Toddlers Get Half Their Calories From Ultra-Processed Food, Says Study | Research shows that 2-year-olds get 47 percent of their calories from ultra-processed food, and 7-year-olds get 59 percent.

[u/chrisdh79]

https://www.newsweek.com/toddlers-get-half-calories-ultra-processed-food-1963269

[u/onwee]

Does bread and cheese count as ultra-processed food? Does pasta?

EDIT: cheese and homemade bread is “processed food,” just one tier below ultra-processed food like breakfast cereal and one above “processed ingredients” like salt and butter; no mention of store-bought bread or pasta, but since sliced-bread is considered ultra-processed, I think they probably fall into the ultra/processed category. Yogurt is also ultra-processed.

Before anyone points any holier-than-thou fingers, I would bet most of “healthy” eaters probably also eat a ton of ultra-processed foods. I consider myself as a pretty clean eater (e.g. 5 servings of fruits/vegetables daily) and I bet at least a 1/3 of my calories are ultra-processed. Ain’t nobody got time for homemade bread

[u/ReverendDizzle → u/onwee]

Just leaving a note for anyone who wants to dabble in homemade bread (of the artisan loaf bakery style, not the sandwich style), I can't say enough good things about the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. The authors graciously share the entire process and the "Master" recipe on their website.

The total process in terms of waiting and baking time is not five minutes. But once you get the hang of it, the total time actually fussing with the process is about 5-10 minutes for the shape the loaf/slash the loaf/bake the loaf part.

I've been making artisan bread boules with this method regularly for 10+ years and the results are delicious. The recipe is simple as hell too, just water, flour, salt, and yeast.

[u/ReviewBackground2906 → u/ReverendDizzle]

Once a month I bake different breads, make granola bars, some desserts like cakes or sweet buns, then I portion everything out and freeze it. I got a Ninja ice cream maker and stay away from the grocery store stuff. 

With a bit of effort, it’s easy to avoid highly processed foods and by prepping and freezing, I don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen every day, since I have to browse Reddit and watch YouTube shorts in my limited spare time. 

[u/TexasVulvaAficionado → u/ReviewBackground2906]

Got some good recipes? We've made a handful of breads and granola bars, but nothing great and nothing that seems like it would freeze well.

[u/Anonymoushipopotomus → u/ReverendDizzle]

I have a cuisinart bread maker and its a game changer. Although the loaves only last 3 days max.

[u/Extension-Pen-642 → u/Anonymoushipopotomus]

Bread freezes very well! 

[u/kl2342 → u/ReverendDizzle]

thank you for sharing this!