Does anyone here have a totally non processed food lifestyle?

sb44

I mean eat everything as nature intended it to be ie no bread as even the heavily seeded ones are processed, no butter/spread/yoghurts but drink milk?

So basically eating just veg, fruits, milk, chicken, fish etc.

Penelope_Penguin

sb44 wrote: »

I mean eat everything as nature intended it to be ie no bread as even the heavily seeded ones are processed, no butter/spread/yoghurts but drink milk?

So basically eating just veg, fruits, milk, chicken, fish etc.

Is your milk raw (unpasterurised) and your meat and fish?

I'm interested in what you mean by "as nature intended"? Humans are omnivorous and once we learnt to process food, that's what we've been doing by fermenting, cooking, and breeding plants and animals to our tastes.

sb44

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Is your milk raw (unpasterurised) and your meat and fish?

I'm interested in what you mean by "as nature intended"? Humans are omnivorous and once we learnt to process food, that's what we've been doing by fermenting, cooking, and breeding plants and animals to our tastes.

Sorry, I meant having E numbers, additives etc added so basically nothing that has already been made in a factory.

I think most fish that has been caught and frozen whilst out at sea is safe from additives and free range chicken etc would be fine.

We have started to grow quite a bit of fruit and veg this year and I was wondering how well you could manage just by using home grown stuff, alongside other basic foods ie eggs, chicken, fish, milk etc.

I have decided that I have eaten enough carp over my lifetime.

As a child of the early 60's, if you wanted a sweet treat and there was nothing in the house (not many supermarkets around then) you were given a sugar 'butty', is it any wonder I have always had a sweet tooth!

izzwizz_2

We had sugar sarnies too (and condensed milk ones, bread and dripping, pobs, etc. )Sugar is processed though. We do our best to avoid additives, but still eat a lot of what you call "processed" foods. It means quite a commitment cooking everything from scratch. We have a breadmaker for all breads and most things I'll try and make from scratch (including mustard, pickles, sauces, pasta, jams, etc.). It can be quite time-consuming and does not necessarily save money, but the taste is fantastic. If you can get extra cream, then butter is quite easy in a good food processor.

sb44

izzwizz wrote: »

If you can get extra cream, then butter is quite easy in a good food processor.

Could you please give me the ingredients etc for that Izzwizz, I may give that a go.

Ta.

izzwizz_2

Just put the cream in the food processor and process at full speed until it forms a firm ball. The ball is basically unsalted butter (if you add salt it will keep longer, but you can use it as is for a couple of days). The liquid that's left in the bowl is buttermilk. You can use it in baking, or add it to your tea like skimmed milk.

[Deleted User]

Ah 'conny onny sarnies' no wonder our teeth were always being filled

sb44

izzwizz wrote: »

Just put the cream in the food processor and process at full speed until it forms a firm ball. The ball is basically unsalted butter (if you add salt it will keep longer, but you can use it as is for a couple of days). The liquid that's left in the bowl is buttermilk. You can use it in baking, or add it to your tea like skimmed milk.

Thanks, I shall give it a go at the weekend.

sb44

JackieO wrote: »

Ah 'conny onny sarnies' no wonder our teeth were always being filled

Sorry, never heard of those, what is Conny Onny?

ceridwen

I shall be interested to follow this thread.

Hopefully there are people out there eating this way - I tried starting a "cooking from scratch" thread a bit back and got no response at all as I remember - because I really DO mean "cooking from scratch".

I usually make my own bread, I have started making my own buttery spread for it, grow own beansprouts if I decide to have them. My problem is I have a full-time job - so it makes it difficult to go as far down the road as I wish - ie homemade pasta, homemade yogurt or kefir, homemade soft cheese, homemade vinegar.

So - for now - I do what I can and the only processed food I buy I think is readymade pasta, the occasional loaf of bread, tomato puree, canned tomatoes (I'm hoping my homegrown tomatoes will turn out enough to make my own canned tomatoes and tomato puree), vinegar and I'm buying my yogurt readymade for the time being. I won't buy any ready meals. I'm in the process of swopping from canned beans to soaking and cooking dried pulses.

A work in progress here - including dealing with the frustrations of not being able to "go the whole hog" yet because of the amount of time not available because of my job.:(

Would love to grind my own flour - but British shopping facilities don't tend to include the grains to do so and I have a typical British kitchen (ie too small) - so finding room to go that far down the road isnt going to be possible here ever:(

I'm starting to grow what I can of my herbs - rather than buying dried ones if I can avoid it. Unfortunately don't have the room in that tiny kitchen to hang up bunches of herbs to dry from anything - but am aiming to have fresh ones as far as possible..

sb44 - I guess the best way to explain what you mean to people (yep - I know exactly what you mean - but some won't) might be to talk about eating "naturally". ?
There's problems of possible misinterpretation even then - partly because of the tendency of some food manufacturers to say that things are "natural"/"homemade"/etc - when we know very well they arent.

Errrmmm...thinks....maybe "Food from Great Grandma's Kitchen" might give the "picture" of what is meant by you (and me) - ie ingredients that would be recognisable/acceptable/available to a "time traveller" from 200 years ago (ie pre-Industrial Age)(from some part of the world or the other - if not Britain).

rachbc

Yes a better explanation of processed might help - for example do you mean no bread or just hm? In which case I'm guessing also no pasta, couscous etc either, same with butter and yog - do you mean not eating becasue they are processed or making yourself - some may say milk is not as nature intended - cos lets face it its designed for baby cows, not for people....

I'm not trying to be awkward just get a better understanding of what you mean, and also what your rational for doing so would be - I guess the ultimate 'no processed' diet is a raw one - put even that involves grinding nuts for milk etc which is a form of processing....