Reducing UPFs in 2026 🥘

[Bookaholic73]

I’m planning on reducing my intake of Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) in 2026 and would love to share the process with others who are doing the same.

I’ve been doing lots of reading and research around this for the last few months and feel ready to start in January.

My focus while doing this will be on trying to
-Keep to a reasonable budget for food
-Reduce instead of eliminate
-Keep meals simple but delicious

Is anyone else doing this?

May I ask what you use as a base of your pizza? My boys love pizza, as do I. If I want a nice big round one, what can I use as a base?

I started this year and intend to build on it in 2026. My diet used to be awful but I’ve revamped my diet this year and joined a gym and I’m 4 and a half stone lighter and the lower end of a healthy bmi from being 29.9 bmi in January.

I’ve really tried to reduce upf’s and really want to do more in 2026 so would love to join. I feel so much better for the changes I’ve already made!

@Doyouthinktheyknow that’s so amazing, and very reassuring to hear! Apart from the weight loss, what other diffidences have you felt?

My skin is better, used to suffer from spotty skin despite being 51 but no issues now!

I also feel I have more energy and I don’t crave the snack foods I used to. I gave up sugar too as much as I can, obviously I eat fruit and the like!

I've always struggled with diets before because of cravings for the unhealthy upf’s but I really don’t miss things like crisps, sweets or biscuits anymore at all which feels really freeing.

Me too, OP!

I am hoping to transform the otherwise soulless utility room cupboard into a walk-in larder/pantry (currently a dumping ground for sacks of dog food, cleaning things, toolkits and bulky kitchen items) in 2026. Then I have extra storage space for all of my random ingredients (they get lost in the back of narrow but deep kitchen cupboards), and a chest freezer. I live rurally, and sometimes end up with too much food and/or not enough motivation to go out shopping after work. I buy the bulk of my foods from the meat, fish, fruit and veg aisles (though I hope to grow more of my own fruit and veg in time).

I've upgraded to a bigger slow cooker already, and make lots of soups and stews that feed me for days on end. I've done a bit more baking this year, and I've asked around for my favourite recipes made by other people, in addition to my collection of elderly cookery books (including ones with recipes for pigeon and cooking for invalids). Cooking from scratch means that I can work towards eliminating everything that I'm intolerant to (wheat and milk are in EVERYTHING). I find large-scale cooking sessions much easier since having a dishwasher...!

Same here! Areas I struggle with are kids snacks and breakfast. Actual cooked meals here are pretty good, it’s the quick/on the go stuff I struggle with. I also have a bit of a chocolate addiction that I’m slowly getting a grip on.

Wow, this really gives me hope. Energy is something I really lack so I’m desperately hoping that reducing UPFs will help with that.

I’ve decided that I’m going to start on the 27th December.
Mainly because I’m expecting some withdrawals from processed sugar, and want to be over the worst by the time I go back to work on Jan 5th. So that gives me a week to get over the initial withdrawals.

I have cupboards full of UPF (tinned coconut milk, ketchup etc) that I will be working my way through over the next few months, but will be replacing it all with the non UPF version once it runs out.

It is just a white bread dough. Maybe add a little olive oil.

I just skim read through the thread.

For those of you working long hours please research slow cooker and “dump bags”- it’s ingredients of one pot meal frozen in a bag to be done in slow cooker.

As for bread- A breadmaker is awesome invention if you don’t have time to make sourdough- it’s water,flour,yeast and salt.

Pizza dough can also be frozen or refrigerated if you’re planning ahead(again breadmaker kneads the dough for you)

I usually have overnight oats for breakfast - porridge oats, seeds, nuts, fruit, Greek yogurt & kefir mixed & put in the fridge the night before, then I slice a banana into it in the morning.

Drinking plenty of water’s really important too, OP - I recommend getting one of those water bottles with times marked down the side so you have targets & know how much you’re getting through.

And I worked my way up to liking Montezuma Absolute Black 100% cocoa chocolate. It’s definitely an acquired taste & I got there via the 75%, 80% & 90%, but it’s non-UPF, a little goes a long way, and now Cadbury’s etc tastes weird! They stock it in my local Asda so I’d guess it’s fairly widely available.

I've been doing this for 2025. Have porridge for breakfast with banana or apple, chia seeds, nuts and/or raisins.

My go to quick meal is a can of black beans and chopped red pepper seasoned with cumin and smoked paprika, served with cheese. Sometimes I add an egg on the side. Kids love it.

