Unprocess Your Life: The new cookbook to help you break free from ultra-processed foods Paperback – 4 Jan. 2024

Interesting book

I feel that this slightly misses the point somewhere. Maybe it is because I already know most of the theory about avoiding ultra-processed food and I thought it might be better with a bit more guidance, like a sample week's menus. I think a follow-up book with a big section of children't menus, written by someone who has to feed the family every night would be useful as it comes across as a chef's book rather than a household cook's book. Maybe the recipes are aimed at a younger audience as there were quite a few ingredients and recipes I didn't recognise.I don't agree with the reviewer who criticised frying with olive oil - I have done a cookery course in Italy and there was plenty of frying in olive oil - just a bit in the pan, glug, glug, glug.I tried some of the recipes. I put the dough for the wholemeal and rye bread in a bread maker but had to add quite a lot more water as it was far too dry. I cooked it in the oven. The baked loaf had a good flavour.I made the Protein Bars and wondered if I had the right sized tin as it seemed more of a cake than a bar and would put it in a larger, shallower tin next time. The bars are very filling and quite pleasant, if different.The oat cookies were "different" too, I think I will tell the family that they are peanut biscuits.

I bought this after reading Ultra Processed People and have found it easy and enjoyable - the spicy bean burger is so like the old Burger King spicy bean burger, I'm absolutely delighted!! I have been trying to recreate that for years!If you have kids, there is a section for the small humans & recipes that will probably appeal more to them...

Read Chris Van Tulken's book so bought this as wanted to learn more how to cook everyday staples and recipes. Love how practical book is with lots of tips and advice. Great range of recipes so excited to cook these and make sure family a a bit healthier this year.. My copy of the book arrived yesterday and I got stuck in and made the spicy bean recipe, it worked well and was easy to do and delicious. Thumbs up fussy family also so win win. I love the layout, pics and great range of recipes for family and fussy teenagers, so that's good. I may even get them cooking with me. Great book, thanks so much.

I take umbrage to some of the recipes as a best guess.I am leading an ultra-processed food-free diet.Made most of the recipes within this book.The High Protein Energy Bars HPEB didn't get finished after 1 hour of baking at 160 degrees Celsius fan oven.I cannot afford that amount of time as I am a wheelchair user and getting any of these recipes completed is a major headache.Plus the extra energy used. Dipped the knife at 25, 35, 45, 50, 55, and 60 minutes and it wasn't clean. The mixture was still sticking to the knife.The edges were black around the 20cm cake tin so, I pulled it and switched everything off.The mixture blew the motor on the Nutribullet 900.I transferred to an Adobe blender.I cannot use a food processor because there isn't one for the disabled, to use comfortably.From this book, I have made many sauces, nut butters, cookies, chicken dishes, bread dishes, frozen mango yoghurt and many more with what I have.I was looking forward to the HPEB.I have invested in new equipment and very expensive produce.It's expensive at first but I had most of equipment from my bodybuilding days and having weighed every food item for decades, it has been as straightforward as can be hoped with my disabilities.Being colourblind doesn't help either. As I have to use a filter screen to read.The tomato ketchup; I have modified to make it without buying a chinois and it's bordering on Branston baked beans flavour with Cannellini beans.It's very clever to be able to do your own recipes without being spiked by UPF's.I am allergic to bread, paprika, and cayenne pepper.I am still happy with this book 60% of the time because some of the timings are off, as well as, some of the methods.I have tried two Jack Monroe books since and am not impressed with her Grammar.I expect to buy a product that is perfect, not something a proofreader has failed their spelling test.I have bought an ice-cream maker with refrigerant built-in, to do my own ice-cream and sorbets.Looks like I will be buying some more equipment but my daughter will have to use a food processor to knock up the next HPEB.I will make some adjustments with the ingredients because in its current form the mix is too tight and 25 minutes to cook is laughable.I preheat the oven. I don't skip anything because I am on the Spectrum. Every gramme is exact, every tsp/tbsp is exact, no deviances from the written word, I double check and rehearse it in my head.I make the nut butter with cashews, the cookies have gone down a storm, I have started to tweak them with the addition of ginger.I can see where the food processing companies cheat their way with mysterious flavours.Being a diabetic, Diabetes UK has lied to me. I am back on the sugar and salt and my health has got better by ignoring their erroneous advice.My eye sight is improving and has nothing to do with sugar at all.What sugar are these food processing companies using?All the lies to sell their blood sugar gadgets.I gave up testing my blood sugars years ago because it was making me sicker.I was obsessed with the numbers yet, the GP was like quoting someone else's scores.My skin health is improving, I no longer feel like I am starving all the time or thirsty.What is actually in UPF? If I can will it. Anyone can. I have to be dressed/undressed, washed and wiped. I cannot tie laces or pick up things off a surface because my dexterity is shot due to Syringomyelia.I am not lazy, I am just in excruciating pain all the time and need to focus on doing rather than feeling sorry for myself.Don't let this review put you off buying this book because your experience may be a whole lot better than mine.We cannot all be the same, we must be able to diversify from each other.Even if this book gives you one recipe to keep for life, it's money well-spent.Give the author a round of applause for compiling this book.It's widened my culinary scope into wholesome food not blighted by mysterious ingredients, that may be making you ill.

I thought I ate healthily but Rob Hobson’s book, Unprocess Your Life, has opened my eyes to so many ways I can improve my diet.I particularly like the sections explaining exactly what is unprocessed food, through to ultra processed. The book explains not only which foods are heavily processed but offers solutions to replace the products we probably all have in our cupboards.The book is beautifully laid out with a combination of interesting information and great recipes that are suitable for the whole family. Unprocess Your Life is definitely going to be my constant kitchen companion during the year, as I try to improve mine, and my family’s health, by cutting out processed and ultra processed food. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to do the same.