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 ?

I buy Polish mayonnaise (majonez!) as it tends not to have the gums/stabilisers/emulsifiers of the mainstream brands. (And yes I know mayonnaise has to be emulsified somehow but these don’t contain lecithin etc). I’m realistically not ever making my own so it’s the best substitute.

ChatGPT chats shit. I’m glad this is working for you but I’d be very cautious coming on here and handing out concrete advice based on its findings.

I did about 5 months at the start of the year trying to be really conscious of what I was eating and making good decisions. We already cook mostly from scratch but tried to make additional healthy swaps. I don't know if it was because I didn't swap everything, but I didn't lose any weight or frankly feel any different. BMI has always been around 22. I'd had high hopes after everything I'd read and felt quite disheartened by the (non)result.

I sort them into tiers generally. I’m not that bothered about seed oils for example which some people get up in arms about, but I don’t like to buy stuff with gums, artificial preservatives or emulsifiers, which unfortunately is most bread! I do make my own sometimes and have a couple of brands I’ve found that have non-UPF bread but it’s definitely one of the biggest culprits. Also unspecified ‘natural flavourings’ and the proliferation of dextrose and maltodextrin and all those sorts of thickeners.

Yuka or Open Food Facts apps are useful, but after a while you get into the rhythm and can see at a glance what is UPF or not from the label. I always do a quick scan before I buy a new product.

I do this apart from the few days leading upto my period (I’m 46) when i get real sugar cravings so just eat whatever i fancy - the same on holidays!

i notice such a difference on the sh1te quality of sleep and get noticably snappier with the kids on days i have the UPFs!

I tried to cut out a lot of upf two years ago after reading Ultra-processed people. I ate fairly well before and didn't notice much difference in health, but now my tastes have changed. So I really don't want to eat some stuff that I'd previously have enjoyed, like low quality ice cream or Coke. And if I am on holiday and eating more processed food than usual I feel horrible and bloated.

I don't feel like I've cut out any food. I've just, one by one, found alternatives that aren't upf. Eg

Bread - bought a second hand Panasonic bread maker on Facebook and use that. I don't worry about the titchy amount of emulsifer in the yeast I buy. It's really quick to chuck in the ingredients each night. But you could swap to sour dough. Pitta breads and some wraps can also be OK.

Chocolate - swapped to Montezuma (their flavoured bars aren't all upf free though.) 70% dark for many brands is the most likely to be good.

Sausages - I love them and couldn't find a perfect swap so we just buy the highest % pork ones we can find in the supermarket.

Juice - our supermarket has an orange squeezing machine so we use that. More expensive, so it's more of a treat so we drink less.

Yoghurt - swapped to Greek style. I like to mix it with lemon curd, honey or jam.

Crisps - swapped Pringles for a ready salted type that only contains potatoes and oil. Obviously they're still not a health food!

Cadbury pots of joy - I make these using a 5-minute chocolate pot recipe.

Ice-cream - swapped to a high quality brand vanilla

I didn't swap everything in one go.

Whenever I drastically cut UPF, I’ve also noticed my joints don’t hurt and also my allergy symptoms (allergic rhinitis so a stuffy nose constantly) are so much better.

Why couldn’t you just read the labels? Most dried pasta is not UPF. It is just made from wheat, sometimes egg is added.
Do you know the difference between processed food and ultra-processed?

clunkypigeon and that’s why Mumsnet has a disclaimer at the top. I’m not handing out ‘health advice’.

I’m just saying I feel better in a week of reducing my upf’s drastically. For those who already have a low upf diet, which is not the general population according to the upf Dr then it will have no effect.

netzerozealot one week ago I did NOT know the difference properly between the nova classifications.

after watching the podcast I do now. I haven’t shopped for pasta in the last week as it’s a winter food for me so all I did was ask chat GPT about the stuff in my cupboard I already had and was surprised it was ultra processed.

I've been doing it for ages - at least 3 years.

Today's menu is.....

Breakfast- 2% fat Fage Greek Yoghurt, raspberries, blueberries and mixed seeds. Oat cake with almond butter.

Morning 'Treat' - 1 sq 75% dark choc.

Lunch - watercress, egg, cottage cheese, peppers (salad), apple.

Dinner- organic roast chicken with spuds, kale, carrots, peas, homemade gravy
Desert- more yoghurt, plums.

I'm mostly gluten-free and have stopped buying gluten free bread as it's full of crap.

The most interesting bit of the interview is how bad the high upf in children’s diets is affecting their learning.

It's not new. Chris van T made a prog on it at least a year ago and had his brain 'tested' before and after at UCH London.

Well done you op. Everyone should read ultra processed people by Chris van tulleken. A fantastic and informative read. We’ve cut out a lot of upf foods and feeling the difference too. X

Love this for you, I’m a big Tim Spector fan girl 😆 Check out Stuart Gillespie too, he isn’t so well loved by the media as he is very anti Big Food, but his book is brilliant

Your breakfast sounds lovely. Sorry to be thick, but when you say mixed seeds, what would I be looking to buy/where from?

Try mixing your yoghurt with berries. Jam is just sugar and whatever else is added. Honey is sugar too.

I'm addicted to crunchy almond butter and will eat it out of the jar as a snack.
DH and I get through at least a jar a week.

I don't eat upf, unless as someone else mentioned you count tinned tomatoes.

I suppose socialising/eating with other people/celebrations means that every few months I do eat something that would be considered upf, a slice of pizza or something, but not day to day.

I guess I am in very good health overall, haven't had a cold for years etc. However, that could be correlation and not cause. I generally have a decent amount of energy and am slim and fit, but I exercise.

I have osteoarthritis in my knee. It's done fuck all for that ongoing problem, that's for sure.

What foods were you eating before?

I’m wondering if you feel better because of the UPFs or just because you’re eating better?

I definitely think UPFs are bad for you and I try and make a rule to eat 70% of foods that I can tell you the exact ingredients in them eg potato, meat, veg.

I didn’t think about pasta and rice and assumed they were just that.

Its definitely something I’m going to relook into.

Your diet seems quite expensive though.

Or possibly some illnesses have nothing to do with diet...
People have had my condition for hundreds (probably thousands) of years. Long before upf was a thing.
It's reductive, offensive and ignorant to suggest to people they are only ill because of their diet
I've had my condition since my late teens and I was raised on a whole foods diet

Most supermarkets sell seeds like sunflower, pumpkin etc

Any good supermarket. Tesco do them and Waitrose. Just google mixed seeds.
They are with the dried fruits etc usually, along with the lentils, nuts etc.
You get a mix of sunflowers, pumpkin, flax and we buy a separate bag of chia and mix in. Lasts for ages and not too £££.

So for me it’s a ‘journey to more healthful living’ rather than a destination. I am never going to stop wanting crisps and a small amount of chocolate so that’s why I started there.

I already do intermittent fasting 11-7 and have done for 2 years. And I also do ‘protein first’ in the morning so I eat the Greek yoghurt first. For lunch and dinner I do ‘veggies first’ because of what Jessie Chauspeau says about gut transitions - basically it provides optimum conditions for the gut if you have a plate of veg, meat, carbs. She says eat in the order of veg, meat, carbs to help not have ‘sugar spikes’.

Tiny tweaks but it’s all really helping me feel even more well.

A handful of almonds might be easier and cheaper and more satisfying.