I don't want a completely UPF-free diet for any family. My daughter decided a few years ago that she doesn't like fish fingers or pizza, which is annoying if you ask me.
Thankfully, she still loves sausage and eats chicken nuggets every day she gets the chance. But frustratingly, these ubiquitous and easy meals aren't as kid-friendly as they seem. Almost every version you buy contains some ingredients that are classified as UPF (ultra processed foods). These are the types of foods we used to call junk food, and alarming new discoveries reveal they can have a huge impact on our longevity.
Researchers at Harvard University tracked the diets of 115,000 Americans (all middle-aged medical professionals) over 30 years and found a link between high UPF intake and early death.
The result is british medical journalshowed that the most harmful diets were those high in processed meat and fish products, such as fish fingers, chicken nuggets, and sausages, which could increase the risk of death by up to 13 percent.
what will you do? Can we avoid the worst of these products? Should we only eat them for special occasions instead of eating them frequently and easily? I wasn't allowed to go to McDonald's as a child. Now I realize my mother's wisdom, but I don't want to tell my daughter that she should never eat certain foods. Are there healthy or even healthier fish fingers, chicken nuggets, pizza, etc.?
label confusion
It's easy to say read the label, and that's a good place to start, but expert pediatric nutritionist Lucy Upton says reading every label can be time-consuming and scary. say. Instead, she recommends scanning the labels to see how much you recognize or don't recognize. “UPF often includes ingredients you wouldn't use in home cooking, such as corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, thickeners, chemicals, sweeteners, colorings, and emulsifiers that affect the appearance of the food, its shelf life, and more. It’s used to improve palatability,” she explains. .
chicken and fish
I looked into the ingredients of a product I recently purchased. To be honest, they don't seem that bad. Our favorite his M&S chicken nuggets contain some ingredients you probably wouldn't find in your home kitchen. In addition to chicken, flour, rapeseed oil, and salt, it contains other wheat ingredients, yeast extract, and dried herbs and spices that you might not find in your home cupboard.
“These don't contain emulsifiers or E-numbers,” says expert nutritionist Nicola Ludlam-Raine. “However, due to the addition of wheat protein, wheat starch, and wheat gluten, these ingredients are unfortunately not found in the average kitchen, so they would be classified as UPF.
“However, NOVA's UPF classification was never intended to be a list of 'good foods, bad foods'; this product provides not only protein but also dietary fiber, which is essential, especially for picky eaters. can be a source of nutrients. I have two small children and I give them these fish fingers or omega-3 fish fingers with potatoes, peas, carrots and baked beans, for example. ”
Aldi nuggets (I haven't tried them) have fewer ingredients than M&S, but they do contain glucose, a type of sugar that is considered ultra-processed. Sainsbury's Nuggets contain pea fibre. Chicken nuggets mainly contain chicken meat, wheat, and a little oil and salt, so our habits already feel better. But if you can't read the label when you take it home, the contents may not be as appealing. An analysis of nuggets from two fast-food restaurants in the United States found they contained 60 percent fat and only 18 to 19 percent protein.
Upton points out that all the foods we worry about actually contain nutrients that are beneficial to children. “Fish fingers are an excellent source of protein and important nutrients for children, such as iodine,” she says. “I think it's important not to think that the label 'ultra-processed' means that the food is unhealthy or cannot be included as part of a balanced diet. We advocate not labeling food as good or bad in front of our children, but instead consider our long-term relationship with food.”
You won't technically find UPF-free fish fingers in the supermarket. Like chicken nuggets, the coating usually contains a few unusual things, such as wheat gluten and potato starch, but otherwise seems to be fairly harmless. I'm more interested in whether there is any information about where the fish comes from, i.e. is it sustainably sourced? – And if the fish part of the finger is 100 percent meat.
pizza party
Upton said a pizza made with tomato sauce and vegetables could include one of five meals a day. But not all pizzas are the same. Leanne Stevenson, nutritional therapist and founder of Artah Nutrition, shares the ingredient list for his chain's popular pizza crust, and he's already over 20, so it's easy to read along the way. I gave up on that.
But that doesn't mean you should give up on such delicious dishes. “If you try to demonize pizza, most people will immediately respond that the Italian (Mediterranean) diet is healthy and includes eating pizza on a regular basis,” she says. . But Italian pizza dough contains only water, flour, yeast, sea salt, and maybe olive oil. ”
The best way is to make it yourself. Although it may seem like extra work, you can freeze your homemade dough in portions and thaw as needed. Pizza making, which combines passata with various toppings such as fresh vegetables and cheese, is also a great after-school activity for kids of all ages. Abel & Cole uses his Biona ready-made base (also available on Ocado) to make his DIY pizza boxes, which are UPF-free.
sausage and beans
While high-quality sausages may be UPF-free, an article linked to a Harvard University report states that some whole foods, such as red meat and minimally processed sausages, are considered ultra-processed. I noted that it may not come with other health warnings. For example, eating a lot of red and processed meat may increase your risk of colon cancer.
Ludlam-Raine says M&S sells UPF-free baked beans, but points out that ultra-processed baked beans also have other benefits. For example, beans contain protein and dietary fiber. “These products are clearly different from UPF ice cream, which is an HFSS food (high in fat, sugar and salt) and contains very few nutrients,” she says.
“In my book How to avoid eating ultra-processed foods [out in July] I'm talking about the 80/20 rule, which is about prioritizing whole foods while savoring and having fun with soul food. Our health is determined by what we eat most of the time. And in general, I advise people to focus on what they should eat more of – natural foods. ”
bread and cereal
These two staple foods are hard to avoid, especially sugary cereals, which a Harvard study highlighted as bad choices for longevity, although most experts say you should avoid them completely. do not have. “Cereals provide important nutrients such as fiber and iron,” says Upton. “In fact, there is data showing that fortified cereals can contribute close to 20 percent of a child's daily iron needs,” Ludlam-Raine says. points out that it has not been enhanced.
If you want bread with a low or no UPF, you'll have to pay more. Jason's Sourdough (£2 at Sainsbury's) is a good option. Waitrose offers white rolls from £2 and sliced breads from £2.80, free from palm oil, artificial preservatives and emulsifiers, and made from regeneratively farmed wheat that restores soil health and wellness. has just launched a new range of Wild Farm breads. biodiversity.
Do not panic
“In my opinion, it will be very difficult to have a 100% UPF-free diet in 2024,” says Ludlum-Raine. “Especially while maintaining a social life!” She says the data shows she doesn't need to avoid UPF completely. Making your own chicken nuggets or fish fingers, even if you make them in bulk and freeze them, is definitely healthier, but it defeats the essence of instant food.
I think the problem is that most people misunderstand the 80/20 rule. Most of the time we expect hassle-free instant food and don't make the time to buy and prepare a proper meal.
