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Ultra Processed Person going cold turkey

183 replies

Fluffyflipflop · 03/07/2024 19:20

Hiya!

I’m halfway through Ultra Processed People and feeling completely disgusted at my own dietary habits for the majority of my adult life.

My UPF consumption has gotten worse as I’ve got fatter, due to eating more and more ‘diet’ and ‘low fat’ foods which I now realise were full of CRAP! (I think I knew this before but was so obsessed with calories in/out that the content of the food was irrelevant).

Suffice to say I’m now switching my focus entirely to non UPF food. It’s virtually impossible to be 100% non UPF but in my usual all or nothing style, that’s what I’m aiming for!

Is anyone else doing this?

one thing I’m struggling to find is a really good flavoursome beef stock. I’ve tried the Pots one (in what looks like a beer can) and my cottage pie was very bland according to my husband who I think would inject MSG into his eyeballs given the chance.

Also, what do you do for treats???

OP posts:
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Thegreatgiginthesky · 11/07/2024 20:54

'Yes and all the ingredients are recognisable bar ‘flavourings’ at the bottom of the list. It’s impossible to know what they mean by that and exactly what flavourings have been used. Why not just say? '

I think they often do not detail flavourings as they are a trade secret, if for example heinz ketchup listed all its ingredients other manufacturers could copy the recipe.

Fluffyflipflop · 11/07/2024 21:44

Yes that’s a good point.

OP posts:
Anunymus · 11/07/2024 21:56

I've only glanced through this thread so I'm not sure if you are still looking for something to give your cottage pie a beefy flavour but I use Bovril. I know it isn't exactly unprocessed but you only use a small amount.

I've always been a fan of eating mainly unprocessed food but I stick to it even more now, since it has been flagged.

StiffyByngsDogBartholomew · 12/07/2024 06:48

PregnantNowScrewed · 06/07/2024 20:44

This book completely changed my mindset around food - I am totally convinced by it.

For an incredibly delicious non-UPF snack stuff some big medjool dates with peanut butter (meridian is just nuts) and freeze them. They are incredible - they somehow taste like snickers ice cream.

The big changes I’ve made are not buying supermarket bread or cereal anymore, or any of the kids snacks (like pom bears and veggie straws) that I had thought weren’t too bad for them. We get bread from local bakery and have porridge or Greek full fat yoghurt with frozen berries now.

I still use normal stock cubes and mayonnaise. Can anyone recommend a mayo that is better than others?

If you've got a food processor try this mayo recipe from the Hairy Bikers, I've never bought mayo since. It's ridiculously easy.
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/foolproofmayonnaise_93365

StiffyByngsDogBartholomew · 12/07/2024 06:57

Fluffyflipflop · 11/07/2024 18:54

Yes and all the ingredients are recognisable bar ‘flavourings’ at the bottom of the list. It’s impossible to know what they mean by that and exactly what flavourings have been used. Why not just say? The UPP book says that ambiguous words like this on ingredients lists are probably UPF or they’d just say what the flavourings are.

Proportionately, it’s barely anything (whatever it is) so a fraction of the overall squirt. So it depends how strict you want to be and why you are avoiding the UPF, and like many PP have said, in order to be sustainable, there needs to be some flexibility.

Lea & Perrins has been made to the same recipe since 1837 so deffo not Upf.

my rule of thumb is " could this product have been made in an Edwardian kitchen if they had the ingredients". If the answer is yes then it's fine.

however as I said previously I do draw the line at veg oil and margarine as much as I would like to I can't afford to bake with butter !

anither big plus is that it's so quick to go food shopping when all you buy is ingredients. I only go down about 1/3 of the aisles

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 12/07/2024 09:02

StiffyByngsDogBartholomew · 12/07/2024 06:48

If you've got a food processor try this mayo recipe from the Hairy Bikers, I've never bought mayo since. It's ridiculously easy.
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/foolproofmayonnaise_93365

Thank you, I’m going to have a go at that. I love home made mayo but haven’t yet found a perfect food processor recipe- I can make it the old fashioned way but it takes ages.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 12/07/2024 09:05

I bought a black pudding yesterday which was stupidly cheap (£1.19 for 400g) and when I looked at the ingredients they were all traditional, nothing more artificial than the flour improvers.
I’m going to freeze it in slices because it keeps so badly (which of course it would do, not having any preservatives in).

RedToothBrush · 12/07/2024 09:08

Fluffyflipflop · 03/07/2024 19:54

I think the reality is that when my husband says he’d like the cottage pie to taste more beefy, what he really means is that he wants it to taste more like oxo and bisto specifically. Normally I put 2 oxo cubes and bisto granules in my cottage pie. So really it’s gravy he likes the flavour of 😂 Im going to slowly wean him off.

I will explore the option of making my own stock. I’d feel really accomplished if I actually managed that!!!

