Anyone else cutting down on UPFs?

[AtomicBlondeRose]

I recently listened to the podcasts by the van Tulleken brothers and it really convinced me to try cutting down on UPFs. I never ate much of them when it came to meals but do have a weakness for biscuits/snacks. As my DC are away with their dad for a couple of weeks and I’m not at work it seemed like the perfect time to try.

So, I’ve been baking my own bread - this suits me as I don’t eat much bread and enjoy the homemade whole meal style. I make a small loaf and it lasts DP and me most of the week. I’m not so sure how the kids will react to this.

I made some biscuits but we weren’t bothered about them tbh. I have been baking fruit loaves such as a courgette tea bread (we have a glut of courgettes!) as we both like them a lot and they’re hard to binge on. DP is a gardener so gets really hungry and needs some filling stuff but doesn’t like junk so the tea loaves suit us well. I’ve also made granola/granola bars which are easy and which we like a lot. Cereal bars were one of the main UPF foods I ate.

Meals aren’t really an issue as I’ve always preferred to cook from scratch although I worry a bit about how it’s going to go when I’m at work and don’t have all afternoon to potter about! I made chicken kebabs with homemade flatbreads that were very easy and tasty. A good air fryer really helps too.

Yesterday we had sausage rolls from the freezer and baked beans for lunch - I really didn’t see any problem with the beans as I’ve always thought they weren’t so bad and the sausage rolls were decent M&S ones - but I had a terrible stomach all afternoon and evening, really gassy and uncomfortable and I really think it was the baked beans. So I might even have to cut those out. I never intended to go 100% hardcore (I would really like some crisps!) but it’s crazy how my body is getting used to the more nutritious food. I find myself snacking a lot less as there just isn’t anything to snack on and I’m not really hungry anyway. I’ve had one slice of whole meal toast and a poached egg for breakfast and it’s filled me more that two slices of white toast and two eggs did previously.

It has been an eye opening book and has changed the way I think about food. She does a great job of using proper research to back up her work too.

I am finding this thread really inspirational.

My teenage daughter and I tried to eat reduced UPFs yesterday. The big thing we failed on was bread, fruit tea (and butter maybe?) And I’m still unclear if tofu is a UPF?

Can anyone offer advice to see if I’m on the right track?

Breakfast was a full fat (I’ve learnt that reduced fat and no added sugar are full of additives) plain Greek yoghurt and fruit (can’t financially stretch to organic unfortunately!)

Lunch was a cheese salad sandwich (shop bought brown seeded bread which I know is a UPF; I’m going to try making my own in the ninja foodie today!).

Dinner was boiled brown rice with veg, which I added lots of spices too like cumin and paprika (are these okay from the spice and herb rack in shops, not the prepackaged spice mixes?) with smoked tofu.

I then had a few cups of Twinings fruity teas in the evening.

We love our fruit teas in this house but I guess they’re in the same bracket as squash so we may start to wean ourselves off.

Can anyone advice on dried herbs and spices and the tofu? Unfortunately we live in a house with very little natural light so fresh herbs etc die very quickly and they’re pricey to keep buying fresh every week.

Also which butter are you all using? I’m using up this one but looking to find one better to pick up next time when I run out.

Ice lollies for kids. I either use fresh orange or apple juice, or use nutribullet to make fruit and Greek yogurt ones.

Currently using glut of strawberries we had frozen, cherries from garden and just a blob of yogurt, added a bit of fresh watermelon we had to last ones. They taste like a berry mini milk type thing.

So many grammar mistakes and typos in my above post! You’d never guess I’m a teacher, eh? 🫣

Hi @MrsAlbertaWhisker

We use president butter, which is just milk with added cream to make it slightly spreadable. I find it more pliable than the blocks of butter, although I do use those for baking. I steer clear of vegetable spreads etc, including the much coveted lurpak!

I am not sure if tofu is UPF but hopefully someone will be along to help.

I think fruit teas are better than squash because in my understanding they are dried leaves and fruit prices etc. I was actually thinking of moving over to the cold brews to replace squash…?

Your meals yesterday sounded lovely 😊

This is how I see it - any real butter, any dried herbs and spices are fine. I wouldn’t use that Flora stuff, but I’ve only used real butter for years now anyway. I just buy the cheapest one brand stuff. Tofu should be fine too.

Fruit teas vary - some seem to have flavourings added so you might want to avoid them but they’re not the same as squash and tbh I personally would keep drinking them if I didn’t feel they affected my appetite/hunger levels.

Shop bought bread is mostly UPF but I would certainly use the seeded/sourdough loaves if I needed to buy some. Lidl bakery stuff seems ok.

No need to bankrupt yourself buying organic unless you want to. And again it’s really not about getting yourself in knots doing it “properly”. Aiming for 80/20 is great and gives some leeway, because we live in a modern world and it’s really hard to avoid UPFs altogether.

