Ultra Processed Person going cold turkey

[Fluffyflipflop]

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???

@jpa Good point although it is also important to be aware that refined white flour has a higher glycemic index (and impact on your blood sugar) than table sugar and barley malt so a rye loaf with added barley malt may still be healthier than a white loaf without added sugar.

When I had a cgm I tested the glucose spike of white homemade sourdough and it was huge. A shop bought rye with added barley malt gave a much lower spike.

Loving this thread so much! Thanks for the ongoing conversation.

Since starting my non-UPF journey a summer dress that didn’t fit me the last time I tried it on (about a month ago - I boobs were stretching the buttons so much you could easily see my bra) now fits really nicely with even some room around the bust/upper back area. I’ve not noticed much more room in my work trousers, but I’m still taking that as a win!

My favourite non UPF thing to make is flatbread. I use just yoghurt and flour, in equal proportions. More flour for dusting and rolling. Even my incredibly fussy child now prefers this to normal bread. I roll things up in it, or fold it over like a sandwich, or put pasatta a and cheese on top like a pizza or cut it into strips and dip it into my home made hummous.

I also have made my own chicken stock!! Get me!!! I’m like a proper adult woman finally at the age of 43 😂

Oh yes, and BEAN DIPS!! Any kind of bean you can imagine, whizzed up with tahini, spices, oil… even cheese. LUSH

Soft boiled eggs, yoghurt and mango chutney on top of those flatbreads taste delicious (Jamie Oliver recipe) although the mango chutney I have is processed (I'm trying to reduce as opposed to eliminate) Yuka said the additives aren't harmful though.

That sounds delicious!! Thank you

Oh yes I love that Jamie Oliver recipe. I think it may be from his 5 ingredient meals book?

Similarly to a PP, I have been amazed that I am actively choosing water to drink in the evening rather than the can of Pepsi Max I used to have. I'm not saying I never have a fizzy drink, I do. But it's no longer a daily occurrence.

Has anyone found tinned coconut milk or coconut cream without emulsifiers in it?

I’d like to find one too. Best I’ve found is a block of creamed coconut melted in hot water. Follow tiny tums recipes on Instagram as they have loads of tips of the best things to buy

@Fluffyflipflop - biona. Ocado sell it. They do a tin milk and a cream

Thank you!!

You’ve no idea how happy the coconut milk has made me!! Coconut curries and puddings and pina coladas here we come!!

On the subject of pina coladas, what are you all doing regarding alcohol? I don’t drink very often, mainly because it gives me a rash and an instant hangover (I think this might be perimenopause)… but I have been wondering if there’s such thing as non-UPF alcohol, and if so, would I tolerate it better?

@Fluffyflipflop traditionally made Fermented drinks (beer, wine, cider) are generally your go to.
There obviously a huge variation. But generally cask beers better, traditional apple cider ( not those mixed fruit type), and wine ( if your buying from supermarket an organic wine is probably your best bet).
But yes most beers/ wine/ cider are better bet than pre mixers or alcohol pop type things

Again Ocado is a good place to look online for brands. Organic wine and 100% apples cider

How's everyone doing?

Like PP (I can't remember who said it, sorry!), I have found my love for cooking again following this.

I haven't bought bread, wraps, biscuits or cakes from the shop in ages! We still have them but all home made now. I even treated myself to a stand mixer which has made things a lot easier (no more horrible flourey surfaces to clean down after, hurrah!)

I'm also finding that I'm having simpler (but yummy) lunches now I'm using home made bread - tend to just add proper butter and a bit of cheese with something like tomato on the side or buttered bread with homemade soup. I guess home made bread is tastier!

2 months in and 10lb down without even meaning to lose weight. Today I had homemade granola for lunch, we are having homemade pizza and garlic balls for dinner and shortbread for pudding (I eat a lot more cakes and biscuits instead of choc these days, and it's much more filling). Oh I made stock this weekend too for a broth, never used to do that! My ninja food processor is proving to be a god send.

My son made his packed lunch last night which was home bread cheese sandwich, Greek yoghurt with fruit, some more fruit and a slice of homemade chocolate cake. Really getting into the swing of it now.

The main downside is the fact I feel like I am cleaning up my kitchen 24/7!

@olivecapes YES with the cleaning the kitchen 24/7 😂 I said to DH this afternoon that the only downside of cooking from scratch is that we may need a second dishwasher 😂

I'm pretty sure the recipe posted was for soda bread, which uses bicarbonate of soda as a raising agent, not yeast.

You're all re-inspiring me! I read the book quite a while ago, got filled with good intentions and... never really did much about it!

I’ve always been largely UPF free. Just start gradually and soon you’ll hate the taste of UPFs. I don’t know what a “treat” is, I find that concept odd, but if you mean sweet things then I bake a lot at home.

Just start gradually and soon you’ll hate the taste of UPFs.

I find that really hard to believe! I don't have a hugely UPF-heavy diet compared with lots of people, in that dh and I are both good cooks, cook from scratch the majority of the time and like good, fresh food made with proper ingredients. But I honestly can't imagine getting to a point where I'd actually hate the taste of crisps, bacon or a Magnum!

@AllProperTeaIsTheft - magnums taste awful to me. Just like cold artificial cream with plastic chocolate. I would rather a small pot of locally made ice cream which is just cream, sugar and flavours basically

Plain ready salted crisps (potato, sunflower oil and salt) are not UPFs. Magnums, with respect, taste utterly revolting to me. I make my own ice cream - but I grew up making ice cream at home so I am used to the taste of real ice cream. Never had bacon in my life so I can’t comment on that.

I do occasionally have UPF choc which I don’t mind the taste of, but honestly - once you start eating real food you really go off the UPF stuff.

I totally agree with you @barrister489 - I had a McDonald's the other day with DH and couldn't even finish it. We used to have it far too often! Extreme example of course but even just snacks etc that I used to have daily no longer appeal, and I feel more satisfied after the food I am now eating. I thought technically anything with sunflower oil in was UPF as I'm sure it says in that book that because of the process used to make it, seed and vegetable oils are classed as UPF. I may be wrong though.

Hello, I've been trying to be UPF free for the last 10 days. I consume yoghurt, soya milk and matcha (powder) which I use to make matcha latte with soya milk but apart of that I do not eat anything processed. Has been difficult as I miss cheese and yoghurt so much, also sausages but I'm planning to learn how to make yoghurt and see if I find a really healthy cheese and sausages. Any recommendation?
I'm not missing sweets or carbohydrates as crisps, breakfast cereals, bread etc... this surprised me as I was totally addict to all those things.

@ThisOchreLemur I just buy yogurt. Plain full fat Greek yogurt. It isn’t upf.

@ThisOchreLemur why don't you just get a full fat yoghurt? Like a PP we buy Greek.

Good to know :)
I do buy greek yoghurt too, from Aldi. I don't know why I thought it would be UPF.