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.

Not sure Halal counts as being a fussy eater 😂

Indeed.

@BruisedSkies its a really stupid time to overhaul diet. In truth, it probably is a bit of distraction therapy. It should change within a few months (but I have been saying that for literal years). Some days I have lots of time. Some days none. I should probably try and prep better. I made some amazing quiches for the heatwave, I bet they’d freeze well.

Still, can’t control the epiphany strikes! It’s not like me not to want to inhale carbs, but right now I don’t want UPF (which is very distinct from thinking I ought not have them). I’m planning to make tortillas layer on. Never made them before.

I made frittata yesterday. Bit like quiche but no pastry faff. I’ve also stopped wanting UPF so much. I totally see what they mean about how they can taste it. Even shop bought tortillas have a weird slimy taste to them. Kind of sticky in your mouth. I’ve tried tortillas before and they were a disaster.

Shakshuka for dinner tomorrow. Super easy to make.

I really liked the tortillas. They were a teeny bit crackly on the outside, but not crunchy. My kid is super-fussy about ‘bits’ so naturally she wasn’t keen. But she did eat it. I made eight, and froze the rest. Need to put together a fajita spice. It’s got all sorts of extracts and suchlike in, and I could smell it. Didn’t occur to me it wasn’t just spices!

I do find pastry a right faff. Fortunately, my Dad gave up his recipe during lockdown (weirdest pastry recipe I ever saw, but it works really well) and DD likes rolling and cutting out shapes, so long as she can make jam tarts as well.

@Eeksteek can you share your weird pastry recipe?

I’ve done tortillas twice and they weren’t great - edible but not the right texture. And so bloody hard to roll out!

For pastry I use a half-fat-to-flour recipe, using butter and lard depending on the thing I’m making (more butter for sweet things). I stick it all in the KitchenAid stand mixer tbh but I’ve also done it in the food processor which is fine but not as good. By hand it’s always a disaster. Chill it before you roll out.

@AtomicBlondeRose I always use recipe for tortillas www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tortillas they are not the same chewy texture as you get in the shop bough ones but I actually think shop ones tatse awful now after eating these for the past year. Tips to get them a nice soft texture is roll them very thin, as thin as you can without tearing. This is much easier on a silicone baking mat if you can get one. Make sure the pan is red hot when they go in, they should cook in 30 seconds on each side or less, if the pan isn't hot enough I find they get weird cooked and semi raw bits in them which adds an odd taste.

That is a good recipe to try thank you. I tried making home made crisps yesterday and on the same baking tray they were either too pale and not crispy or burnt.

@alwaysfactor50 here goes, it’s odd, but dad’s pastry is famous, and it hasn’t failed me yet despite DD’s best efforts help.

6 oz SR flour
6 oz butter
3 oz sugar (for sweet pastry)
1.5 oz boiling water
6 oz SR flour

mix 6 oz of flour with 6 oz of butter (dad uses a fork. I use a food mixer)
mix the boiling water with the sugar and add it to the flour/butter mixture (for savoury pastry, just use boiling water) add the remaining 6oz flour and mix

Give it to a child to bash and muck about with. Don’t bother chilling or any of that ‘light hand’ nonsense. It’ll be fine. For mince pies, quiches and jam tarts bake at 200°C for 12-15 mins. I haven’t tried anything bigger with it.

@Eeksteek thanks! I'll give it a go

I have cut out bread and my regular daily biscuits habit and have cut out most other upf foods. Apart from when i have been out to eat.
I think it is working as feel much better. Not as sluggish and not missing my biscuits.

Been eating a lot more fruit and veg and rice cakes instead of bread (i dont think they're upf)

I tend to cook for my self at home so have some meals in the freezer like soups and curries.

Treat tonight of a cheeseboard so crackers are probably not good but im pleased so far.

I’ve been doing pretty well but yesterday went to someone’s house and they had supermarket pizzas, Pringles etc…going on the 80/20 strategy I tucked in and the pizza was pretty good! But I found myself reaching for those Pringles again and again! My DD also gave me a small pack of chocolate biscuits which I ate. Now, I don’t do regretting food choices - I knew what I was eating and it was fine. But later that evening I was HUNGRY. I could have torn apart another packet of biscuits, sweets, anything! Luckily I didn’t actually have anything else in the house but it really shocked me given that I’d eaten a perfectly adequate amount of food. So while I do think eating the odd bit of UPF isn’t an issue as long as you’re doing it knowingly, the cravings are something to be aware of afterwards.

