A new report is warning about the danger of eating ultra-processed foods, and the research might make you think twice about what you buy at the grocery store.
Ready-made meals, sweet and savoury snacks, fizzy drinks and breakfast cereals – these are some of the many ultra-processed foods surrounding us at grocery stores, and according to a series of studies published in The Lancet, these products – also known as UPFs – are linked to dozens of health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
“The body is not adapted to those products. The body is trying to adjust,” said Jean Claude Moubarac, a professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Montreal. “It also has some effects on mood, hence the link with depression and anxiety.”
Here in Canada, more than half the food we now buy is considered ultra-processed, a figure that has more than doubled since the 1930s.
Moubarac says these foods are designed to be tasty and convenient, and appealing to the eye.
“And I would say cheap because to be cheap to produce, they have to lower the quality, and this is the problem. So I strongly believe that the purpose here is not to nourish, but to create something that the consumer is going to ask for more and more.”
A wide variety of fresh, healthy options like fruits, veggies, dairy and meat are offered to clients at a food bank in Parkdale, but there are many barriers preventing people from cutting out those ultra-processed foods.
“In Parkdale, there’s a lot of rooming houses in this community, and that means every single room in a house is converted into a living space with limited or no kitchen access, and often there’s no refrigeration in these living spaces,” explains Kitty Roman Costa with the Parkdale Community Food Bank.
“I think pricing is a big one, and again, it’s the amount of time it takes to cook even for people who have the ability to access a grocery store, many are working long hours to keep up with the rising cost of living and that just doesn’t leave sufficient time in the day to be able to cook and prepare meals.”
Several countries are now taking a stance on UPFs. Mexico, Brazil and Chile, for example, have restricted marketing of unhealthy foods, especially for children, something some experts say Canada is falling behind on.
“We need to see that a lot of countries now are entering the ultra-processed food regulation, and I would say it’s time for us to start dancing,” said Moubarac.
The study looked at evidence collected from many different countries and was reviewed by 43 of the world’s leading experts on the topic.
