{"id":383426,"date":"2026-03-13T16:48:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T16:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/383426\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T16:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T16:48:13","slug":"we-ditched-upfs-and-i-became-an-accidental-tradwife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/383426\/","title":{"rendered":"We ditched UPFs – and I became an accidental tradwife"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a family, we began cutting ultra-processed foods<\/a> (UPFs) out of our diets just over a year ago. It began, as many things now do, with our 16-month-old daughter. As we approached weaning, I became determined to feed her \u201creal food\u201d. However, in cutting out UPFs, there was an unexpected twist \u2013 not to our diets, but our family dynamic.<\/p>\n

My fianc\u00e9, Brett, had always been the cook in our relationship, yet I now find myself spending hours each week batch cooking, baking bread, and experimenting in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Growing up, my dad was the cook in our household. He was a professional chef before I was born, which was lucky, given my mum\u2019s relationship with cooking is complicated at best. In many ways, this rather unconventional set-up back in the 90s meant I never envisioned myself in the kitchen as an adult. So when I met Brett, it was a relief to discover he actually enjoyed it.<\/p>\n

New FeatureIn ShortQuick Stories. Same trusted journalism.<\/p>\n

We were in our early twenties when we got together, and our diets were made up of UPFs<\/a>. Breakfast bars on the go, meal-deal lunches and weekends filled with takeaways and ready meals \u2013 he always handled dinner, which would usually be some sort of curry or pasta dish.<\/p>\n

Neither of us gave any thought to our UPF consumption. Brett has always refused to use jarred sauces, but that was the extent of our knowledge of what might be \u201cbad\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018I was deep in the world of low-fat UPFs\u2019<\/p>\n

By the time our daughter was born in October 2024, we were both approaching 30 and our diets looked slightly different. Our weekends were no longer fuelled by cider and pizza, but UPFs had still crept into my diet under the guise of calorie control.<\/p>\n

In a bid to lose weight, I was deep in the world of low-fat yoghurts, bagel thins, 99-calorie snacks and one-calorie cooking sprays. It didn\u2019t even cross my mind that these were UPFs<\/a>. Brett still cooked our meals, but I dictated the swaps in our supermarket basket.<\/p>\n

As the time to wean our daughter crept near, we regularly discussed the importance of family mealtimes. It was around this time \u2013 or so it seemed \u2013 that the anti-UPF movement began to take hold. It felt like I was bombarded with information about how bad they were for our health.<\/p>\n

A June 2025 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that in the UK, UPFs \u2013 which account, on average, for 53 per cent of calorie intake \u2013 could be linked to 14 per cent of early deaths. Research also found they can be linked to more than 30 different health problems, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes.<\/p>\n

Most recently, researchers from Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Duke University found worrying parallels between the production processes of UPFs<\/a> and cigarettes. It\u2019s no surprise that over a third of Brits want them banned. And the more I read, the more aware I became of just how many UPFs were lingering in our cupboards. I\u2019ll admit, I\u2019m not immune to a wellness trend, but this felt bigger.<\/p>\n

This was about feeding my daughter in a way that would support her growth and development. Determined to all eat together, we knew we\u2019d have to make some changes. For example, NHS guidelines recommend full-fat dairy until the age of two \u2013 so it was goodbye to my low-fat alternatives. We also stopped using shop-bought stock due to the salt levels.<\/p>\n

\u2018I became fixated on ingredient lists\u2019<\/p>\n

As I was still on maternity leave, cooking her meals naturally<\/a> fell to me. It was gradual at first \u2013 one meal a day, then two, then three, then her snacks as well. I\u2019d often find myself frantically texting my dad or Brett for instructions on what to do.<\/p>\n

Soon, I became fixated on ingredient lists too. There were obvious culprits, but I was surprised to find the likes of my go-to bread came with a side of E numbers. So, while my daughter napped, I began testing out homemade versions. Soon, I wasn\u2019t just cooking for her \u2013 I was batch-cooking for all of us, baking bread and filling the freezer.<\/p>\n

There were some disasters, but there were plenty of wins. My beetroot brownies are a hit with family and friends \u2013 much to everyone\u2019s surprise \u2013 and the night before our daughter\u2019s first birthday, we stayed up until 11pm baking her a four-tiered chocolate cake. It was visually questionable and far too sickly, but that\u2019s part of the joy.<\/p>\n