@BruisedSkies long post alaet!!!

I'm the single mum who works full time. Here'show I'm trying to do it:

We eat pretty simply to be honest as I can't afford fancy ingredients and I'm time limited.

I make a tomato base once a month which takes 10 minutes, gets frozen in small pots and can be used for pizzas, pasta sauces base:
Tins of chopped Tom's, olive oil, garlic, regano, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar. All in a saucepan - simmer until thick and red, mash with a potatoes masher until smooth.

I make a dough on the weekend which can be used for bread, pizzas: 500g plain flour, 7g yeast, 320ml warm water, 2 tbsp light olive oil, pinch salt, pinch sugar.mix together, rise 2 hours, (put a quarter aside in fridge for pizzadough) knead lightly, shape into loaf, rise 30 mins, cook on 200 30 mins. Theres only 2 of us so double this if more of you.

So about once a week we have:
Jacket potatoes in the microwave, with butter, tuna, cheese and cherry tomatoes
Pizza with the dough and sauce I made and 45p mozarrella ball,
Spagbol or lasagne
Chicken fajitas
Houmous wraps

If I need wraps it's just 200g flour mixed with salt, olive oil water - takes 5 minutes makes 6 wraps.

I cook a roast chicken a couple of times a month and use the leftover for a simple curry (my boy likes chicken pot which is chicken cooked in sauce made from sliced onion, peanut butter and chilli - like a satay really. Or leftovers for faitas/chicken stew/anything really. Boul bones for stock.

Luckily my sons a fan of 'stuff on a plate' for lunches which is an assortment of random stuff like satsuma, cheese, blueberries, carrot sticks, tomatoes, mange tout, dried apricots, chopped apple. I'm glad he likes this as just 2 mins to prepare and no cooking/washing up required. He's 12 by the way so not a toddler!

We eat banana each a day.
Use cocoa powder and full fat milk for hot chocolate, drink fresh orange watered down slightly, milk, water and drink (a lot of) tea.
Make shortbread biscuits - 15 mins once a week.
I still buy chocolate and crisps but try and go for simple potato crisps rather than doritos for example. The ingredient list on doritos is gross- we used to eat loads of those!

People will hate me for this but I had a load of frozen berries in the freezer from years ago so I whizzed them up and made homemade raspberry and strawberry lollies - had to mix with a sugar/water solution but they were nice!!! You can buy good fruit juice lollies if your careful.

School lunches - wraps so far or leftovers homemade pizza. Gonna try make some soft rolls as a trial!

Theres other easy meals but I've got to go and start my bread now!

I only started doing this 6 weeks ago so lots to learn.

Incidentally- I seem to be spending less money on the weekly shop than I used too 🤔

Also - the main attraction to me of this way of eating is it’s so bloody easy! I’ve seen people doing paleo or low carb or whatever where they’re going to massive lengths to make “fake” versions of stuff that’s compliant - cookies or pizza or whatever. Whereas if you’re avoiding UPFs you can have all the cookies and pizza you want, because pretty much every recipe from every decent recipe book is UPF-free by its very nature! You just have to make stuff yourself. But it’s also a virtuous cycle because the less UPF you eat, the less you want, and so it’s not like you’re craving stuff you can’t have. And, you know what, it’s not a diet so a Domino’s won’t destroy the whole thing either.

Thanks so much for taking the time to help @AtomicBlondeRose and @cowskeepingmeupatnight . Interesting about the teas. I’ll check ingredients more closely and hopefully be able to find some without much added to them.

Oh breakfast - I mix up a pancake sauce once a week and keep in ajar in the fridge. My boy likes this with nutella but I give him lemon juice and sugar half the time. Lemons - by a bag - squeeze into ice cubes trays and freeze.

Also fried bacon, omelettes, weetabix, porridge, toast, banana.

@ticktickticktickBOOM Supermarket shopping is a lot quicker too when there’s only about 25% of the shop you’re even looking at! My last shop was:

Fruit (no veg except peppers as all from allotment)
milk
cream
cheese
eggs
nuts (plain and salted)
dried fruit
flour
dark chocolate
crisps! (Ready salted)
greek yogurt
wine (my must have!)
a free range chicken
yeast
salami (went for a rustic, traditional style one)

Its very simple.

I have granola bar or toast with homemade bread for breakfast. We usually also have “plate of things” for lunch - salad bits, cheese, crackers or bread. I like stuff from jars like sun dried tomatoes and gherkins. Then dinner was roast chicken, roasted veg (courgette/tomato/peppers) and new potatoes, and a slice of courgette/sultana loaf for pudding (which was really delicious!). Mixed nuts and dried fruit for snack later on.

