Good and Bad Buys at Lidl and Aldi stores (***Please don't expire***)

MarzipanCrumble

This is Zoe article about PF and UPF:
https://zoe.com/learn/what-is-ultra-processed-food

Zoe is scientifically based.
https://zoe.com/our-science

What is ultra-processed food? 

The terms “processed” and “ultra-processed” are thrown around a lot and are usually associated with something negative, but what makes something processed or ultra-processed?  

Unless you’re eating the broccoli you harvested directly from your garden, most of the food we eat daily has undergone some form of processing. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as we’ll discover.

Processing food means changing its natural state to prolong its shelf life, make it safe to store or eat, enhance its taste, or even increase its nutritional value. 

Methods like pasteurizing, canning, fermenting, freezing, and drying foods are forms of processing.

When a food is ultra-processed, it means that the producer uses industrial-scale methods and ingredients that you may not recognize and would not use in home cooking to produce the final product. 

The NOVA food classification system divides food products into four groups based on how much processing they have gone through. 

Doc_N

I rather like the suggestion that most UPF foods can be identified by the grandma test.

Look at the list of ingredients, and if your grandma wouldn’t recognise them it’s UPF.

Cornucopia

MarzipanCrumble said:

This is Zoe article about PF and UPF:
https://zoe.com/learn/what-is-ultra-processed-food

Zoe is scientifically based.
https://zoe.com/our-science

What is ultra-processed food? 

...

I find it slightly strange that they don't use the word "cooked" or "prepared" in that description at all.  i.e. many products that we buy in shops will be cooked or otherwise prepared to make a saleable/edible product from things that are inedible in their base state (for example flour and yeast).  

I'm trying to keep it light, but it does seem like we're dealing with experts who have never shopped before.

Rosa_Damascena

Cornucopia said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Cornucopia said:

Doc_N said:

Cornucopia said:

Doc_N said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Why would anyone spend money on something they think might be a foodstuff yet know is basically rubbish? At least when I buy confectionary it’s in the full knowledge that it is bad for me, and not disguised as a major ingredient for a meal.

Sadly, a very high percentage of everything sold in supermarkets (barring the basic raw ingredients) is ultra-processed and now reckoned to be unsafe to eat on a long term basis. Whether that analysis proves correct in due course remains to be seen.

I'd be more persuadable if it was clearer what "ultra-processed" actually means.   I'm always a bit wary when someone presents some "science" that isn't very well-defined.

Where do you start?

https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/nutrition/the-10-worst-ultra-processed-foods-you-can-eat

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/behind-the-headlines/ultra-processed-foods

Thanks for that - I didn't see a definition in the BMJ article.   The BBC article is both most useful for its simplicity, but also contains foods that are eaten very rarely (Hot Dogs), and foods that are very common but whose UPF status will depend on the ingredients.   The advice to eat the best (most expensive?) bread you can afford is all very well, but those will generally be fresh bakery items where the ingredient list may not be readily available.    There's an overall lack of practicality that is most unhelpful.  

I also expect that there may be some statistical contamination between UPFs and foods high in fat, sugar and salt.   I'd be more persuaded by toxicity studies that specifically and definitively ruled certain ingredients "potentially harmful", so that companies, consumers and ultimately governments could exclude them.

Its an evolving concept, if you need assistance in falling asleep at night I can recommend this article.

Bottom line: it is likely to be ultra-processed if it contains ingredients you would not find in your store-cupboard cupboard. Whereas mince could be any part of the animal, including bone, collagen, fat and unmentionables...

Yes, I got that basic principle.   It's not clear why such a principle should automatically be useful to consumers wanting to make healthy food choices, though.    And of course, many/most people have things like butter and salt in their homes that we are separately warned against.

Bringing it back to the thread topic, I had a quick look at the ingredients for some L & A products I have.   Sweet Chilli Waves (multigrain crispy things) would seem to be okay being basically a mix of different grains/flours with some yeast and natural flavouring.   Greek style Strawberry Yogurt would also seem okay, assuming that fruit pectin is something that a person could conceivably have at home for jam making.    (I wonder what plain yogurt with jam in it tastes like, and would that be better than store-bought?)

Lidl Breadsticks seem very non-UPF - wheat flour, sunflower oil 7%, yeast, barley malt extract, iodised salt (salt, potassium iodate), natural flavourings.    (Though I admit I'm not sure what iodised salt is).

The daily consumption of Lidl breadsticks will prevent goitre!! Which makes them a health food

YoungBlueEyes

Cornucopia said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Cornucopia said:

Doc_N said:

Cornucopia said:

Doc_N said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Why would anyone spend money on something they think might be a foodstuff yet know is basically rubbish? At least when I buy confectionary it’s in the full knowledge that it is bad for me, and not disguised as a major ingredient for a meal.

Sadly, a very high percentage of everything sold in supermarkets (barring the basic raw ingredients) is ultra-processed and now reckoned to be unsafe to eat on a long term basis. Whether that analysis proves correct in due course remains to be seen.

I'd be more persuadable if it was clearer what "ultra-processed" actually means.   I'm always a bit wary when someone presents some "science" that isn't very well-defined.

