Avoiding UPFs at breakfast

[Ayechinnyreckon]

After breakfast we eat virtually no UPFs but the kids breakfast is a huge issue.

They wake early and are hungry. They're 9&6 so can be trusted to go downstairs, get themselves some cereal and occupy themselves in the morning until we get up.

They eat cereal and pastries mainly until we get up and make a more substantial breakfast if they want it) 90mins - 2 hours later.

AIBU to want quick and easy breakfast that the DC can get themselves? So I don't have to get up at 5.30!

My DD has inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's). It's an incurable autoimmune condition. She was diagnosed age 10. Once incredibly rare in children, IBD is now increasingly common in this age group and is becoming more common in countries that adopt a Western diet. There is a growing body of evidence that added ingredients in foods, particularly emulsifiers, carageenans, and gums, are highly deleterious to the gut microbiome and may contribute to IBD onset in genetically susceptible individuals. There's also evidence that individuals with Crohn's who continue to eat a lot of UPFs are more likely to need surgery.

There's lots of "wellness grifting bullshit" out there, but UPFs is not one of those things.

Second the flapjacks. You can pack with nuts and seeds

UPF is a myth, there is so much more sugar in fruit and a plain yoghurt breakfast than a slice of toast and marmite for example.

if you want to really avoid UPF, change your mind on what you consider breakfast foods. But you are not avoiding UPF, you are doing low carb and high protein. So my next advice probably won’t suit.

Make a bunch of hard boiled eggs, peel and place in the fridge, also cooked chicken breast, smoked salmon, cooked salmon, smoked mackerel, cheeses and then make a broth of broken rice pudding on the warm setting in the slow cooker, so the kids can add any of the above as they see fit. It’s called congee and is a staple in places like china etc

UPF cereals, yoghurt, fruit, UPF granola (make if necessary), plus home made American pancakes.

Fwiw we do buy cereals. They have weetabix, rice Krispies, and porridge. DD does overnight oats. We also make our own bread (bread maker so this is very easy indeed) and you can make bread rolls very easily.

We aren't evangelical about UPFs. We have found certain brands that have fewer additives - crosta and mollica, bonne maman for example. I still buy ice cream, but it's Hagen dazs vanilla. I still buy fruit yoghurts, but they are bonne maman. We have ready salted crisps which often aren't UPF. To me it's about switching the balance of our eating away from UPFs, not about clutching my pearls if DD has a mars bar or bag of haribo every now and again.

UPF is just an easy way for me to say high processed, sugar filled foods. But I don't think that avoiding foods full of seed oils, hydrogenated stuff,

Once DH and I get up we make breakfast, usually eggs, pancakes or smoothies (all lowish sugar).

We don't avoid any food - we have a balanced diet and I won't start cutting out carbs or anything other major food group. This is more about avoiding lots of processed stuff and high sugar in the morning.

Maybe I should have asked for higher protein, homemade breakfast ideas that kids can get themselves!

Have some bread cut, so that they can make a sandwich for themselves. Hard boiled eggs, cut up cheese. Do they eat nut/peanut butter?
Dried fruit, rice cakes, nuts?

Bitesize shredded wheat without sugar is not a upf.

This or alternatively egg and sausage meat whisked to a muffin. They can be kept in the fridge and eaten cold or heated up in the microwave.

Well described

Can I ask what other things they put in congee. I’ve never heard of it before and it sounds a great idea, I’ll be trying it for my kids sounds a nice warm comforting breakfast on these cold mornings

Even if something is ultra processed who cares so much that they restrict their whole family's diet for it🤷

It's not a myth. There is a huge amount of global research to back it.

It's not about avoiding carbs and sugar at all, although many foods full of sugar are also full of UPFs.

Just an FYi that it’s Chris Van Tulleken who is the one who writes about UPF. Xand is his twin.
i agree that the book is great, however, it has become an issue within my family who have a history of eating disorders to encourage them to ban more foods from their diets. As with everything there is balance between staying healthy and becoming obsessive.

UPFs are a huge problem.

not because of salt sugar fat , but because of the impact on the gut microbiome of emulsifiers, thickeners, preservatives and probably refined seed oils. Put simply, these ingredients kill ‘good’ bacteria in the gut.

we know very very little about the microbiome but we know that there is a strong link between it and the amount of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is always negative and is connected to many forms of physical disease. There is also increasing evidence of a connection between gut health and mental illness.

Disappointingly, many health ‘experts’ including perhaps - gasp - Oxford nutritionists are not up to date with this emerging research and are still working with a ‘nutrient’ based approach to health which ignores the way that the microbiome mediates what goes into the body.

Bake own bread on a Sunday and slice in advance so they can help themselves - and buy a toaster!

Egg muffins great shout. Cheese scones so they don't feel the need to put sugary spreads on them?

Full fat Greek yoghurt with lots of fruit/nut topping options.

Weetabix isn't that bad is it?

I think it's good to cut down on upfs but no need to be super strict, as long as they aren't eating processed nuggets every night I think you're fine. Would reserve pasties for weekend breakfasts though.

🤣🤣🤣 I'd love to see my kids faces if I gave them a spinach leaf for breakfast. Op it's cereal not crack they will be fine

Anything really you can make it sweet or savoury; so fresh berries and maple syrup or dried shrimp and seaweed. Its a very plain prrodge, but since it’s made out of rice it can take lots of really intense flavours

Yeah I think I might have to buy a toaster - sound ridiculous but I've never owned one! So just never thought to buy one.

Already bake bread so that's not an issue, and I have absolutely no issue prepping stuff for them in advance.

DC1 is very adventurous with food, he'll eat pretty much anything but DC2 is definitely the harder sell. Thankfully she will eat when hungry enough!

Because if you sleep too little due to getting up that early every day you’ll go fucking insane?

Me, I care, because my daughter aged 11 weighed 4 stone, required a bowel resection and narrowly avoided a stoma.

I don't restrict my whole family's diet because of it; however, I have adapted the whole family's diet, for the better.

Exactly!

I bet that nutritionist, like the majority, have their research partially funded by a large food company.

No conspiracy, just reality!

Also, CVT isn't selling a diet or product. He's selling knowledge and doesn't even tell people to go UPF free, just to make unprocessed meat/fruits/veg/nuts etc the majority of their diet.

I find it astounding that people want to protect the food industry so much, to be honest. Is it really shocking that they'd aim to make foods as cheap as possible to make and as addictive as possible so they sell more?!

Frittata in the fridge

Homemade bran muffins

And before some poster pile in - DC2 is a fussy eater regardless of what is offered, not just because she won't eat my chickpea and quinoa falafel casserole on a bed of wheatgerm and spinach leaves.

UPF isn't bullshit. Salt, sugar and fat aren't the problem here.
Watch the Royal Institution Xmas lectures as it explains it well.