UPF Discussion Thread

[sunlovingcriminal]

Hi all, wondering whether any of us here would be up for a UPF discussion/support group?

We recently watched the panorama documentary on UPF, as well as reading the ultra processed people book- and have decided to make a lifestyle change for our family.

So, out with the cereal, fruit yogurts, packaged breads, squash and pre-made sauces

And in with the homemade everything...

It is taking a lot of prep and cooking. We're both a bit exhausted and overwhelmed but quite determined.

We have 3 teenage boys- so it's going to be interesting seeing whether we can get them to enjoy both the cooking and eating.

We're one week in and I do already feel better. I am not as hungry- my urge to snack has gone- and my reliance on artificial sugar fixes seems to have diminished.

Still on the hunt for alternatives to stock cubes though! Other than making from scratch (which I fear may be inevitable!).

Would be great to hear some inspiration from others, or great non-upf swaps!

I'd like to join you all if I may. I'm read Chris Van Tullekum's book Ultra processed people- which is really making me re- think things.
My main struggles are fizzy drinks in a can (I know) and fake magnums from Aldi.
Some of you were talking about a thermonuclear. I already have a kenwoid food processor and an air fryer and a Panasonic bread maker - would a thermonuclear give me anything else?
I looks into an ice cream maker but my freezer is only 3 drawers and I'd really struggle to get the bowl in there I think. I'm he ones where you don't pre- freeze and massive and expensive!
Thanks

They are upf but the heinze organic baked beans are just processed.

Thanks!

@CornedBeef451 I quite like homemade ones made with equal volumes of greek yoghurt and self raising flour, but i'm not sure what they would be like the next day.

Off the back of this thread, I have have just looked at Doves Organic SR flour which gives the ingredients as below.

• Flour (Wheat, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Thiamine, Niacin), Raising Agents (Mono-Calcium Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Organic produce

@Just2MoreSeasons Not really advocating this as healthy eating, but you can make ice-cream with condensed milk and double cream. Condensed milk is made with milk and (a lot) of sugar.

It avoids the chemicals and you don't need to keep beating it to break up the ice crystals. This is Nigella's coffee version. https://www.nigella.com/recipes/one-step-no-churn-coffee-ice-cream

Does anyone have a foolproof flapjack recipe? Every time I've made flapjacks, many many times over many many years, they turn out shit, usually fall apart so cutting them into bars ends up with a pile of crumbs. I follow the recipes exactly, but always the same!

This isn't a flapjack as such but makes nice crunchy granola bars that hold together well (you can cook them for less time if you want them less crunchy. I like them really brown). I make them in my air fryer but obviously can do in the oven.

Mix 200g oats, 50g seeds, 50g chopped nuts and toast for 6 minutes (in air fryer with the metal tray bit on top to stop it all blowing about).

Meanwhile melt together 100g butter, 100g dark brown sugar, 3 tbsps honey. (You can use less sugar, light brown if you prefer, and sub the honey for syrup or maple syrup).

Once all is toasted and melted mix together with 100g dried fruit and some cinnamon. Put the metal bit back in the air fryer drawer, line with baking paper, put mixture back in and pack down and bake for about 25 minutes. On 160 or whatever the default is. When done, just lift the whole paper out and put into a tin and cut while still warm into 12.

Variations are - honey and raisin, maple syrup and pecan, apricot and walnut etc. I rarely make them the same way twice tbf! I can also testify that these make edible "bars" if, as my partner does, you just chuck everything in at once and bake, stirring sometimes. But they're not crispy and don't hold together.

I'd like to join you all if I may. I'm read Chris Van Tullekum's book Ultra processed people- which is really making me re- think things.
My main struggles are fizzy drinks in a can (I know) and fake magnums from Aldi.
Some of you were talking about a thermomix . I already have a Kenwood food processor and an air fryer and a Panasonic bread maker - would a thermomix give me anything else?
I looked into an ice cream maker but my freezer is only 3 drawers and I'd really struggle to get the bowl in there I think. And the ones where you don't pre- freeze are massive and expensive!
Thanks

a great breakfast one the kids are really into atm is porridge fingers - i used ot make them when weaning many moons ago and have started again.