I’m the same. Got to eat the stuff we have in, and had a Waitrose meatball meal from the freezer last night. This morning I could have eaten my own arm!

Anyone make breakfast bars? Mine are good, but very dry (I have them with a glass of milk and think of them as dry cereal. It does work, but there’s no chance of DD eating them. I keep meaning to have a go at hobnobs, but it’s too hot to bake!)

I love Nigellas breakfast bars. They are held together with a tin of condensed milk though which probably isn't the best. I put cashews instead of peanuts as dd is allergic. Wrap them in foil to put in lunch boxes or eat on the go. www.nigella.com/recipes/breakfast-bars

Thanks, I’ll look.

I made the Good Food hob nobs. They are nice, but too sweet and taste too much of golden syrup (I have no idea what’s in golden syrup or if it counts as UPF. It contains ‘inverted sugar syrup’ which does sound very UPF, but has been around for ever, which doesn’t. I shall sub for honey or black treacle next time and reduce the sugar by half)

The recipe was very similar to my breakfast bar recipe, only with syrup instead of egg. I think with a bit of tweaking it could work well, but I need to make different shapes, because I’m buggered if I’m faffing about with cooking rings like that again! I was also too lazy to melt the chocolate, so I just ate them with a square on the side. One was plenty. This has not, in my experience, been the case with actual hobnobs! 🤣🤣🤣

Hung over so have ended up eating some crap 😩

I’m morbidly obese and was feeling pretty crap - really lethargic, struggling to walk upstairs, aching joints etc.
Read this thread more or less when it started and then binge-watched the podcasts (I’m good at binging 😂) and decided to give it a go, combined with 16:8.
I get hungry about 11am, but wait until 12 to start my ‘eating window’ (nothing to do with upf I know, but relevant I think). I have 2 meals a day, trying to be no / very low upf and I’m satisfied, not hungry or looking for snacks, whereas previously I could mindlessly work through a couple of family bags of Maltesers and a bag of crisps in addition to meals.
I’m sleeping better, I’ve got more energy and best of all I’ve lost 17lbs!
I really feel this is the way to go for me, the benefits far outweigh the taste of maltesers (which I don’t seem to fancy now anyway…). It feels like I’m really ‘nourishing’ myself, even when we had a ( cooked in dripping, no upf) chippy tea the other night as a treat 🤣

@igivein thats so good.

@igivein wow, that’s really great! I think the best thing is feeling satisfied, not deprived at all, and realising you can still have lovely things like fish and chips without obsessing over the calories so much.

I just hope I can keep it up. I don’t see why I shouldn’t, after all, it’s only what would have been ‘normal’ a couple of generations ago

I dont see why you shouldn't. Iv found eating out difficult as you don't know whats in food but more prepared at home. I think its just a case maybe of meal planning and having some meals in the freezer for emergencies. I never thought i would stop my favourite biscuits. My husband bought me some Heck vegan sausages yesterday. I never asked but he thought he would treat me. They've got so many ingredients i was shocked. Now feel like I have to eat them but will start again after.

Have to admit I’m using stuff up and then replacing with non-upf as I go - I’m much too tight to just through things away. 😁
For example I used up the bag of frozen chips and now make chips ‘the old-fashioned’ way. It takes about two minutes longer to slice up potatoes, coat in olive oil and put in the oven - they taste better too!

Sorry ‘throw things away’ not through (gaarh!)

Hello all. I’m late to the club (and thread!) but can I join please?
I have a disclaimer. Going through radiotherapy and if I fall off the UPF wagon because I ruddy well fancy some unhealthy comfort eating I’m not going to beat myself up!

question… I’m planning some homemade sweet treats. Is golden syrup and/or condensed milk counter as UPF?

also those of you with a sweet tooth I highly recommend an ice cream maker if you’re looking for a kitchen gadget. The taste is amazing and much more natural and shorter ingredients list than bought ice creams.

Hey dammit. Check this out. The NOVA scale is what some people use. So you could check them on there world.openfoodfacts.org/nova