Where do you start?

https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/nutrition/the-10-worst-ultra-processed-foods-you-can-eat

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/behind-the-headlines/ultra-processed-foods

Thanks for that - I didn't see a definition in the BMJ article.   The BBC article is both most useful for its simplicity, but also contains foods that are eaten very rarely (Hot Dogs), and foods that are very common but whose UPF status will depend on the ingredients.   The advice to eat the best (most expensive?) bread you can afford is all very well, but those will generally be fresh bakery items where the ingredient list may not be readily available.    There's an overall lack of practicality that is most unhelpful.  

I also expect that there may be some statistical contamination between UPFs and foods high in fat, sugar and salt.   I'd be more persuaded by toxicity studies that specifically and definitively ruled certain ingredients "potentially harmful", so that companies, consumers and ultimately governments could exclude them.

Its an evolving concept, if you need assistance in falling asleep at night I can recommend this article.

Bottom line: it is likely to be ultra-processed if it contains ingredients you would not find in your store-cupboard cupboard. Whereas mince could be any part of the animal, including bone, collagen, fat and unmentionables...

Yes, I got that basic principle.   It's not clear why such a principle should automatically be useful to consumers wanting to make healthy food choices, though.    And of course, many/most people have things like butter and salt in their homes that we are separately warned against.

Bringing it back to the thread topic, I had a quick look at the ingredients for some L & A products I have.   Sweet Chilli Waves (multigrain crispy things) would seem to be okay being basically a mix of different grains/flours with some yeast and natural flavouring.   Greek style Strawberry Yogurt would also seem okay, assuming that fruit pectin is something that a person could conceivably have at home for jam making.    (I wonder what plain yogurt with jam in it tastes like, and would that be better than store-bought?)

Lidl Breadsticks seem very non-UPF - wheat flour, sunflower oil 7%, yeast, barley malt extract, iodised salt (salt, potassium iodate), natural flavourings.    (Though I admit I'm not sure what iodised salt is).

My bolding.

I used to swirl some plain yogurt and one of those little gut health yogurts in a bowl for my breakfast sometimes, often with a scattering of mixed nuts on top. Very nice, can recommend  

Brie

I was shown an app when visiting in Canada that you could scan the bar code of any food item and it would give you the health rating.  So I expect this would make looking at UPF easier.  (though I do get the granny test)

I know this app is supposed to work in the UK but can't recall what it is.  Does anyone have something like this??

MarzipanCrumble

Zoe app does that but it definitely is NOT free and the rating is personalised to you.

Cornucopia

Rosa_Damascena said:

Cornucopia said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Cornucopia said:

Doc_N said:

Cornucopia said:

Doc_N said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Why would anyone spend money on something they think might be a foodstuff yet know is basically rubbish? At least when I buy confectionary it’s in the full knowledge that it is bad for me, and not disguised as a major ingredient for a meal.

Sadly, a very high percentage of everything sold in supermarkets (barring the basic raw ingredients) is ultra-processed and now reckoned to be unsafe to eat on a long term basis. Whether that analysis proves correct in due course remains to be seen.

I'd be more persuadable if it was clearer what "ultra-processed" actually means.   I'm always a bit wary when someone presents some "science" that isn't very well-defined.

Where do you start?

https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/nutrition/the-10-worst-ultra-processed-foods-you-can-eat

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/behind-the-headlines/ultra-processed-foods

Thanks for that - I didn't see a definition in the BMJ article.   The BBC article is both most useful for its simplicity, but also contains foods that are eaten very rarely (Hot Dogs), and foods that are very common but whose UPF status will depend on the ingredients.   The advice to eat the best (most expensive?) bread you can afford is all very well, but those will generally be fresh bakery items where the ingredient list may not be readily available.    There's an overall lack of practicality that is most unhelpful.  

I also expect that there may be some statistical contamination between UPFs and foods high in fat, sugar and salt.   I'd be more persuaded by toxicity studies that specifically and definitively ruled certain ingredients "potentially harmful", so that companies, consumers and ultimately governments could exclude them.

Its an evolving concept, if you need assistance in falling asleep at night I can recommend this article.

Bottom line: it is likely to be ultra-processed if it contains ingredients you would not find in your store-cupboard cupboard. Whereas mince could be any part of the animal, including bone, collagen, fat and unmentionables...

Yes, I got that basic principle.   It's not clear why such a principle should automatically be useful to consumers wanting to make healthy food choices, though.    And of course, many/most people have things like butter and salt in their homes that we are separately warned against.

Bringing it back to the thread topic, I had a quick look at the ingredients for some L & A products I have.   Sweet Chilli Waves (multigrain crispy things) would seem to be okay being basically a mix of different grains/flours with some yeast and natural flavouring.   Greek style Strawberry Yogurt would also seem okay, assuming that fruit pectin is something that a person could conceivably have at home for jam making.    (I wonder what plain yogurt with jam in it tastes like, and would that be better than store-bought?)

Lidl Breadsticks seem very non-UPF - wheat flour, sunflower oil 7%, yeast, barley malt extract, iodised salt (salt, potassium iodate), natural flavourings.    (Though I admit I'm not sure what iodised salt is).

The daily consumption of Lidl breadsticks will prevent goitre!! Which makes them a health food

Thanks - good to know. 

sonny55

Yuka is that app , I think 

Rosa_Damascena

OpenFoodFacts - not that I use it. It relies on users to update it but it refused to take my pics of supermarket sourdough bread and I gave up on it after that.