Are these UPF?

[LadyMoglet]

Need some meal plans for a family member who is unwell at the moment. He likes a mix of basic veg such as carrot, peas, potatoes, etc, with a coated protein source. Since this is not my own choice I am not going to lecture him about organic, raw alternatives

I was looking at the Bird's Eye tempura chicken but it doesn't get great reviews. So wondered if this M&S version would be better. I can see E numbers in there but at least no bloody palm fat, so maybe it's the best of the bunch?

Has to be something easy to bung in the oven and freeze. I have offered a few healthy ideas but he is clear about this so not going to challenge it. I am doing a batch shop today so need to get it sorted!

Here is the product www.ocado.com/products/m-s-tempura-chicken-tenders-519924011

yes, phosphates and emulsifier, didn't look too closely at the rest but whatever the E number is won't be good either.

Yes

Forgot to mention he doesn't like breadcrumb coatings, this is why it's somewhat awkward.

Just get some chicken breast and coat with panko and freeze ?

Ah, thanks. I do wish that M&S at the very least could offer us a version without shite in it.

I don't use frozen meat much myself, but imagine frozen raw meat would require time to defrost in the fridge before cooking, as well as time on preparation, and he isn't capable of that right now so I need a more convenient solution.

I would just buy his favourite brand and not worry about the UPF status at this point in time.

Yes. If he's having it with a lot of basic veg, a "UPF" coating really isn't going to do him any harm, the important thing is that he gets something he'll eat. The m&s probably uses better chicken than the Birds Eye, that's the more important factor really.

This. You’re being ridiculously OTT OP.

I'd say make your own batter with flour and fizzy ice cold water. Dry the prawns very thoroughly before coating lightly in the batter and fry immediately. I'm sure the packaged ones do have UPF to an extent but as a treat they're not going to do any harm. If it's a regular meal I'd try and do home made batter. Cheaper too.

If he is unwell and alone, he just needs food that can be put straight into the oven, etc. What does he normally eat?
I batch cook for a family member into individual oven dishes.
Favourites include sausage in gravy with mash and loads of veg (heat covered), shepards pie veg cooked in to it, lasagne, chicken in a cream sauce with rice, any kind of pie, Pizza and fish in a sauce with veg and potato.
If I make a roast, I always package up a portion of and freeze to add to the freezer.
Would it be possible to do that or buy from a meal supplier /meals on wheels?

Someone is popping in to prepare his meals and won't have time for that level of prep.
I don't think it is OTT to care about UPF's.
He will be eating this daily so there's that...and he is just out of a major surgery and damned fussy, so probably not the best time to grow his own veg patch and create his own slaughterhouse

I offered to batch cook and made a lot of suggestions but he is very attached to his way of eating, so ultimately it's none of my business. He has asked for 'coated chicken or fish' that he can eat with a pile of veg, as that's his daily favourite.
I think he was eating the Birds Eye before, occasionally the Tempura chicken from Tesco. More or less all the same with palm oil, etc. I thought the M&S would have better chicken, but it's still not great.

Still, regardless his recent surgery he is in good health and a good weight. The daily chicken UPF's haven't killed him yet and he's 65!

Exactly. Someone is popping in to make quick, easy meals. He’s just had major surgery, is fussy and needs the calories. UPF is the very least of your worries at the minute. Again, you are being ridiculous. A bit of M&S breaded chicken wont harm him.

The daily chicken UPF's haven't killed him yet and he's 65!

And you know what? They won't.

Of course there's a lot of additives we'd be better off without, but you're talking about a fairly small component of a meal with otherwise healthy ingredients, it's not like he's living off palm oil biscuits.

So what exactly is wrong with Birds Eye now? Personally, I wouldn’t choose it but he likes what he likes and straight after major surgery is not the time to be having silly disagreements over food. At this point in time anything at all that you can get him to eat is of benefit.

Only on MN! I wonder how we all survived when just a few years ago the term ‘UPF’ (and subsequent madness around it!) wasn’t even popularised yet…

For quick meals the Birds Eye or any good frozen fish fillet is very handy, throw into halogen or airfryer straight from frozen and it's grand. I used to get a lot of very nice frozen fish fillets in Iceland but they closed down here so don't know if they still do them, nice plaice fillets dusted with herbs and other types.

Again, you are being ridiculous

Is this AIBU all of a sudden?
I asked a perfectly respectful question, so please don't insult me.

It literally does not matter a jot. Seriously, this UPF bollocks is just another stick for women to beat themselves with. Buy the food the person eats. Continue with your day.

Yeh, it's no problem short term. I have no actual idea how much of the crappy bits are in the products since they only have to list them as ingredients, so you don't get an actual percentage per portion - could be tiny, who knows!

Doubt anyone would become ill from a bit of processed batter, although I have heard some of the E numbers and additives (especially palm oil) can contribute to some illnesses over time.
I wish we had better choices for convenience foods, you would think the fresh ready meals at M&S would at least ditch the excessive crap. The food never tastes better for palm oil, nor does it really last longer.

It's really not. The connection between a poor microbiome and inflammation is well established, and pretty much every month we learn more about how inflammation negatively impacts all our organs including our brains/minds.

That's before you even get to direct relationships between microbiome and organs themselves.

I speak as someone who is the arsiest feminist I know.

Haha, I can see what you mean. I am a bit tired of the buzzwords myself - polyphenols and phytonutrients are really having their day!
Most food advice now is confusing and limiting and definitely aimed squarely at the guilt ridden middle classes, whilst also serving as another reason to look down on the time strapped working classes.
Fits nicely into culture wars too. Something else to bloody fight about

If I see another article persuading me to eat 500 plants per day due to 'cancer fighting chemicals' I will scream. And I eat pretty good food in general. No one ever mentions plant defence chemicals or kidney stones from spinach - which a friend of mine suffered recently.

Balance and moderation doesn't sell books or make eye catching articles where 400 commenters fight for superiority (Guardian, Imma lookin at you!)

That said, OP, I absolutely wouldn't worry about this for your family member - the most important thing is that s/he eats at all. Sorry, I skipped most of your op 😬

Right I’ve been avoiding upfs since before the craze for it came about but I also believe balance is important. Like taking certain medicine when pregnant or breastfeeding you balance up the potential harm to baby vs fhe harm in not taking them. I’m medically supposed to avoid steroids but there are times when the balance says short term use will do me less harm/ is more necessary than strict avoidance.

If the patient is a grown adult and fussy eater they need something they can and will eat. With AFRID the advice is calories in is the only thing to focus on - then you boost nourishment/ vitamins etc.

if you’re happy to do the prep buy the protein and batter it yourself - flour eggs milk - fry in a meat fat or evoo- or a tempura.

Even Tim Spector says the 80:20 rule is fine for avoiding UPFs so I’d say even if all of their protein contains upf, they’re still getting plenty of non upf food. The rest of the plate can be potatoes, rice, quinoa.

I will say I think it’s hard to convert someone else to upf without being solely responsible for every meal.