Practical Steps for Reducing Ultra-Processed Food in your Home

If you’re ready to reduce UPFs in your home, I thought I’d share some practical steps that worked for me.

The Cupboard Clear-Out

Start by sorting through your cupboard. I did this recently and found it so eye-opening!

Make three piles:

1. Non-UPFs: Foods that are wholesome and free of additives.

2. UPFs: Items with ingredients you’d never find in your kitchen, like emulsifiers and artificial flavourings.

3. Not Sure: If it's not clear, put it here.

Then ask yourself:

- Are you ready to give away the UPFs, or would you rather finish them and replace them as you shop?

- Are you comfortable with the “not sure” pile, or is it worth researching more?

I put everything back in clear sections so that I could easily spot the UPFs and gradually replace them.

Some Swaps That Made a Difference

Cereals (mainly for my son): Replace with oats, homemade muesli, or UPF-free options. There are some good “free-from” or niche brands (like Bio & Me or BEAR) worth trying. Do be aware, though, that many of these cereals may still contain sugar, which you’ll want to consume in moderation (or not at all, depending on your goals).

Snack Bars: Finding UPF-free snack bars for Zachary is almost impossible, but I’m okay with brands like Nakd, which only use natural flavourings (you might prefer to avoid these entirely). If you’re up for it, making your own snack bars is a great alternative (if you're a Fitfish for Fiver member look out for our Oat and Nut Snack Bars in the February Pack!).

Biscuits: Shop-bought biscuits? Shortbread is pretty much your only non-UPF option. These days, I make cookies and honestly, they’re so much tastier anyway, don’t take long at all, and are easy to freeze.

Sauces & Condiments: Most sauces have additives, but there are some great pestos, soy sauces, and ketchup without factory-made ingredients. Just check the sugar and salt levels to make sure they fit your goals.

Tinned Foods: Tinned veggies, fruits, and pulses are usually fine, but soups and baked beans can be tricky. We swapped normal baked beans (my son has these occasionally) for organic baked beans. Both have similar ingredients, but the organic version contains maize starch (non-UPF) and the other has modified maize starch (UPF).

A surprise for me was that coconut milk often has emulsifiers! I now use creamed coconut, which you mix with water. You can find this in most supermarkets and Blue Dragon are one company that stocks it.

For soups, you can make your own or buy the ones you keep in the fridge.

Drinks: We switched from squash to Rocks squash (for Z) a while back. It’s just fruit and sugar and needs to go in the fridge. Just don’t accidentally fill your kid’s school bottle with wine when you’re half-asleep and grabbing from the fridge (not that I’d ever do that, of course...).

Snack Swaps

Crisps: Most crisps are UPFs, but there might be a few plain salted options that work. For the most part, though, we’ve swapped to popcorn (check ingredients or make your own).

Sweets & Chocolate: I keep a tub of treats from parties and Easter etc., and my son has something from there most weekends, and during the week often something tiny like a chocolate coin. For day-to-day, we go for 70%+ dark chocolate from well-known brands, as these tend to be just natural ingredients. I also bash these up for chocolate chips when cooking.

Fridge & Freezer Changes

Desserts: Instead of processed cheesecake pots, which Zachary loved (and probably still does!), we’ve switched to homemade cakes, cookies, and cheesecakes. I don’t make all of these; I buy from school fetes, local cafes, etc., and freeze them.

Ice Cream: Soft scoop ice creams are foam with additives, so now we buy Haagen Dazs vanilla, it’s simple and often on offer. Once a month, Zachary loves a Crunchie Ice Cream after swimming. The rest of the weeks, he has something homemade (I haven’t tried to make the equivalent of a Crunchie Ice Cream yet!).

Fish Fingers: We switched to better-known brands to avoid food colouring in the breadcrumbs.

Bread: Sourdough or homemade all the way! Gone are the sandwich thins and protein bagels, which we did enjoy, but decided we didn't want any more based on the ingredients.

Tea & Coffee: Organic teas and coffee have become a little daily luxury we really enjoy as we weren't quite sure how the cheap coffee and tea was made.

You may be wondering: "Does this cost a fortune?"

Surprisingly, no! While we’ve swapped to higher-quality basics, we save money by skipping all the extra snacks and processed extras we used to grab. I also make things like stock now—it’s free, tastes amazing, and reduces waste.

The biggest difference?

I feel great, have more energy, and fewer cravings, and my hunger levels feel much more balanced.

Remember, this doesn’t have to be an overnight transformation. Start with one cupboard or one food category, make a few swaps, and see how it feels.

Every little step adds up, and before you know it, you’ll notice a big difference.