I could rant about this for hours. Let's see what BBC says....
Thought so. It's trying to find the middle ground and talking about "UPF science" like it's the the law of gravity, instead of recognizing that it's a novel science with little evidence and a very shoddy classification system.
Most of the "UPF is the Devil" proponents don't seem to understand that it's a trojan horse for Big Meat.
I remember reading one of the UPF food studies where they were like upfs cause heart failure and the Aussie diet is very high and the Italian diet is very low. So I looked at statistics and heart failure is more common in Italy as a cause of death and life expectancy is lower.
Fuck me for thinking there's probably important differences between salami, twinkles, and sweet potato burger patties.
I have an Italian relative who got several gastric surgeries in order to keep eating lots of cheese and meat. They have a huge superiority complex over their "cucina", much like the French.
Partly to blame is how the "Mediterranean Diet" has been promoted as something geographic, which means cultural, instead of the actual substance. So perhaps people who live in the area think of themselves as already doing it because they're there, and not realizing that the MD is defined, even has a score system, and it's mostly plants.
I think UPF foods are absolutely disgusting and almost never eat any plant-based analogues. Sometimes I will eat dry TVP but not very often and I'm not sure if that is processed or ultra processed, it has a single ingredient - defatted soy flour.
I never liked cheese so vegan cheese is especially gross to me. I have no desire to replicate meat or eat any American style shit that comes in a box. My own experience in life is people who eat simple foods are more often healthy and people who subject themselves to food science have problems.
I agree with you. Most of the "meat alternatives" taste like shit and I'm tired of pretending like they don't. One of the main factors in me eventually going WFPB is that I don't like plant-based versions of non-vegan stuff and would rather make my own food from scratch.
MSG got a bad rep it didn't deserve. Table salt on the other hand ... I've had to wean myself off NaCl because it's bad for blood pressure. MSG makes food delicious and causes no harm. Umami mmm.