Depending on what you are cooking, a small amount of worcestershire sauce or a dash of balsamic vinegar add that extra layer of flavour you are looking for here.

Also, any tomato dishes, I use a dash of sundried tomato paste (not just ordinary tomato paste). It can be a pain to get hold of but the difference is significant.

There are little tricks you can learn, but they aren't always in recipes.

Strictlymad · 12/07/2024 09:17

You’re right about the shopping! Up and down half the shop and done!

spikeandbuffy · 12/07/2024 10:45

@Threefeetmore the salted seaweed thins are
Seaweed
Olive oil
Sea salt

Ultra Processed Person going cold turkey
Threefeetmore · 12/07/2024 11:13

spikeandbuffy · 12/07/2024 10:45

@Threefeetmore the salted seaweed thins are
Seaweed
Olive oil
Sea salt

Oh, nice! Just being careful with the brand then :)

GameOfJones · 16/07/2024 12:49

It's remarkable how much better you feel once you start cutting out the crap isn't it?

We haven't aimed to cut it all out, but try to stick to 80% UPF free as Chris Van Tulleken suggests. That has felt sensible and realistic for us and means that we have focused on eliminating the worst UPF culprits whilst still aiming for convenience.

Bread is now the Jasons brand and wraps are Crosta and Mollica piadina flatbreads. Both are convenient without being full of rubbish and actually fill you up properly unlike cheap, white bread. I've found that Warburtons etc now just feels weirdly soft and paste-like when I chew it now I'm used to better bread.

We swapped yoghurts to Longley Farm or Yeo Valley flavoured yoghurts as they are just milk, fruit and sugar. Or greek yoghurt with some honey is also nice.

We have swapped sliced ham for parma or serrano ham which is just pork leg and salt.

Biscuits for shop bought all butter shortbread.

McCain Naked oven chips or homemade potato wedges.

Cereal is porridge or shredded wheat normally but I don't worry about Weetabix..... it's a world away from them having Frosties or something like that.

Lots of plain salted crisps are fine for snacks, as is popcorn and dark chocolate if you check the brands.

Pip and Nut peanut butter is the best I've found.

Heinz do some jarred pasta sauces that aren't UPF.

For ice cream, some are OK e.g Haagen Daz vanilla but I've started making my own and it's really easy. Just whip a large tub of double cream with a tin of condensed milk until it forms soft peaks and then stir through your flavourings and freeze. Fresh raspberries are really nice in it or I've done peanut butter and dark chocolate.

In general we eat a lot more simply.

Breakfasts are things like porridge, shredded wheat, granola etc.

Lunches are parma ham, cheese, tuna or peanut butter sandwiches with proper butter instead of margarine. Or omelettes, jacket potatoes, or eggs on toast.

Dinners are meat, fish, rice, pasta, potatoes, veg etc. Just normal home cooked food.

Snacks are fruit and yoghurt or cheese and oatcakes.

I find that this way, nobody feels deprived and I don't worry about things we don't eat a lot of (like stock cubes, seed oils etc.) I don't worry about the kids having the odd supermarket pizza if they've had home cooked dinners the rest of the week. It has to be sustainable for us so a reduction in UPF rather than a total elimination is what has worked for us.

gettinghealthy · 20/07/2024 21:55

Hello, me again 😅 got an UPF query...

Tonight I made pizzas from scratch but caught sight of the ingredients in the flour and just wondering if this is ok? Would be disappointing to have made UFP pizzas from scratch 😅

Ultra Processed Person going cold turkey
Thegreatgiginthesky · 20/07/2024 22:37

The ingredients are vitamins and there is a legal requirement to add them to refined white flour. If you want to avoid them you could switch to wholemeal.

gettinghealthy · 20/07/2024 22:44

Thank you @Thegreatgiginthesky that makes sense and I'm ok with that of course. I do have wholemeal as well but wanted to try the pizza base recipe with white before I start adapting!

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 21/07/2024 09:18

gettinghealthy · 20/07/2024 21:55

Hello, me again 😅 got an UPF query...

Tonight I made pizzas from scratch but caught sight of the ingredients in the flour and just wondering if this is ok? Would be disappointing to have made UFP pizzas from scratch 😅

Even if the ingredients had been more than just vitamins, you wouldn’t have made UPF pizzas from scratch.
Containing novel ingredients is only one of the things that characterises UPFs. It’s also about them being designed to be profitable and hyper palatable. So chucking a few chemicals into home cooking wouldn’t turn it into a UPF.

Thegreatgiginthesky · 21/07/2024 09:45

There is an interesting discussion here about flour fortification if anyone is interested.
www.sustainweb.org/realbread/flour_fortification/

piloqeula · 21/07/2024 09:50

Oh interesting thread.

