Low UPF diet - to think the experts weren’t lying?

[AusBoundDD]

Nearly 6 months ago I made it my New Year’s resolution to start eating a low UPF diet in hopes of losing some weight for a once in a lifetime trip, alongside just being healthier in general. Honestly it has been life changing! I’ve lost nearly 10kg without really having to think about it - no restricting or anything like that and in general I just feel so much better. UPFs like crisps, ready meals, even basic supermarket bread don’t feel like ‘real’ food anymore and no longer appeal. On the occasion that I do choose to eat something UPF (which for me is no big deal, im not strict!) it just isn’t as enjoyable as it used to be. I’d choose some sourdough over a loaf of Hovis any day when previously I used to hate it! I feel much fuller + satisfied for longer and rarely get the urge to snack.

Obviously it has its downsides - much less convenience food so cooking takes longer (PITA when doing lunch/dinner prep after a long day at work!), ingredients are more expensive so my shopping bill has gone up but all in all it’s a decision I don’t regret. Honestly I think that this way of eating should be the future.

Anyone else feel this way?

Well yeah, it’s basic nutrition though. Eat more whole foods, home cooked stuff, less convenience food. It’s healthier: there isn’t any evidence for the specific mechanism whereby UPFs are apparently unhealthier. It’s just they are inherently higher in fat, salt and sugar and denuded of nutrients. I think the whole UPF thing is emperors new clothes to be honest

I started on low UPF a couple months ago. Haven’t lost weight but it cured my chronic reflux and am now off meds!

I’m baking my own treats like cakes etc and they’re so much much satisfying than the packaged stuff. i can’t believe I’ve been feeding on factory made edible substances for so long thinking it’s food!! It really is scandalous that it’s marketed as such

I completely agree with you. UPF food now makes me feel sluggish.

I'm not saying this in response to you specifically, OP, this is just a general observation. I think it says a lot that we don't trust our own common sense and instead believe what profit-making enterprises tell us, often when the truth is screaming at us in the face.

Of COURSE proper food is better for you than mass manufactured edible foodstuffs (a lot of UPFs can't really be called food - there's a reason why Oreos, for example, are vegan-friendly. There's no food in them).

The same goes for things like the way we consume news, social media, music, theater, clothing, transport, travel, education, books - basically everything. Almost our whole lives are corporatized. Even access to nature has gatekeepers and barriers.

It’s not just the fat, salt, sugar etc, it’s all the chemicals they put in to replace real flavours and textures. So that you’re left unsatisfied with what you ate and want more of it

Couldn’t agree more, I’ve wised up and realised I was putting pure crap in my body! I feel so much better now and actually the thought of something like a McDonald’s doesn’t even appeal anymore! It’s no wonder there is an obesity epidemic!

What the big food companies have been allowed to get away with for so long is scandalous in my opinion - so much rubbish and so little real nutrition. They should be more heavily taxed so that healthier food is more affordable!

Yes, it's criminal. It's no different from the tobacco companies pre-anti-tobacco legislation. This idea has been out there for a while, and there is a substantive body of experts calling for meaningful reform. However, when you're up against the giants of food production - and they're titans - no small-person lobbying can hold a candle to these hundred billion (not an exaggeration) dollar organizations.

All you can do is educate yourself, and lobby for change when it comes to schools and those below the poverty line. Good food is expensive. Terrible, poor quality food, is cheap. Ergo, the poorest suffer the most. Same as it ever was.

Completely agree OP, I read Ultraprocessed People by Chris Van Tulleken and I completely changed the way I view food and how I eat.

I feel so much better and had previously suffered from an auto-immune condition that I now don’t need medication for. I have so much energy it’s ridiculous and no more energy dips. It’s changed my life.

I agree, I’m really committed to eating low UP food. The biggest hurdle is getting my kids fed, they look for snacks so much, so trying to bake stuff and look for crisps with the lowest number of ingredients. But the snack bars are full of crap! I figure home made cake is much better!

Cereal is the other big problem - trying to make homade breakfast muffins.

Any tips for bread products?

I read it and was unimpressed to be honest. The basic premise is as old as the hills and the actual
science on UPFs (ie what specifically it is about UPFs that causes ill health) is very weak indeed. People have been concerned about additives for at least 50 years.

I make and freeze wraps which are really easy and nice, and also pizza bases and flatbreads. Not very good at making bread but can manage those.

I’m glad that DD is grown up now as I can imagine how difficult it would be with young DC, especially re: snacks and school lunchboxes. At 21 she happily makes better nutritional choices than I did for the vast majority of my life and is actually the one who nagged me into going low UPF in the first place! 🙈

O’Donnells crisps are the best! Proper hand cooked ones with very few ingredients. Their Irish sea salt & vinegar is absolutely amazing. Re: breakfast we mainly stick to Weetabix & fruit - not the most exciting but it’s easy and does the job.

We mainly stick to good sourdough (I find Jason’s & M&S from the bakery to be the best). Re: wraps Mission Deli taste great and have the least ingredients out of any others available in a supermarket

I’d love to start experimenting with making my own breads but I’m afraid that I just don’t really have the time or energy!

Edit: just looked at the Mission ingredients list and they’re not as good as I thought! Back to the ever increasing drawing board..

This exactly

I’m very glad you have done well on it though OP

Waitrose own brand, Celtic baker, seven Seeded, Jason’s

wraps etc: only none UPF is Crosta and Mollica

you want to find things that have no rapeseed oil or any E numbers or gums etc

I find M&S soooo upf heavy unfortunately! I’ve never bought their sourdough though is it nice ?

Cereal you can have Bear (sometimes in the kids / toddler section) cereals

they do a honey flavour and a ‘chocolate’ flavour

6 ingredients

remember to try and buy full fat milk (even better if in cardboard packaging or glass)

you want to avoid plastic packaging as much as possible x

The thing I can't get past is the data from literally all over the World that shows the introduction of UPFs to the market and a sudden rise in obesity. The correlations are truly frightening.

My Grandparents grew up eating lard and butter and bread etc, most women didn't work, exercise outside of cleaning was rare, but so were fat people.

I just don't buy that it's a coincidence that a high percentage of any population just decided to get lazier and over eat all at once.

Plus these companies don't hide the fact that they spend millions every year developing recipes that ping the addictive parts of our brains so that we crave their products and become return customers.

More like common sense than Emperor's new clothes, for me.

My only real downfall is chocolate. I am absolutely addicted to sugary milk chocolate, just standard galaxy etc. dark doesn’t hit the spot!

I like it, prefer Jason’s but it’s like gold dust these days! I really just buy fresh produce in M&S as I find it’s higher quality and lasts longer. I do agree though that their aisles are packed with far too many ready meal type things and UPFs!

Some good snack options we buy:

• Crosta and mollica snacks such as breadsticks / tarralini etc
• we got a ‘dehydrator’ from Amazon and make our own fruit and vegetable crisps!
• cut up non UPF wraps and homemade natural yoghurt dip

reminder to all to avoid anything at all with added ‘flavour’

EG if you buy yoghurt get plain, Greek yoghurts etc nothing flavoured

Have you tried the coconut milk type ones? I am a CHOCOHOLIC and these hit the spot:

www.naturalcollection.com/shop/ombar-raw-chocolate-coconut-bio-live-chocolate---35g-by-ombar-raw-chocolate/?utm_source=AFW&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=AFW&sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=1131807&awc=3650_1746564998_e916db544574cd6ee94fc77566260185

Sorry to hijack but im a Dietician specialising in UPF and weight loss through this method