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.

Yeah sorry should have been more specific about the cookbooks. Thinking of one that has easy homemade versions of the stuff I'd be replacing. So bread, wraps ketchup, Mayo, cakes, biscuits, etc etc

@crochetcrazy1978 I’ve mentioned it before but I really like the ‘Use it all’ cookbook by the people behind Cornersmith. Has a lot of sauces, may, ketchup, cakes etc. Also really helps minimise waste, which I like because I’m spending on high quality ingredients so definitely don’t want to see them go in the bin.

The Honey & Co cookbooks are really good too. There are several and all have interesting recipes including preserves, pickles and even syrups and drinks etc.

I find some of the old River Cottage books good for that sort of thing, like the Family Cookbook.

Did a roast today and all seemed well until I got out the stuffing mix and gravy particularly, it's full of upfs. I need to find alternatives!

So good to read this thread - I'm also trying to cut down on upf after listening to Dr Chris and Xand's podcast. I've always been a bit aware of additives in food but in recent years I've done less label reading! As a parent to 3 children I'm keeping it realistic - I can't see us giving up bread and cereal (although I'll stick to weetabix and shreddies) or ketchup and baked beans. However I'm really cutting back on things like cheap biscuits, jars of sauce and processed meat products.

For kids snacks fruit, nuts, cheese are easy. I'm also making flapjack and banana bread or scones regularly as they are fairly simple to do. Hot chocolate with cocoa and sugar and milk is also easy and filling after school.

My big challenge is the one veggie dc who is quite fussy and eats too much quorn. Also a growing teen so I worry about protein.

@wormshock we had a roast today and I just made gravy with the meat juices, a little flour, water from the vegetables, redcurrant jelly and a splash of wine. Luckily nobody likes stuffing 😁

@Aria999 I think I should cut down whatever though really, but guessing they are a better choice if I decide to have crisps but definitely not a good choice!

I had these vegan sausages from lidl today and was surprised to see all recognisable ingredients on the packaging!

@floweringpoppies those sausages look good, great find.

Here’s to the start of a new week folks, good luck dodging those UPFs!

Hello can i join? Been lurking and listened to the podcast. Made me realise how much UPF im eating lately and how rubbish it makes me feel. Also put on weight lately.

I love beans on toast and feel rubbish after eating it. Also heinz tomato soup.

I used to be vegan but now eat fish and a little bit of cheese.

Iv been looking at the stuff iv got and the plant milk is good if anyone is interested. Its Jord from tesco. Quite expensive but I always buy a few when on offer.

I used to make my own granola so plan to do that this week.
Just got a home made soup out of the freezer and gonna have it with rice cakes and Hummous.

Also going to have a go at sourdough bread. Need to make a starter first though.

Thanks for inspiring me.

This is the granola recipe i use. From Jamie oliver ministry of food. The good thing is you can chop and change the fruit and nuts and spices. Its good too with mixed alspice.

200g rolled oats
150g mixed nuts
50g desicated coconut
50g mixed seeds.
150g dried fruit.
2 teaspoons cinnamon.
3 tablespoons maple syrup.
3 tablespoons of olive oik.

Put everything except the fruit on a baking tray. Stir in the oil. Cook on 180c for about 20 m stirring regular so it doesn't burn. Might need longer. Let it cool then add the chopped mixed fruit. Store in an airtight container.

Following as this is the most helpful thread I've seen in a long time for me.

I have a lot of intolerances / sensitivities. I have a condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which already plays havoc with my joints and tummy as well as other things.

I was diagnosed with IBS around four years ago, but after following low FODMAP diet, it didnt make much difference. Fast forward to now and I'm on a very strict elimination diet (via Immunology > Allergy Dietitian)

Turns out so far that I have caffeine and chocolate sensitivity as well as Lactose and Gluten intolerance. Possible issues with sulphites and high histamine foods. Some people like to think we are just being snowflakes about this kind of thing, but my thinking is that over the past few decades, we have introduced so many additives and hugely processed foods that a human being is not used to consuming. I hate the fact that adverts point to massively processed food (for example McDonalds) I'm a 70s / 80s cild and McDonald's always makes me very ill.

It simply isn't natural.