I a flat bottomed microwavable tub mix 10 tablespoons of milk and 10 tablespoons of oats, stir through frozen berries and microwave for 90 seconds at a time until firm (mine only needs twice) use a knife to chop into 'fingers' and serve (mine like them still a little gloopy so they're often round not finger shaped but they're great and easier than a bowl of hot porridge, they also keep well in the fridge)

I will only buy now weetabix or porridge as cereals, other option is scrambled egg on toast for breakfast mid week.

Lurpak spreadable is mixed with rapeseed oil

If I ever make a loaf cake, I usually make two at a time. It’s the same effort as 1, and the second one I usually slice straight up and freeze in slices. Easy picnic or snack, and if someone comes over with little notice I can take a selection of slices out. They defrost quickly.
Plus means I can use whatever ingredients I have lots of at the time ie glut of courgette from garden or berries.

I don’t make condiments. I just buy the better quality ones and use less. We buy Alnatura brand a lot ( it’s German I think). The Alnatura ketchup ingredients in fridge are: tomato (76%), raw cane sugar, cider vinegar, salt, spices. I’m happy enough with that.
Alnatura do a huge range of things.

I love this! I have bought a second loaf tin to do just this!

The alnatura brand... where do you get it from?

@sunlovingcriminal - we buy locally in most supermarkets (south Europe).

But I see you can get quite a bit via https://www.piccantino.co.uk/alnatura?gclid=CjwKCAjwv8qkBhAnEiwAkY-ahin6sigp_92C8lqrmumwBXEwCoAnMrO-W2HwdpiIqXLl97pa-1NSZRoCnx4QAvD_BwE&page=2#catalog-navbar. - seems reasonable priced also

I like their granola and stock cubes as basics which not terrible ingredients

Just briefly - I believe the least processed form of coconut is the blocks of solid 'creamed' coconut, which you can then dissolve in boiling water to make coconut milk. I'm pretty sure they're almost pure coconut, no added nasties. A bonus is that you can just grate a little bit off the bar straight into things rather than have to open a whole big can that you may not need all of.

Good tip, thanks

@HBGKC I never thought to look at those but will thank you

I wouldn't want to be the one to talk you into buying a Thermomix; they are extremely expensive. However, they are an extremely powerful and very versatile kitchen tool, especially if you're wanting to make a lot of things from scratch.

There's loads of videos on YouTube, so I'd have a look there for 'Are They Worth It?' type-videos.

It has a very VERY powerful motor and very sharp blades, so it does what it does extremely quickly.

You can make fruity sorbets in a couple of mins with frozen fruit.
You can make a quick ice-cream to eat straight away, or one that you then put back in the freezer for a bit - still quicker than an ice-cream maker tho I'd think.
Bread/pizza dough kneaded in 2 mins
Stock 'pastes' which can then be stored in the fridge for months (I want to make these, haven't yet).
Cakes whizzed up in a few mins (tho they tend to be a bit mono-textural...)
Excellent for curry pastes, chopped salads, homemade lemonade... I made chicken liver pâtè the other day.

I prefer to do most actual cooking in my Instant Pot (pressure cooker) as it cuts cooking times down so much (by about 70%), but the Thermomix makes prep/'processing' of all kinds super-quick and easy. (And lots of people do all sorts of cooking in theirs.)

I do cook sauces like bechamel, hollandaise in it, which can be technically quite tricky, as it takes care of all the measurements and stirring for you.

They are definitely a luxury item, but I'm glad I have my (second-hand) one.

My Thermie is different to all my other gadgets in that it heats and stirs.

I’ve just made a cake - easy with a whisk, so not a win.