@MrsAlbertaWhisker butter in a block should be pure butter, check the ingredients but it’s typically just butter (milk) and salt if you like it salted.

Also check ingredients on your specific fruit trees, I drink pukka teas in the winter which I would not classify as UPFs as they are genuine dried herbs, fruits, flowers etc. it’s actually really easy to mix your own herbal teas which can be fun to experiment with. I grow my own herbs some of my favourites for teas are: lemon verbena, lemon balm, mints (lots of types Moroccan is nice in tea), rosemary, chamomile. You can also add lavender flowers and rose petals, lemon and honey.

@rosewater20 thank you for the recommendation I will check it out. Brain health and the brain - gut link are fascinating!

"My teenage daughter and I tried to eat reduced UPFs yesterday. The big thing we failed on was bread, fruit tea (and butter maybe?) And I’m still unclear if tofu is a UPF?"

Just straight tofu wouldn't be a UPF - it's very much the same sort of process as making cheese, and is something that has been done for countless generations. You can if you feel so minded even make it yourself at home.

Seconding the comment that there are lots of fruit teas that are basically just dried herbs conveniently in a teabag - I also like the Pukka ones. Truthfully though I wouldn't stress that much even about the ones with flavourings in if I liked them - it's all about cutting down rather than obsessing I would have thought.

@ticktickticktickBOOM thanks! I need to revamp my cooking. Batch cooking is something that’s fallen by wayside.

forgot we do also buy ready made pies. Are sausages really bad? Thought they were just ground up meat.

I really like the UPF classification, it makes things very clear and obvious. I remember a few years back people trying to have these conversations on MN talking about trying to eat better / stick to 'home cooked food' and people taking the piss out of them basically saying 'but tinned tomatoes are processed'.

I do still find it depressing though that there was an article in the paper about this issue, talking about how the whole food environment in the UK / US is driving obesity levels, links between poverty / overweight etc. All very sensible. But then below the line comments were all totally blaming the individuals (and even saying it was the same moral failings that led people to be both poor and overweight FFS). I really struggle to see how people can tie up in their mind this blaming individuals with the fact that 60% of the population are now overweight and the massive change since the 1980s.

@BruisedSkies sausages can vary hugely, some have a high meat content and others very low. It’s worth checking the back of the pack - ingredients are listed in order of quantity, so you can get a sense of how much of each ingredient is in the product. I’m sorry, I don’t have any go-to recommendations but someone else might.

For bacon, M&S do an outdoor bred, nitrate free version which is 2 packs for £6, if that’s of any interest!

Can I ask which vegetable stock people would recommend for my veggie soups and casseroles etc?

How much do you all spend each week? I’ve been eating this way for a long time so I have no comparison. Would some of you be willing to share?

We spend:

£25 large organic fruit and veg box
£20 Milk man: milk, eggs, cheese, butter, coffee beans, yoghurt
£5 sourdough Bread from local bakery (can’t be bothered to make it)
£15 meat box (once a month @£60)
£25 other groceries from the supermarket.

= £90 for three adults

@Sadik , yes the food environment in the UK is terrible. I used to live in an inner city and it was so hard to find unprocessed food, and the lifestyle meant I barely had the time to make it either. Now I live rurally and it’s much better. We don’t often bother with takeaways because it’s an hour round trip to collect it, so as a result we’ve really upped our cooking game. We also have to buy food weekly rather than lots of top up shops, so we’re quite intentional with meal planning. And we can get some bits locally from the roadside - eggs and surplus veggies etc that people sell outside their houses. All fresh, great quality and pretty cheap.

What I also find awful is the advice for people to lose weight/be healthy is so misleading. When I think of all the years I spent on low fat diets screwing up my hunger hormones I want to scream! It’s taken me so long to not worry about eating butter and olive oil…

This is a difficult one as most stock cubes are horribly over processed. I keep steenbergs boullion powder in the cupboard for when I need more stock than I can make but generally I keep a dish in the fridge for veg ends and peelings, then throw them in the pressure cooker for 10 min with some water when I have enough.

A little while ago I watched a load of tik tok videos of Americans saying how when they moved to Europe all of their health complaints went, they lost considerable amounts of weight, diabetes reversed etc just from not eating American food (which is crazy crazy processed!)

One gut said he literally loved on takeaways in Germany for 2 months and still lost 30 pounds.

I try to avoid UPFs generally and do many of the things already discussed.

I just want to note that I make my own spreadable butter with about 70% butter, 30% olive oil in the food processor and then back in the fridge. Avoids the UPF oils and it's great 😄

... spreadable butter with about 70% butter, 30% olive oil in the food processor and then back in the fridge

I'm def gonna try this in winter - been struggling for years with rock hard butter!!! Spreadable anchor costs a fortune as well