If you try your hardest to avoid “ultra processed foods”….

[ReeseWitherfork]

There’s an article on the BBC website about “ultra processed foods” and it’s got me wondering if I can make some easy swaps on things. I am sure there are some people out there who’ve explored this before. I cook from scratch, eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, but I’m wondering if I need to start looking at things like a bread maker (we’re a fan of a sandwiches my house!)…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65754290

Can anyone recommend their tortilla press?

I personally wouldn't use a tortilla press for flour tortillas. You get better results with a rolling pin. It just takes a few goes to get it right.

Tortilla presses are more for corn/maize tortillas.

Thank you - @7Worfs, @Peridot1 and @Lottle for your replies to my question about golden syrup (re flapjack). I think the issue is that if I am going to take the time (and go to the expense) to make things precisely because I want to try to limit my kids' exposure to UPFs, then it does feel important that I am not naively incorporating similarly bad ingredients myself! So, I have erred on the side of caution and used a recipe that just uses butter and eggs, with no golden syrup. It certainly is a minefield!

Which recipe did you use and was it a success?

@Pumpkinbumkin200 Yes, a great success! As with all my recipes, it is sort of an amalgamation of different recipes that I have found. I always start off by reducing the amount of sugar to at least half the suggested amount. This biscuit is only flapjack-like, in that it contains alot of porridge oats - but it also has some flour (which makes it more biscuit, or cake-like, depending how thin you make it). I am now intending to experiment with different flavours - by adding things like dried fruit, cacao and ginger - as I see this as a basic, bland starting point.

Anyway, here is the recipe exactly as I made it (you might want to increase the sugar, if you prefer standard levels of sweetness).
300g melted butter, 450g porridge, 150g caster sugar, 3 beaten eggs, 180g self raising flour.
Stir porridge oats in melted butter - then mix in the beaten eggs, followed by the flour. Press into greased baking tray (about 1cm thick - but I am going to try thinner as well, to see whether it will produce a crisper biscuit - variety is everything!). Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes.

They started disappearing fast (we have a large, busy household and delicious food soon vanishes if not quickly hidden!) - so I froze some for packed lunches.

@Pumpkinbumkin200 Forgot to say, as soon as it is baked - cut into squares, then leave to cool - but I am sure you would have worked that out! 😀

Just got back from the weekly (if it lasts that long, which it never does) shop.

It took me twice as long with looking at the labels, it really is depressing how much crap is in most foods (especially emulsifiers like Mono diglycerides of fatty acids). Bread was the hardest part, although I did find just one loaf of the fresh bakery bread that didn't have this in. Shop's own pittas (not the Warburtons ones) seem fairly safe too.

Biscuits were tricky, which all have palm oil and other additives in. I made my own flapjacks yesterday, think this is the way forward! Bought extra baking bits for buns etc.

Lots of cheeses, fresh chicken and salad/veg/fruit for packed lunches. And Gosh Falafels. No pre-packed meats other than 'Better Naked' sausages.

It is really hard @elotrolado , such is the food environment these days. 98% of the supermarket is untouchable for me.

Literally the only bread in the supermarkets I can find which is free from crap is 'Jason's Sourdough'. It is pretty expensive though.

I’ve just finished reading the book Ultra Processed People. It was an eye opener, especially the additives & emulsifiers in bread! I have stomach issues as does DS. I generally cook from scratch but since reading the book have made quite a few changes to reduce the additives etc in our diet. DS has autism/hyper activity and whilst E numbers have an impact on all children, I’ll be interested to see the impact on him by cutting out products that I didn’t realise had E numbers in them. We have never been able to give him fizzy juice as the effect on him is unbelievable. My food bill since making changes has went through the roof though.

@UniversalTruth which brand of wraps do you buy? DC are finding the bread swaps hard and my attempt at homemade wraps was not good! So far I haven’t found a non UPF alternative.

Proper sour dough bread is expensive!

Rice and beans are cheap though. I make a big batch of rice and lentils with sautéed onions in my instapot at the beginning of the week and then I can eat leftovers for lunch for several days. I find it tasty, satisfying and it is much cheaper than a sandwich.

@AlmostThere2023 Crosta & Mollica here

You can usually pick up a 2nd hand breadmaking easily, mine makes great bread. One often overlooked advantage of homemade bread is that it goes stale whereas shop sliced white never stales it just moulds instead. Stale bread can be used in so many recipes.

@UniversalTruth thank you!

@InTheStars i found a Mayo from Hunter and gather foods which is made from EVOO and no nasties. I can’t buy it locally so get a delivery from them of Mayo and salad dressings. Worth a look.

Has anyone found a good alternative for deli meats (ham, mortadella, salami)? I try not to avoid them as I know they're not very healthy, but DH loves them. I checked the back of a pack of salami he'd bought yesterday and was horrified at the list of ingredients!

*try TO avoid them!

I know, it's depressing. Even the so-called sourdough bread is a fake most of the time. Read the slight of hand in the description and you can see phrases like: 'made with sourdough starter'. Basically they've taken the beginnings of the process (adding the cultured starter) just to satisfy the bare minimum of the legal requirement and still made the bread in the same industrial quick prove process. That's why it doesn't have the flavour or texture of a genuine sourdough. I believe one of the few that approaches a genuine sourdough is Gail's, but that is even more expensive.

I think it's the other way around though. Bread, like much of the food we eat, has been degraded to an artificially low price. Good bread does and should cost a lot more. It doesn't help me or anyone else trying to buy with limited means, but I think we have to come to terms with this and stop relying on dirt cheap processing.

Anyway, I've found an alternative. Why try to buy poor quality sourdough if I can't afford the good stuff. I have found local ethnic deli's do good wholemeal flat bread's that are much cheaper than the supermarket. All they have is flour, water, salt and yeast. I buy them in bulk and stash in the freezer. Ok, I can't make a traditional loaf sandwich, but it's still bread and tastes a lot better.

For the people wondering about golden syrup, Nancy Birtwhistle (GBBO winner and mine of information on green cleaning and money saving tips) has posted an Instagram video explaining how to make it with just caster sugar, water and lemon juice 😀

Thank you! I will look her up.

I decided not to worry about golden syrup too much, as one UPF ingredient in a homemade flapjack is still better than the shop ones. But if I can make it myself then I will!

You don't need to make your own bread tbf, just get some fresh from a proper bakery, rather than supermarket.

Only bakery in my vicinity is Greggs… not convinced that counts!

Nancy is amazing. She’s such a wealth of information.

I suspect local bakeries use the Chorleywood Bread Process unless they say they don’t.

Could you buy a ham joint and slice it ?
Cool chicken and shred it ?