To be dismayed at how processed my diet has become

[MyFitMission]

I’ve taken a long hard look at my diet this week and I can’t believe how processed it is. Protein “yoghurts” that are just chemicals, bread that’s just plastic, spreads that sell themselves as butter but they’re mainly just chemicals.

where did we go so wrong with food? It’s so easy to make a load of bread rolls or a loaf of bread, even butter is easy to make. It just makes me so sad

Do we think this bread is upf? I find it hard to tell with the non obvious stuff.
INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour, Water, Yeast, Fermented Wheat Flour, Salt, Malted WheatFlour, Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid.

Just make fresh. Bake your own bread - once you get into the habit it is so easy. Butter is so easy to make, you can make your own yoghurt. Sauces make with fresh ingredients. We have completely changed our diet over the last few years and there is very little pre-made made food in our house except marmite and cheese.

There aren't polymers in breads or margarines, they aren't literally "plastic".
I think people use the word "plastic" = "chemicals I don't like".
What's the point of words if you change their meaning so much?

Why not say "chemicals I don't like" instead of saying "plastic".

I reckon the word "plastic" is chosen to deliver an emotional punch about "terribly scary or bad artificial things".

So then the whole point of thread isn't facts but rather Emotions.
Not about facts relevant to human health, but
about Emotions that people have about food.

And when people tap into emotions their other motive is to tap into some kind of morality judgement, not simply healthy or not healthy, but "are you a bad person (by eating) or did bad people recklessly harm you" by offering this "plastic" food.

Also the amount of "contamination" that can be tolerated and which foods are UPF is always fuzzy... some people argue that a food that was 50% salt & 50% white sugar would not be UPF so would be ok to consume lots of... That really highlights how the anti-UPF movement is just anti "foods I don't understand" rather than truly concerned about health impacts.

At least on MN, the whole anit-UPF movement is all about emotions that people want to feel about their food and the control they have over their environment, not really about health at all, is my conclusion.

Suppose I'm just getting that straight so I can try harder to ignore the UPF threads on MN in future.

Well yes, butter is easy to make, but it's also easy to buy stuff that is well, just butter, like the stuff you make. Like it's relatively easy to buy bread that isn't particularly full of anything other than yeast, flour, salt.

I'm not going to beat myself up about the odd bit of UPF - but equally I try to eat stuff that's not too processed - it's all a bit of a balance really.

Change your diet then. You don't have to eat the crap they foist upon you.

I wish bakeries would sell half loaves or even by the slice. I don’t eat enough to justify a whole loaf from the bakers that doesn’t last long (by nature if it having no additives which I welcome). And yes I know you can freeze it but a. it takes up too much room in my tiny freezer and b. It’s never the same (unless you host it).

Once you are aware though you don't have to buy UFPs. I try to keep them to a minimum although am currently on weight loss injections and do have the alpro protein yoghurts and vegan clear protein drinks a few times a week for a protein boost. I also buy some of the processed vegan fake meat foods but again keep these to a minimum and tend to look at the ratios of protein fat and calories before buying. For example the This Isn't Bacon is pretty good but a lot of vegan UPF products are breaded/full of fat as well as being 'artificial'.

The best bet is to cook as much as possible from scratch and stick to whole plant foods. Minimally processed foods like pasta, bread etc I am fine with and I tend to buy good quality bread which costs more and just have less of it. I do have a vegan spread in the fridge but use it sparingly. Obvs can't have real butter.

It can be hard not to be tempted by thing either because of the taste or convenience - they are literally created to make your like easier and keep you wanting more of them. It's why we have an obesity crisis.

No one is saying there are polymers in bread. Plastic is a term sometimes used to describe something that is a bit fake. I’m not arsed about “chemicals” in general- I know that everything is chemicals. Some chemicals are carcinogenic or endocrine disruptions etc though and I would rather avoid eating them if possible.

I also think it’s reasonable to want to have some control over what you are eating.

I think it might be something you get used to - but I find Fage yogurt very mild. I think honey is a better sweetener than Stevia.

@lljkk
“Plastic” was an early term for anything man made/manufactured. Like plastic surgery not actually involving any, or plastic pop stars that were put together by production companies.

It started years ago though. I’m 50 and was brought up on ‘diet spread’ for bread and low fat yoghurts full of sweetners

I’ve seen an instagram reel where someone goes around Aldi replacing some basic foods with options with either none or fewer UPFs. Things like bread, butter, yogurt, ham and cheese.’

Heard a hse (Irish health service) specialist saying whoever came up with the word upf has done more harm than good. She said so many people knew to eat as little packaged food as possible but now there’s people terrified about all foods! op, butter and yogurt and bread while all not great, they’re hardly worth this amount of upset

Erm....unprocess it then OP.

Only you can do this.

100% this.

Do people understand what chemicals are? Everything is chemicals!

I believe butter is easy to make.
I've never tried but there was a thread on MN.
Apparently, you just get some cream (double, I think), and put it in a blender and blend very fast till the cream separates and the thick bit is the butter.
If I remember correctly, that's all there is to it.

But when there’s nothing wrong with plain yogurt and butter from the supermarket, posts like this are unhelpful. If people feel they have to make every little thing from scratch then the task becomes overwhelming. Far better to start with easy swaps.

Yeah don’t see the point of making your own butter unless you really want to!

I think many people do for convenience

it’s not too difficult to eat a largely UPF free diet. I’d say the following accounts for 80-90% of what I eat:

chicken, preferably organic
salmon, preferably wild
eggs, organic, free range
Greek yoghurt, LIDL’s own brand (the best!)
lots of vegetables, herbs, fruit, salad, whenever possible organic
Middle Eastern flatbreads (not sure how they compare with other commercial breads but I believe they have fewer additives)
wild rice or quinoa or whole wheat pasta
EVOO for salads and ordinary olive oil or avocado oil for cooking
a pint of organic milk for my tea.

The rest includes a bottle of wine a week, one or two meals out, and the occasional curry ready meal or a croissant/brioche for breakfast. Once in a blue moon I experience an urgent need for some bacon or a sausage roll…

TBH I make my own "greek" yoghurt - as in I strain it to thicken it - and I dont find it at all sour.

I use it for everything really, I love it on berries - just that, I use it as the cream or coconut milk in curries, I even make hunnous from it

Never have I looked for a sweetener - honey or otherwise

I didn’t tell them they had to do it all in one go, just that it was possible and while there is nothing wrong with the plain yoghurt it normally comes in a plastic carton - unless you want to purchase the expensive stuff which is actually normally full of flavouring. I ferment my own in glass at it is healthier. I am so glad you love to purchase mass produced products - you do you and I will continue to be my virtuous self and cook from scratch. And yes I work full time and care for a sick relative. I know how overwhelming life can be.

Miaow.

ir Is definitely doable. It just needs awareness and to make the choice. 100% of our meals are cooked from
scratch and using whole cuts of meat, not processed. We may have something with sausage meat in but probably once a fortnight. We eat a lot of curries/thai/stir fry etc. lunches wise my DD either has roast chicken sandwiches or cheese. She has grapes and a satsuma or apple, and a skyr yoghurt. Today is also homemade flapjack.
we have salad.
i make bread in the mixer, it’s quick as long as you remember to allow for proving time. Flapjack takes a few mins. If I have time I’ll do a cake. It’s not perfect by any stretch but I try to make sure we are eating decently enough, always fruit in the house. DO and DD do like an ice cream after dinner though! 😂