Ultra processed foods, do you eat them, avoid them, or limit them?

I noticed a story on the BBC recently it said ...
"UPFs tend to contain more than five ingredients, which are not usually found in home cooking, such as additives, sweeteners and chemicals to improve the food's texture or appearance."
It also said "There is no one definition that everyone agrees on, but the NOVA classification is often used"

The nova link has a lot of info, but just taking a super quick look we have this ...
Group 1 Unprocessed or minimally processed foods
Group 2 Processed culinary ingredients
Group 3 Processed foods
Group 4 Ultra-processed food and drink products
"Ingredients only found in ultra-processed products include substances not commonly used in culinary preparations, and additives whose purpose is to imitate sensory qualities of group 1 foods or of culinary preparations of these foods, or to disguise undesirable sensory qualities of the final product."

I've been specifically avoiding foods with a lot of additives for almost 1.5 years now. I tend to pick up a product, and if the ingredients read like a chemistry experiment it is immediately rejected :stop:
 
AdaptAndAchieve said:
I noticed a story on the BBC recently it said ...
"UPFs tend to contain more than five ingredients, which are not usually found in home cooking, such as additives, sweeteners and chemicals to improve the food's texture or appearance."
It also said "There is no one definition that everyone agrees on, but the NOVA classification is often used"

The nova link has a lot of info, but just taking a super quick look we have this ...
Group 1 Unprocessed or minimally processed foods
Group 2 Processed culinary ingredients
Group 3 Processed foods
Group 4 Ultra-processed food and drink products
"Ingredients only found in ultra-processed products include substances not commonly used in culinary preparations, and additives whose purpose is to imitate sensory qualities of group 1 foods or of culinary preparations of these foods, or to disguise undesirable sensory qualities of the final product."

I've been specifically avoiding foods with a lot of additives for almost 1.5 years now. I tend to pick up a product, and if the ingredients read like a chemistry experiment it is immediately rejected :stop:
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Thing is ..
I know a lot of people look at things like E- numbers and decide the product is bad.
But when paprika powder is used for colouring, it has an E number.
Same for turmeric
It's not easy to say.
Having said that, I mainy cook at home, hardly use canned or tinned food, just because of availability (and taste).

So if I see something I like, I'll buy it.
Everything in moderation ( if I could only live by what I just said ;) )
 
I used to eat *lots* of processed meats like Spam, hotdogs, and packaged sausages. Price wise those are moving out of my realm and I'm making do with cuts that you, at least here, don't see in a typical grocery. I'm buying necks, tails, feet, backs, and the sausages are made in the back w/out any chemicals. These parts have less protein per unit mass than say a steak but I'm older and can suffice the protein needs with beans and legumes. Bonus to eating those parts is the collagen! After forty-seven years in the desert working outside my skin needs it.
 
badjak said:
Thing is ..
I know a lot of people look at things like E- numbers and decide the product is bad.
But when paprika powder is used for colouring, it has an E number.
Same for turmeric
It's not easy to say.
Having said that, I mainy cook at home, hardly use canned or tinned food, just because of availability (and taste).

So if I see something I like, I'll buy it.
Everything in moderation ( if I could only live by what I just said ;) )
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agreed, but when chemical names are written in full and I know it's not a simple ingredient (eg sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate, or dicalcium phosphate as a raising agent in baked products) that's when I question whether I want it.

And yes, very not straightforward.
All the variations of phosphates also have E numbers, and I'm trying to avoid added phosphates (particularly if a food ingredient is unlikely to be a raising agent).

For me, as a general rule, I prioritise items with ingredients written as identifiable ingredients over those with ingredients written as E numbers
 
being a scratch cooking kitchen . . .
nowst and then one considers some 'shortcut' stuff for a meal...
a lot of dishes need stuff that is long/tedious/difficult/tricky/time consuming . . . to create -
especially in the situation of 'cooking for two old geezer minimum appetite' types . . .

when looking at the 'contains' list on potential prepared food 'shortcut' buys, if I can't pronounce it, it is not going in the cart . . .
 