Oh my goodness- I've binge listened to the Van T twins and am shocked at the 'food' industry and Upf. Breakfast cereal made by extruding the gunk into rabbit poo shaped pellets.
Of course I knew and yet was somehow in denial

I make stuffing by putting a crust of bread, half an onion, half an apple and some fresh herbs into the food processor and pulsing until it comes together. It barely takes any longer than mixing up the packet stuff.

I thought this might be worth mentioning:

Due to having inflammatory bowel disease I don't absorb nutrients very well when I'm unwell with it and this often leads to anaemia and other deficiencies. So I've been taking a variety supplements for about a year. I just looked at the ingredients and they are full of absolute crap, long lists of everything I've been trying to avoid. I have no idea why it's taken me so long to twig this. Luckily I haven't been taking them much in the last month as the low UPF diet appears to have massively reduced my symptoms.

One to be aware of though folks.

Sorry I wasn't very clear - I was talking about basic supermarket vitamins like Vit D, Vit C, one for joints etc

@ticktickticktickBOOM I’ve wondered about this but not necessarily UPF-wise. More a passing thought about what random fillers/powders etc make the tablet shape. What alternatives are there though? I take high dose of iron at the mo, plus vit D and milk thistle and love my morning berocca.

Best way is to get your nutrients through your diet and only supplement if you still need it.

Might have to listen to this. I definitely eat a lot of UPFs!

@Wombat27A do you know what the programme about childrens diets was called?

What are we feeding our kids?

I tried to find it to rewatch recently, and it wasn't available on Iplayer, or on YouTube disappointingly.

@ILiveInAmphibia

Bits of it are still on YouTube.

Any tips for chocolate? I was going to make some chocolate baked goods today but everything seems to have acidity regulators in it, even the pricey organic dark stuff.

Also making hot chocolate? I grated some dark choc into milk the other day and added sugar and cinnamon for dd but she said it was really bitter.

I fear I’m going to lose her on this minimising UPF quest unless I give her some sweet treats and she’s missing chocolate!

For a Sunday treat I made this at the weekend: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/lemon-curd-orange-cake

All seemed like good ingredients except the lemon curd. The supermarket own one had lots of preservatives in it so I made my own curd from scratch. It was gorgeous!

Ive left half out and out half in the freezer.

I couldn’t find any chocolate without “stuff” in it. I did buy dark chocolate in the end as it seemed the least worse and I’m planning on using it for baking so it’ll be a relatively small amount anyway. Remember the aim is 80/20 non-UPF/UPF so if all you’re having is a few squares of chocolate baked into a cake that’s really good going. And way better than a packaged cake with god knows what in it (that doesn’t even taste great usually).

@mrsalberta I started looking at the labels of hot chocolate powders and it was eye opening! The shit and fancy brands (Lindor, Charbonnel) have potato starch in them!! Thickeners. Soya. Emulsifiers. Milk fat. All sorts of weird stuff.

The best is just cocoa powder and sugar - I like tesco finest but you could make your own (if you can't be arsed grating chocolate)

Hoping on this thread as also trying to cut down UPF, I am not in the UK and what first started me looking into this was realising just how much better my IBS was since moving abroad. I'm in a country where there isn't a lot of processed frozen food, ready meals etc. (although in the last 6 years it has increased a lot sadly).
I am not a purist about it, occasionally I want some crisps or a mars bar etc but I would say 90% of my diet is non UPF. Helped considerably by the availability and low cost of fresh food here.

@MrsAlbertaWhisker for chocolate have a look at willies cacoa not sure if you can find it in regular supermarkets but you can order online (I am a chocolate fiend and send anyone coming to visit me a box of bars to bring). It is really tasty and I have become such a chocolate snob since discovering it.
It uses milk powder in the milk chocolate so still pretty processed but as far as chocolate goes its ingredient lists are 3-5 items long and nothing weird in their.
Ritter cocoa selection also has limited ingredients and nothing obviously chemically or regulators etc. however I don't love the milk chocolate as it just doesn't have a nice creamy texture.

I don't think one needs to worry about an occasional chocolaty treat. And as @Bigwetdog rightly says, using high quality cocoa and sugar is fine in moderation.

However, my go-too sweet treats are berries, melons, cantaloupe and mango. I usually keep a cut mango in the fridge for sweet craving emergencies...

NB: that YouTube clip is truly scary - two-thirds of food consumed by children and teens is UPF !!!