I’ve just heated chickpeas to make a humus. I’ll leave it to cool and then whizz it all
up in the same tub. The scales, heating, blending all in one place. Plus the gadget gives you a guided recipe. Simple.

I’m going to make some pasta sauce in a mo (I’ve got 2 pots). Once it’s measured in, it’ll cook and stir it whilst I get on with other stuff.

I def cook more using my Thermie, but I cooked anyway. I’d say it’s brilliant for a keen cook.

We use it every morning for either pancake mix, or porridge.

I should say it whizzes things so smoothly that a mango sorbet using just frozen mango is some of the nicest sorbet I’ve ever tasted.

It’s a powerful German gadget!

How do your teenagers feel about this? My 15 year old would be v sad to miss out on his nightly bowl

Great thread thanks. I whizz up frozen bananas with a bit of milk for super easy banana ice cream. Also, freeze any homemade cupcakes and muffins from a double batch and pop into the kids’ lunchboxes as they defrost by lunchtime.

We do have an organic fruit and veg box subscription and get things like organic ketchup from them too but it is expensive. I try and keep costs down by growing a few bits of veg at home (lettuce is so easy and high volume crops like beans and courgettes). We also pick loads of blackberries too and freeze.

Those new to non-UPF : can I ask how you make the switch without losing the plot?! I'm just starting out but feel I am living in the kitchen!

We previously ate a normalish diet I'd cook the evening meal (tea, to us) and breakfast would be museli or supermarket wholegrain bread and dinner (lunch) would be sandwiches etc. The toddlers would get a version of what we had (eg I'd add salt/chili later). The grown ups would have a takeway or takeaway at the weekend.

But the sneaky UPFs are bleedin everywhere! I'm trying to make our own versions of most things so biscuits, bread, and muesli to begin with.

I really want to commit to this - but it feels like a massive change.

If you don't count condensed milk as an ultraprocessed food, then you can't beat SoupDragon's flapjack recipe. They are sugar dense, but really filling so you can get away with smaller portions. My kids lived on them through the dreaded packed lunch phase of school.

SoupDragon · 08/10/2012 09:55
[sigh]

250g porridge oats (the cheap type, not large ones),
150g Butter,
2 generous tablespoons (75g) Golden Syrup
half a tin condensed milk

baking tin, no bigger than about 18cm x 28cm

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees c

1. Line the baking tin with baking parchment.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the syrup. Keep gently heating and stirring until all is melted and mixed.
3. Add the condensed milk and mix. Bring to the boil for about a minute. If I'm honest, I just bung the milk in at step 3.
4. Remove from the heat and gradually add the oats, folding them in. All the oats should be coated, and the mixture quite dense, but still sticky. Don't add so many oats that the mixture becomes dry.
5. Pour the mixture into the tins and spread about so that it lines the tin to a depth of 2-3cm. Don't squash the mixture in, just spread it evenly.
6. Bake in the oven for about 15mins. You should take them out when they just start to go brown round the edges, don't leave longer than this. If they're still squidgy in the middle that's fine, they set on cooling. See here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1582543-to-want-to-make-my-DCs-flapjacks-but-dont-want-to-rot-their-precious-teeth?reply=34685832 (and on many, many other threads!

Thanks for this thread - I'm currently following the low carb bootcamp so have cut out a lot of processed crap. I'm hoping to be more careful with what I reintroduce when my 8 weeks are up, as previously I've slipped very quickly straight back to eating rubbish.

I add to flour frozen and warm the water or milk and pour over. Quick mix and leave for 10-15 mins and then make as normal. It does defrost quickly - if I've got the oven on, and I leave a lump of yeast on a saucer on the hob, it pretty much defrosts in a few mins. In breadmaker, I just add frozen because it starts with a warm up time.

No, but I wonder about half cooking them on Day 1, then maybe damping with some water and cooking through on Day 2?