Somewhere along the lines, I realised two things. First, I enjoyed it. Second, the kitchen was no longer Brett\u2019s domain. It was mine.<\/p>\n

While on the surface, eliminating UPFs<\/a> is about cooking from scratch, there\u2019s a lot more domestic labour than I anticipated. It\u2019s every meal, my daughter\u2019s favourite oat bars, and homemade Caesar dressing \u2013 all of which need prepping. As well as the shopping and tidying up.<\/p>\n

Brett still cooks \u2013 he\u2019s firmly in charge of steak night \u2013 but the bulk of the planning, prep and batch cooking sits with me. Most Sundays, you\u2019ll find me elbow-deep in a batch of sausage rolls or fish cakes for the freezer, with either cake or bread cooling on the side.<\/p>\n

On paper, it makes sense. I\u2019m a full-time mum with a side gig as a freelance writer. He\u2019s at work all week and misses her, <\/strong>so of course I want them to have that time together at the weekend. But I\u2019m also aware of how easily a \u201chealth decision\u201d became a redistribution of labour within our marriage.<\/p>\n

We regularly joke that I\u2019ve become a tradwife \u2013 particularly when Brett rocks up to work with homemade bread and cake in his lunchbox. And no, I do not put it together for him. Most of the time, I find it genuinely funny. I know he doesn\u2019t take me for granted, and he pulls his weight where he can.<\/p>\n

However, there have been moments where the extra load has tipped me over the edge. There have been plenty of squabbles \u2013 especially when he\u2019s late home for dinner, or he\u2019s not hungry because he\u2019s had a \u201clate lunch\u201d.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t resent him for it, though. Although my own mum never cooked, I always knew I would have to in some capacity \u2013 I just took it one step further. However, I do worry about the message it sends to my daughter. I don\u2019t want her growing up to think the kitchen is where women belong, but I know it\u2019s up to us to shape the narrative.<\/p>\n

For now, I write around nap time and childcare. While I do plan to take on more writing this year, I will still be at home so cooking will remain my job. I do hope to retire when our family is grown, though.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, our bank accounts haven\u2019t taken the big hit that is often associated with \u201chealthy\u201d eating. If anything, by ditching UPFs<\/a>, I\u2019m forced to make a meal plan. We spend on average \u00a385 a week on food as a family of three. We used to easily spend over \u00a3100 just the two of us. While we\u2019ve always been reserved in the week, the weekends would put a dent in our wallets.<\/p>\n

However, we have invested in extra cooking equipment \u2013 baking pans, electric whisks and blenders \u2013 which has set us back a few hundred pounds.<\/p>\n

Ditching UPFs has certainly been a learning curve. I have a much better relationship with food and understand how it can fuel my body. Physically, I feel better than I have in years. Despite a long history of calorie counting, I\u2019ve lost weight without trying to, my skin is clearer, and I have more energy.<\/p>\n

Our meals aren\u2019t wildly different either. We still eat pizza, but we make the dough as a family. We still have treats, just homemade ones. Most of the time, I try to keep things simple with classics such as chilli, spaghetti bolognese and curry. Burrito night is a firm favourite in our house, especially now I\u2019ve nailed homemade wraps.<\/p>\n

In many ways, the benefits feel worth it. However, I\u2019m aware it\u2019s only possible because I\u2019m at home full-time. I\u2019m also aware our daughter will one day discover sweets, crisps, and chicken nuggets. Right now, it works and the habits we\u2019ve created feel sustainable, so we\u2019ll never go back to relying on UPFs. However, I do think it is time for brands and supermarkets to step up and offer more UPF-free alternatives.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, I think about my mum. She hates cooking, so my dad does it for her. Growing up, that felt liberating. I never imagined I\u2019d be the one in the kitchen. Yet, here I am. And while I\u2019m proud to say we\u2019re now a UPF-free household, I\u2019m more aware than ever that eating this way requires more than just a change in shopping habits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As a family, we began cutting ultra-processed foods (UPFs) out of our diets just over a year ago.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383427,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[277],"tags":[2368,18,3617,518,135,19,17,2955,508,3700,5383],"class_list":{"0":"post-383426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-diet","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-features","11":"tag-food","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-marriage","16":"tag-nutrition","17":"tag-relationships","18":"tag-ultra-processed-food"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116222892863557418","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}