Started using bread maker again and buying mostly sourdough.

You don't need the expensive veg boxes or special orders to make this change. You can get everything you need from supermarkets - just saying this so you don't end up feeling overwhelmed by changes .

One other important change is reducing micro/nano plastics you consume if you haven't already - get rid of anything with plastic touching your food and replace with glass or steel (eg. lunch boxes, electric kettle and bottles). Replace any coated pans also with stainless steel pans as they all leech forever chemicals into your food.

Good luck with it!

Also we make a whole chicken once a fortnight and put the carcass in the slow cooker overnight to make stock. Add 1 carrot, unpeeled onion and celery, fill with water so it just covers the bones. Leave on low for 12-16 hours and you get an amazing chicken stock for your weekly meals. We put it into reused glass peanut butter jars (no need to get new ones, jam jars work too) and freeze.

It's become a habit for us to do now and really doesn't take long.

Just leaving this here - a very quick and easy pizza dough recipe that works really well. https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/family/basic-pizza-dough/

Thank you so much everyone for the tips, it’s really appreciated. I’ll make and freeze some batches of pizza dough.

Does anyone have tips/advice on cooking, freezing and reheating rice in portions?
I currently use the VeeTee rice which you just microwave for 1 minute. It’s quick and convenient.
I still need that convenience, but am thinking of freezing some cooked rice but am scared of making myself ill!

If you google microwaveable non-UPF rice there are some options.

Yes you’re correct. Thank you.
I shouldn’t have been so lazy and actually googled it 😬

Sorry, didn’t mean it like that - it never occurred to me until just now either!

I just make my own pizza… M&S do 00 dough. It’s not particularly hard after some practice.

The rice needs to be cooled rapidly (within an hour) before freezing and then make sure it’s piping hot when you reheat. Washing it under cold water can cool it fast.

We bought a breadmaker when we decided to reduce UPFs after reading bread is one of the worst offenders, it’s great for pizza dough too. Got out of the habit of it this year but going to get back to it in 2026.

This is my fave chocolate; hopefully it’s still UPF free!
https://www.britsuperstore.com/uk/browse-by-section/chocolate/supermarket-branded-chocolate/marks-and-spencer-chocolate/marks-and-spencer-chocolate-bars/marks-and-spencer-single-origin-dominican-republic-46-milk-chocolate-block-100g.html

we have done this over the last 18m or so, quite gradually and it’s been great. Agree with PPs that meal planning and batch cooking will be your best strategies but take it slowly and just change one or two things at a time.

the things I still struggle with are:

bread - we make our own and it’s great when you get into the routine but when life gets busy this if the first thing that goes and before we know it we’re back to a coupe of loaves of warburtons a week

kids snacks - I can’t get this to no UPF, they are teenagers so it’s not realistic. I do make plenty at the weekends for lunchboxes and home though so they’ll take a homemade brownie or flapjack but also a bag of walkers crips. I’ve found if I tell them I’ve made protein bars rather than flapjacks they are more popular 😂

over time I’ve developed ways to have quick favourites handy, so we used to eat breaded chicken from the supermarket. Now I keep a bag of breadcrumbs (homemade goes off quicker so lots of breadcrumbs!) and Parmesan in the freezer and I’ll scatter that over flattened chicken breasts, squirt a bit of oil over it and bake it in the oven for a quick tasty tea. Kids very happy with that rather than beige supermarket crap. If you phase it out rather than go 100% from day one it’s a bit easier and they don’t notice so much

I’ve found Sarah rossi’s cookbooks really helpful. They aren’t marketed as being about reducing UPF but they are just really simple but tasty recipes that don’t need hundreds of ingredients. Lots of slow cook and batch cook options. Lots of the recipes are on her website which is great https://www.tamingtwins.com/

i also follow littleloucooks on instagram, she has loads of snacky recipes. These protein bars are a winner with my teens https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKTwozDs7vc/?igsh=MWFlYmlrOGkwNDRuOA==

We make our own yoghurt and granola for breakfast too, also very easy when you get into the habit. I bought a cheap yoghurt maker on Amazon and I use a dollop of Greek yoghurt with a litre of full fat UHT milk, it’s gorgeous.

Tbh I think I just presumed all the microwave ones were UPF, so didn’t even bother looking!
I’m relieved that I won’t have to make 100% of things from scratch.

Thanks, I’m going to play around with how to do this. I’m just hoping I don’t make us all sick.