I don't seek out ultra processed foods and since I cook at home generally, most of our meals are made from minimally or non-processed ingredients. I have a few processed things I like a lot as ingredients--like Velveeta "cheese". I don't use it alone, but it makes a great base for cheese sauce. I can use just a few ounces with some milk and it helps to bind the other cheeses so I don't have to make a roux. I don't like using flour or cornstarch to thicken. Also when I'm working a lot or traveling, I like to snack on those commercially-made shelf-stable peanut butter and cheese crackers. Just 1 packet can tame my hunger without slowing me down like a meal would.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
I don't seek out ultra processed foods and since I cook at home generally, most of our meals are made from minimally or non-processed ingredients. I have a few processed things I like a lot as ingredients--like Velveeta "cheese". I don't use it alone, but it makes a great base for cheese sauce. I can use just a few ounces with some milk and it helps to bind the other cheeses so I don't have to make a roux. I don't like using flour or cornstarch to thicken. Also when I'm working a lot or traveling, I like to snack on those commercially-made shelf-stable peanut butter and cheese crackers. Just 1 packet can tame my hunger without slowing me down like a meal would.
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I've made this "Velveeta knockoff" before and it worked pretty well. Of course mine had roasted chili's and garlic in it... 😋
 
Barriehie said:
I've made this "Velveeta knockoff" before and it worked pretty well. Of course mine had roasted chili's and garlic in it... 😋
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Yeah, it wasn't that long ago that the Velveeta had a "suggested retail price of $3.99" on the box (maybe 10 years ago?). Now it's closer to $7.99 (not sure if that's on the box anymore, why bother if the price is going to continue to go up). I actually more often buy Clancy's from Aldi for around $5. But since that's the only thing (cheese sauce) I use it for, no big deal. I just don't feel the need to make my own, is it really going to be that much cheaper? When I am out of cheese melt loaf, I just use a few American cheese slices. The stuff in the plastic wrapper is pretty much the same thing as the "cheese food".
 
I generally choose food with the best ingredients list. Having to read every single label on every single thing I buy for the last 20+ years due to allergies means I’m well versed in what ingredients and E-numbers are and the ones I’d rather avoid.

But a little of something every now and then is ok by me, so today I’m smoking ribs. Smoke is not good for you.
Also today for the first time ever I ordered red powdered food dye and MSG. MSG is something I tend to avoid, but I figure for a special occasion that’s not a regular occurrence I’m ok with that.
 
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JAS_OH1 said:
Yeah, it wasn't that long ago that the Velveeta had a "suggested retail price of $3.99" on the box (maybe 10 years ago?). Now it's closer to $7.99 (not sure if that's on the box anymore, why bother if the price is going to continue to go up). I actually more often buy Clancy's from Aldi for around $5. But since that's the only thing (cheese sauce) I use it for, no big deal. I just don't feel the need to make my own, is it really going to be that much cheaper? When I am out of cheese melt loaf, I just use a few American cheese slices. The stuff in the plastic wrapper is pretty much the same thing as the "cheese food".
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It was an I tried it thing for a flavor variation. I usually buy Walmart version of Velveeta.
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
I generally choose food with the best ingredients list. Having to read every single label on every single thing I buy for the last 20+ years due to allergies means I’m well versed in what ingredients and E-numbers are and the ones I’d rather avoid.

But little of something every now and then is ok by me, so today I’m smoking ribs. Smoke is not good for you.
Also today for the first time ever I ordered red powdered food dye and MSG. MSG is something I tend to avoid, but I figure for a special occasion that’s not a regular occurrence I’m ok with that.
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My wife, rest her soul, was Korean and used MSG just about everywhere. I've got a shaker of it on my spice wheel and a pound in the pantry. 😉 It can be used in cooking for sure but you can also, with a little chemistry, bake it with HCl and make brain food! 🤔
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
Could you explain a little?
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So if you have Molar equivalents of MSG and HCl and put them in a glass jar that you can seal and bake it for an hour @ 250 °F you get precursor molecules for glutamine and glutamate. You *really* need these things for well health.

Back in the day when I had an IT job that burned brain cells I'd make that and eat a gram/day. 👍
 
Barriehie said:
It was an I tried it thing for a flavor variation. I usually buy Walmart version of Velveeta.
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It went into my shopping cart for my pickup order tomorrow at Walmart (Great Value cheese melt I think it's called?) because I don't feel like navigating Aldi on a Sunday.

Correction: great Value Melt and Dip.
 
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