do eat a huge range but we also spend a lot of money of food each month. Meal planning is also a big job on the weekend. If we can get to a market and buy smaller portions, that helps. Pre DC, I was happy to make a one pot dish on a Sunday and have the same lunch for several days but I think variety is more important for us now as I’ve also got a young DC who I’m trying to expose to as many different flavours and textures and foods as I can. She doesn’t dislike anything yet. I’m sure she will as she grows up! 😂 Of course it’s not essential though. I was still healthy pre kids eating the same things for several days.

I think so too. Same with spuds. Less so with anything organic of course!

I think it’s the cumulative effort of everything if you cook from scratch. There’s more ingredients to chop, weigh out and then wash up (don’t have a dishwasher). Sometimes you’re tired just and want to eat.

I wish it were true that UPF isn’t so bad but sadly I think a lot of the studies are right. What bugs me is a lot of the other advice tied in with the UPF stuff. With Zoe any type of carb seems to be the devil. Bread, potatoes and oats are bad because they ‘spike your blood sugar’. So even if you do make the effort to cook from scratch it’s still not good enough.

The quality of fresh food seems to be getting worse as well, chicken breasts are woody and disgusting. To get nice tomatoes you have to be able to afford the expensive ones. I think it’s not as simple and easy as people make out.

How can it be a stick to beat women with when nobody out and about actually gives a star spangled shit what you've eaten? It's you beating yourself up with the stick. I haven't read the book I'll admit but I know all about this topic and I'd just take away from it that it's best to eat natural where you can but not exclusively. Like buy the kids a plain yogart instead of a fruity character one. You also save money doing that.

It's just useful information about health you don't have to follow it exactly by the book

Bread, potatoes and oats are bad because they ‘spike your blood sugar’. So even if you do make the effort to cook from scratch it’s still not good enough.

I imagine this is more a concern with diabetes certainly and if pre-diabetic too, perhaps. I do agree there’s a very all or nothing approach though, even in the absence of conditions such as diabetes. I worry for my DD when she’s old enough for social media as a young adult, and some of the messaging even around good things like eating well. Some of it more than veers into orthorexia unfortunately. Eg An influencer recently spoke out about how her clean eating habits shared on social media as something to aspire to caused her to lose her menstrual cycle. We eat very well but I also like a piece of cake now and again - even if not sugar free and not homemade. Especially if not sugar free! 😂 And we have a rare takeaway with food I can’t cook as well at home although I’ll still have a go eg Japanese. It’s not for everyone and some are far stricter (my SIL will never eat takeaway and will just make her own versions at home) but I feel it’s the right approach for our family. My toddler already likes things like sushi (non-raw kind) but she’s not really bothered about the cake she has tried at birthday parties.

But that’s fine – no one has to eat dhal or stew or cook up simple ingredients rather than ready made stuff if they don’t want to or if it doesn’t work for them.

I was responding to the suggestion that home cooking must be more expensive or takes significantly longer – it’s possible for it to be very cheap and very convenient. ((And in the case of, say, a dhal, will also fill you up more – when I was struggling to make ends meet this was a huge priority for me – I wanted food that would fill me up and keep me going – this was definitely more important than being the healthiest meal.)) That’s not to say that anyone has to cook that way who doesn’t want to.

Can you manage cashew nuts? The new can make your own in about 1 minute. I do it every few days. Handful of cashew nuts small bit of water in a NutriBullet blend it like fuck. Put into a clean bottle add some extra water. Cashew milk. Definitely not upf. And so much cheaper than buying your own.
I get what you mean about all the allergies though. We have several in this house getting gluteb free bread or flour that isn't ultra process is much harder.

So called "clean eating" is not the same thing, though. Eating UPF free doesn't cut out any major food groups, including carbohydrates or fats.

There are always going to be people out to make a buck as they shill whatever nonsense they're harping on about. Instagram influencers are hardly people to be taken seriously. Their lives, or what they put out as their lives, aren't a reflection of the majority. I'd also argue that they're not even a true reflection of the life they actually lead; it's all a load of shite.

I'd recommend grown adults get off Instagram and stop paying attention to the fads going on in that vacuum, and speak to normal people about these things.

Indeed. Carbs like rice, oats, wheat, grains and starchy vegetables have been the basis for human diets for thousands of years and, excepting allergies, they are fine as part of a balanced diet.

There will always be some people who will become fanatical, whether that’s with clean eating or a UPF-free/low diet.

I don’t need explaining that social media is more often than not not real life. 😂 The only social media I have is this, if that counts, for this reason among several. I actually saw her being interviewed on TV and she had a large following, presumably mainly made up of young women who found her credible as some kind of trainer or nutritionist (I can’t remember what) - which many don’t realise is not the same as being a dietician of course. I disagree that all “grown adults” as you put it would be best coming off the likes of Instagram if they enjoy it and are aware of its limitations as I’m sure most are. I would also argue that Instagram is also used by “normal people”. There will be professionals among those not qualified to speak about certain things, especially in certain industries where social media is actually an important facet. Which is precisely where the problem lies.

Yes, but saying that it's alright in the same breath as saying it's a concern is quite hypocritical, isn't it?

If you're concerning yourself with what's going on there, and claiming it's having an effect on people, then it's obviously not a good source for information. I've been on Instagram in the past, used it mainly for business purposes. Some of the rubbish that pops up I can quite understand why people are getting false information. I've also known people who use it to shill their crap when in real life they don't even stick to it themselves. It's a breeding ground for idiocy. There was a thread on here last year where someone found a list of none UPF foods on Instagram and was worried she couldn't afford them. They were all UPF free ready made things, many of which were being shilled by a certain influencer. It was pointed out repeatedly that eating UPF free is literally just buying proper ingredients and cooking at home, like we've been doing for generations before.

The fact you even think eating non UPF veers into orhorexia or restrictive, "clean eating" shows your information is wrong. They're not the same thing. Even if some woman on Instagram tells you it was for her, whilst pulling her best teary face.