This article is only for informative purposes and is not a replacement for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before entering into physical activity or making changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle.
Canadians consume too many ultra-processed foods, according to a new study funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. (Photo via getty images)
Ultra-processed foods are an important part of the Canadian diet, and a new study indicates that these products contribute to health problems and deaths in the country. The research, published on Tuesday, suggested that almost four in 10 heart disorders and deaths are linked to the consumption of ultra-processed products due to a stroke.
“More than a third of all cardiovascular events or 38 percent-layers in 2019 associated with ultra-processed food consumption,” Virginie Hamel told a dietician and PhD student to the Université de Montreal who worked on this study, told Yahoo Canada. “This study … shows how ultra -processed foods are an important part of the burden of heart disease and strokes in Canada.”
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The estimated 38 percent of cardiovascular events related to ultra-processed food consumption includes more than 96,000 cases of heart disease and strokes, of which 55 percent men. There were also more than 17,400 dead, with 52 percent men.
The study also showed that Canadians older than 20 years have diets, with these products making more than 43 percent of their total daily energy intake. Now researchers are insisting on more change and new policy, especially about regulating how ultra-processed foods are brought to the market to children.
Dietitian Virginie Hamel reminded people that there are alternatives to almost all ultra-processed foods. (Photo via getty images)
What are some of the worst ultra-processed foods?
Hamel said that the researchers looked at earlier studies of ultra-processed foods that canadians most often consume. “According to the most recent representative data from 2015 in Canada, one of the most ultra-processed foods is commercial bread,” she added.
However, she said that some of the other more usual ultra-processed foods consume Canadians, chips, frozen meals, cakes, cookies, cakes and soft drinks. Other ultra-processed foods can be:
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Sweet breakfast cereals and oatmeals
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Reconstituent meat products such as hot dogs and fish sticks
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Powdered and packaged soups
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Ice and sweetened yogurt
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Margarine and spreads such as cream cheese
Ultra-processed foods include products such as chips, frozen meals, ice cream and soft drinks. (Photo via getty images)
What are ultra-processed food?
According to Hamel, processed foods are products that can include sugar, salt or oil before they can be purchased. This is done to increase the preservation of a product, but usually no other additives are included and the processing is easier. On the other hand, ultra-processed foods “have many processing steps”-such as extrusion, pouring and milling-equals “additives that we may never have in the kitchen,” she explained.
When it comes to ultra-processed foods, Hamel said that the purpose of the products is that shoppers have something “practical, sustainable, handy and attractive”, but they are “very manipulated”. Ultra-processed foods also contain a lot of sugar, salt and fat, while they are usually of poor quality and have no nutrients. In turn, that weight gain can promote because they don't feel that full.
How can I eat less ultra-processed food?
Hamel noted that supermarkets are usually recorded in comparable fashion. She suggested starting shoppers to start the store and start with sections with vegetables, fruit and other fresh food. If you choose to go through the aisles of processed products, she said it is a good idea to have a goal in mind.
Hamel advised that supermarket shoppers are starting to go the market in contrast to the aisles of ultra-processed foods. (Photo via getty images)
“If you really know exactly what you want, that's a good thing. But you can easily get lost,” Hamel said, adding that she understands that it is not easy for everyone to have time to cook the right meals. In those cases, she suggested that people are looking for ready-made food products that are not necessarily ultra-processed. Otherwise she reminded people that you don't have to cook every day and instead can lakes for your week.
But for people who can choose to venture every aisle full of ultra-processed products, she advised them on checking the ingredient list to ensure that you buy better food. “If there is a list of many ingredients that we cannot pronounce and we do not have in our kitchen, … This is an indication that it might be ultra-processed and perhaps not a good idea to use our groceries,” she said.
“We always like to do people the weight to do better, but it's hard to do better in the context in which we are now.”
The PhD student also suggested that people who do shopping, especially in the aisles, check the ingredients list of products to see if they are ultra-processed. (Photo via getty images)
Why experts want 'change'
Researchers also looked at what would happen if Canadians make their diet changes. Fortunately, there would be an estimated 45,000 fewer heart disease and bad cases, as well as more than 8,000 fewer deaths if people reduce their ultra-processed food consumption by half.
Even if people lower their consumption by 20 percent, there would be positive benefits. In that case there would be 3000 fewer deaths and the burden of heart conditions and strokes associated with consuming ultra-processed foods would fall by 17 percent.
On the other hand, there would be higher problems if people consume 50 percent more ultra-processed food. In that case there would be nearly 3,500 extra deaths annually and 45 percent of the new cases would be related to ultra-processed food consumption.
Hamel said there should be a change in aggressive marketing of ultra-processed food towards children because it has normalized these products, making it difficult for parents to compete. “We need a change in mentality, we need a systemic change … and a strong policy to help people reduce their consumption of ultra-processed foods,” she said.
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