So I started reducing UPFs 4 weeks ago and I have lost 7lb without counting a single calorie! (I'd like to lose a stone but am technically within 'healthy' BMI so wasn't expecting a quick drop of weight). I'm doing it for health reasons not specifically for weight so have been thrilled with how it's dropped off. I'm amazed at how my appetite has changed, I thought I NEEDED chocolate after dinner, now the only chocolate I eat is a bar of the M&S unprocessed one on the weekend as a treat.

I've spent a small fortune on new gadgets for my kitchen but have found my love of cooking again. I'm making ice cream, bread, mayonnaise, granola, cakes and biscuits myself now. I never thought I'd see the day I'd choose water over fizzy drinks, but I drink over a litre of water a day now (and herbal teas on top of that). I used to drink 2 energy drinks a day!

And I'm only on chapter 2 of the book 😂😂
I

shunderland · 21/07/2024 10:17

@PregnantNowScrewed re mayo - I've found the hunter gatherer olive oil mayo good

berrybug · 23/07/2024 09:21

hastalava · 03/07/2024 20:09

I make my own bread and it turns out really nice. I'll have to dig out the recipe it's taped to the inside of a kitchen cupboard door and I'm not home. Roughly it is

Plain flour
Wholemeal flour
Wheat Bran
Milled chia and flaxseed
Salt
melted butter or olive oil (mild)
1 egg
Bicarb
plain yogurt or buttermilk
Splash of milk to loosen if necessary.

No kneading and no raising.

Lovely with REAL butter and full of the good stuff. I make a few, then slice and freeze.

Fresh or frozen fruit
Fresh or frozen veg

Meat from the butchers
Fish from the fishmonger or fish counter at supermarket.

Loose potatoes

Olive oil
Butter
Full fat milk
No sugar but keep some for visitors, then it usually turns into a brick!

I like flavoured coffees, but I am easing off the milky ones, and now have plain coffee, splash of milk and home made vanilla or mocha syrup (oops made with a bit of Stevia sweetener) I do have the full fat versions but only now and then.

I'm no saint, but am trying!

Do you not add any yeast to the bread?

Booksandflowers · 23/07/2024 14:14

Fluffyflipflop · 06/07/2024 19:59

The book has blown my mind! Just read about the children in the experiment.

Let me know what you think!

I’d love to try this and get the book but just don’t know if I’d be able to stick to it. Is the book encouraging? Not sure whether I should splurge or not.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 23/07/2024 17:08

Booksandflowers · 23/07/2024 14:14

I’d love to try this and get the book but just don’t know if I’d be able to stick to it. Is the book encouraging? Not sure whether I should splurge or not.

Yes get the book. You’ll save the money it costs you by buying less UPF after reading it.
It’s not so much that it’s encouraging, it’s more that it explains what UPF is, where it comes from and what it does to you and after that you find you don’t want it so much any more.
It also isn’t trying to persuade you that you must immediately go cold turkey, but it makes the case that we eat a crazy amount of it in the UK and it’s not doing us any good. So it’s not really a case of it being something you can or can’t stick to, but there’s a good chance it will at least encourage you to cut down if you are consuming a fair amount. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, it’s just that some people find it easier to go all out rather than just make small changes. But you might just decide to change a few things and that’s ok.

Booksandflowers · 23/07/2024 18:30

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 23/07/2024 17:08

Yes get the book. You’ll save the money it costs you by buying less UPF after reading it.
It’s not so much that it’s encouraging, it’s more that it explains what UPF is, where it comes from and what it does to you and after that you find you don’t want it so much any more.
It also isn’t trying to persuade you that you must immediately go cold turkey, but it makes the case that we eat a crazy amount of it in the UK and it’s not doing us any good. So it’s not really a case of it being something you can or can’t stick to, but there’s a good chance it will at least encourage you to cut down if you are consuming a fair amount. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, it’s just that some people find it easier to go all out rather than just make small changes. But you might just decide to change a few things and that’s ok.

It’s ordered! I don’t think I’d be able to go cold turkey but yes, a few changes would be great!

Thegreatgiginthesky · 23/07/2024 18:59

Chris Van Tullekin is on this podcast
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3tGWCTSPa84zzzHA7H4iYn?si=eIqoBl-3TICcn2rkfwL22A

It is worth listening to whilst waiting for the book to arrive.

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3tGWCTSPa84zzzHA7H4iYn?si=eIqoBl-3TICcn2rkfwL22A

JPA · 25/07/2024 12:41

After contacting the customer services of one famous bread brand I just wanted to warn people trying to avoid UPF to watch out for bread with 'no added sugar' claims. Especially those malted-this-that and the other and supposedly more wholesome loaves. Apparently they are allowed to make the claim if it isn't refined sugar and it isn't added for sweetness.

I think it's misleading to claim that malt barley extract isn't an added sugar. It is a syrup-like substance that looks like treacle even though it isn't refined sucrose. Your body doesn't care from a nutrition standpoint whether it's white crystals or liquid. It's the sweet stuff that's been removed from a food and put into another food to 'improve it' in some way.