I’ve gone non UPF, I just can’t believe the difference it’s made in a week

[LaurieFairyCake]

I feel like such an idiot. I can’t believe how well I feel, how much I’m ready for bed and how much better I sleep.

this shit is radical. I was eating 40% upf (a teenagers diet is 80% 😱) and I feel brand new.

i have zero pain in my joints, during the day loads of good energy

does anyone else do this ?

It’s not ‘white’ bread, it’s supermarket bread made by the modern methods.

Its also ‘squash’ and cereals, yoghurts that target kids.

Doesnt look like they deliver in the Uk

Thank god.

Bread I think is the hardest thing to "get right." It's so time-consuming to make your own. That's where other countries in Europe are way ahead of us. It only lasts a day but its easy to get hold of much more traditional bread.

I do know lots of children who will only eat white - or at best wholemeal. At least with wholegrains the grains themselves have some merit...even if the flour is upf.

😂There's a black olive one which is also delicious!

Just dill and garlic. I know some people add horseradish but I like it too much with other things. I usually drink the kombucha when the sugar is nearly gone, you can still taste some but it’s definitely more sour. It first goes from the jar into an airtight bottle so it’s about 1 tablespoon of sugar per 1 litre of kombucha. It stays in bottles for about two weeks (till it pops like champagne). I also mix it with sparkling water, mainly to make it last longer, we usually only have two litres (one younger, one older).

I couldnt find the nduja one anyway

Again, thank god

Ingredients of heinz ketchup - not a Upf.

It could be a year or two old (all those upfs you see!) 😆

Oh yes, my cupboard is like this. Im just finishing a jar of red pepper and goats cheese pate and next in line is smoked olive and red pepper tapenade.

Well, in pedants corner you would suggest that Herb Extract is a UPF, but frankly at that point, who really cares.

Sounds delicious. Red pepper is great in tapenade. You see why I'm hoping to defend upfs just a little bit! If you save it for the good stuff, it's not the end of the world ( though the olive and pepper ones are quite possibly not that bad?) Chorizo presents an issue for sure ...

I am surprised Heinz ketchup isn’t a UPF, and also glad because now it means I can continue to have it, with less guilt. I do get the lower sugar version however.

There’s an app you can get - Yuka. Duno if it’s been mentioned on this thread already.

RE bread - Jason’s sourdough is pretty good on the ingredients list…

Thanks very much for the info. One more question … is that garlic and dill in vinegar or is it lacto-fermented? Just wondering, thanks.

It is UPF because of the extracts.

I’m fairly sure the organic one isn’t.

The conclusion I’ve drawn from this thread is that it’s impossible to completely avoid UPFs unless:

• you are time-rich enough to pore over supermarket product labels for UPFs and prepare almost everything from scratch
• you are wealthy enough to buy UPF-free alternatives to replace things stuffed with UPFs that you can’t easily recreate at home.

I think I have a reasonably healthy diet, and I don’t eat much that would obviously qualify as an UPF, but I’m neither rich nor time-rich, so I probably eat a lot more hidden UPFs than I realise and I can’t be bothered to police this because it would drive me a bit mad.

I think a good solution is to try and eat a few portions of fruit and veg daily and some herbs, spices and fermented foods, and a generally balanced diet, to try and counteract the UPFs.

Just lacto, everything in salt brine. I have heard about fermenting with vinegar in warmer climates, but never tried that myself.

Things that are naturally high in sugar (carrot, beetroot, tomatoes) are harder to ferment but adding a bit of cabbage usually helps to get them going. Cabbage is magical 🧙

we generally eat upf free in our family. We’ve had no positive effects on weight tho (as in our weight is stable).

200g strong white flour
200g strong wholemeal
50g porridge oats (although I often replace these with flour)
25g linseeds
25g poppy seeds
(I often replace with chia seeds and sesame)
350ml tepid water
7g yeast
teaspoon fine salt.
mix by hand or in mixer until pliable then cover and leave for about 90 minutes. Knock back for 30 seconds then put into a loaf tin for 30-60 minutes then back at 220 for ten minutes then a bit longer at around 190-my oven is so temperamental, I just judge it! I double these quantities and sometimes sub in more wholemeal flour. It's really delicious, especially toasted.

Totally agree with this.

I am not about to bake bread, but I don't see that cooking veg and serving with potatoes, grains and meat or fish is a hugely more involved process than adding a jar of sauce to the meat.

I also do buy the cereals that don't have additives, and they are a little more expensive but still do several breakfasts so it's spread a little.

No issue with chorizo at all in this house. We have Spanish family, so eat a lot of it.

I think this is how we've got to the point of so many foods containing UPF ingredients. They are convenient, save time and energy, and are often cheaper than non-UPF foods.

Most people who work full time and have children or elderly relatives to look out for (and god forbid a hobby) don't have the time or energy to bake bread every day for example. And bread flour is expensive, compared to a sliced loaf from Sainsburys, and the latter will last all week.

You might enjoy the challenge of eating 30 or more different types of plant per week (coffee and tea count too!). There's a school of thought that variety of plant matter is really good for your gut health (which in turn is really good for your general health) and naturally by concentrating on eating 30 different plants in a week you tend to get a lot of vitamins and minerals and fibre, as well as tending towards lower UPF foods!

The Yuka app has been a godsend. It is a bit puritanical about salt/fat sugar but will also tell you when the additives are harmful and to avoid. It's incredibly helpful-I occasionally buy fish fingers for example and now I know which are full of upf additives and which are just fish and breadcrumbs (the cheaper ones, ironically!)

Not according to the Nova score - it's a 3, which is processed but not upf (normal ketchup - the lower sugar etc ones are scored as 4, so a upf)

world.openfoodfacts.org/product/50457236/tomato-ketchup-heinz

Well done OP. I've not read the entire thread, but have read all your posts. Thanks for the links.

I embarked on a low carb keto way of eating a year ago. Whole foods, cook from scratch, very limited processed food (only when eating out and limited choice). I feel great and have tonnes of energy. I sleep great, people tell me I am glowing and my hair and nails grow at some rate! I have lost over 70 pounds too. (In my 50's).

I wish I knew about all this 20 years ago. I am dismayed at what our food industry has become and feel very sad about the younger generations.

That actually does sound delicious. Could you use rye flour (which I quite like)?