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 ?

Organic bread is not UPF. There are a few additives that are legally required to be added to all flour.

Agree. Plus ChatGPT isn't infallible (or intelligent) though it's often useful. It gave me advice about my passport which turned out to be wrong.

Well done op. I also like Jesse Chapeau aka The Glucose Goddess.

TBH I find they catch in my throat (choking) and the almond butter can be spread on oat cakes or sometimes I mix it with yoghurt.

Yes I do similar with sunflower seed butter( DC has a nut allergy).

Well of course they were. Just have normal pasta. Pasta is inherently healthy. You are equating low calories with healthy , that’s not right. Just eat less pasta.

Yes. I make all my own bread - just flour, yeast, water and salt. Supermarket bread now tastes over sweet to me. But I know that all flour has additives by law, and for our health. Not all additives are bad!

The Zoe podcast has some really interesting guests on. I’ve learned a lot about nutrition and gut health from it.

I’m so confused because your diet is still loads of packet foods?

I’m reading Milli Hill’s Ultra Processed Women-recently published. Lots of information about how UPFs affect women. Really good so far.

I buy mixed seeds from M& S but you can always buy separately and mix your own, which is probably cheaper.

I can't get excited about a bit of citric acid in a tin of chopped tomatoes when I have lemons in the fruit bowl !
Lot's of healthy food is processed in some way, that doesn't make it a UPF, people have been using lemon juice ( which contains citric acid ) for eons when preserving home grown produce.

It's not surprising that people feel better when they cut out UPFs. Not only do they stop the daily uptake of chemicals, they also switch to foods that are much more nutritious. Anyone on a diet very high in UPFs is also likely to have various deficiencies - eg folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc... Eating more natural foods automatically means making up for a lack of nutrients. It's a bit like feeling much better after a good night's sleep when you've been chronically sleep deprived.

This is the 35 plant salad. To whoever pointed out I’m eating lots of ‘packet foods’ - I work a lot and have no kitchen but an air fryer so it had to be easy swaps for me.

I’m also very time poor so I can’t see me chopping 35 plants

for all interested in this - read Ultra Processed People.. fascinating and very informative on the modern food industry I thought! Xo

White pasta made from refined wheat is not healthy. It has very little nutritional value as the fibre, vitamins and minerals have been removed and tends to be heavily strayed with pesticides. It will also give a big blood sugar spike.

Is this the porridge oats aren’t good for you Tim Spector? And has just had an advertisement for a supplement which claimed to be “just real food” be judged as misleading?

This looks yummy but if dried yeast is ok isn’t it just easier to go for a bread-maker? Is dried yeast a UPF? Or is the stuff they sell for breadmakers different?

You seem like you eat a lot of prepared foods, surely the point of avoiding upf is to get back to fresh whole foods not packaged salads and potatoes in mayonnaise in a pot even if they are from ocado? Also you're eating 1000 calories a day and 20% of your calorie intake everyday is chocolate? This doesn't sound like sensible healthy eating to me. I'm not consciously avoiding upfs but I cook from scratch every day, grow fruit and veg in my garden and rarely eat prepared things in packets, if I swapped to your diet I think I'd feel worse not better.

What a way to tell everyone you’ve won the euro millions

The citric acid in tinned tomatoes doesn't come from citrus fruit. It is manufactured using black mold. Cutting this out stopped my reflux.
www.healthline.com/nutrition/citric-acid#what-it-is

Anyone who wants to try to change their tastes (or has young children and wants to encourage healthier eating), I recommend reading this:

First Bite: How We Learn to Eat by Bee Wilson.

It's mentioned in Ultra Processed People and has really helped me learn to enjoy foods I didn't think I could (like plain yoghurt!) It's also massively helped with how I serve food to the children.

If you’re of a certain age and upbringing I guess. But not from my generation generally.

I think one big reason why you'd feel better on a non UPF diet is because you'll probably be eating a lot more fibre. Things will move through your gut better. You might lose some weight too because UPF foods are too easy to eat, often don't need much chewing and have a 'moreish' quality - designed to make you want more.

If this is an example of a healthy snack then I am definitely on the wrong thread 😅