How to Think about Processed Foods

This category includes the foods we often think of as natural whole foods such as any vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and all types of unmodified animal protein, including fresh fish, eggs, beef, and everything in between.

These foods generally have a single ingredient, are rich in essential nutrients, and should play a significant and predominating role in our diets.

Minimally processed foods, such as kimchi and ground flaxseed, are allowed in category 1 because their nutritional value is either unaffected or enhanced. Ground flaxseed, for example, is known to have more bioavailable omega-3 than whole, while fermented kimchi contains healthy bacteria that can influence the gut microbiome more than basic cabbage.

Category 2: Processed culinary ingredients

This category includes items like various oils, sugars, salt, and butter. The primary purpose of this category is to enhance the flavour profile of whole foods from category 1 during the cooking or preparation process.

These components are only problematic in excess. Here’s a good way to look at it: if you are preparing a maple-glazed salmon and sweet potato with broccoli, that one tablespoon of maple syrup you might use is realistically taking nothing away from the nutritional value of that meal.

Category 3: Processed foods

These foods generally are created by combining ingredients from categories 1 and 2 and, thus, tend to have at least two to three total ingredients.

Very often, these ingredients will enhance the taste, convenience, or shelf life of the product. Fish canned with oil, or salted 100 percent whole wheat crackers, are both examples of category 3 foods that carry significant nutritional value even if they may have been modestly processed.

Category 4: Ultra-processed foods

This is where the challenges arise. Category 4 is represented by ultra-processed foods that have undergone several more steps of modification than foods in other categories. These products have longer ingredient lists, which may include a range of compounds used for preservation, flavour enhancement, colouring, emulsification, and more.

Some of these compounds, such as titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propylparaben are banned from use in Europe over uncertainty of their effects on human health.

Products containing these compounds, like coloured candies, bear no resemblance to category 1 foods. Processed meat, on the other hand, starts with Category 1 ingredients but extensive modification via smoking, salting, or curing and the addition of preservatives turn them into a product that is linked with an increased risk of colorectal cancer when consumed in excess.

Common ultra-processed foods

·                     sugar-sweetened beverages and energy drinks

·                     most types of candy and chocolate

·                     potato chips, pretzels, and other salty snacks

·                     ice cream and similar frozen dessert products

·                     bakery products, including cookies, cakes, muffins

·                     processed meats, like sausage, ham, prosciutto

·                     frozen dishes, like pasta and pizza dishes

Brand new research in the British Medical Journal looked at nearly 15 years worth of global data and determined that as ultra-processed food intake went up, so too did the risk of many different negative health outcomes, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety.

One of the many  possible explanations for these findings is the fact that ultra-processed foods are increasingly considered to drive inflammation in the body, which negatively influences all aspects of human physical and mental health.

Health Canada, well aware of such findings, has initiated new labelling regulations for these products.

Ultra-processed foods: new labelling regulations

Health Canada’s new front-of-package labelling requirements for ultra-processed foods will be mandatory as of January 1, 2026, [8] although you may find products with these labels sooner. They’ve deemed this a necessary public health initiative in the face of data suggesting nearly 60 percent of Canadians’ grocery purchases are packaged/processed foods[9].

The goal of this initiative is two-fold:

1.                  to allow consumers to make more educated decisions

2.                  to encourage health innovation on the part of the food industry

These regulations are specifically targeting foods that contribute excessively to our dietary intake of one or more of sodium, sugars, or saturated fat.

The definition of excessive varies depending on the exact product category, but you can expect labels on products that contain 10 to 30 percent or more of the recommended daily value of any of those nutrients.

Making your diet whole: how to think about processed foods

The reality is that many Canadians fall short in their consumption of key nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, and C; magnesium; fibre; potassium; and calcium. It can be very challenging, if not impossible, for the average person to rectify these nutrient imbalances if their diet contains too many ultra-processed foods, simply because these nutrients are not present in meaningful amounts in those foods.

The path to better health, therefore, relies as much on identifying the shortcomings of ultra-processed foods as it does on appreciating the robust nutritional value of whole foods and pursuing a bigger role for them in your diet.

How to avoid PFAS

PFAS, formally known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are compounds found in household and food-industry products like nonstick pans, plastic containers, and fast-food packaging.

There is growing concern that these compounds transfer into the foods they come in contact with and may be health threats over time, with increasing interest around their role in contributing to risk of certain types of cancers as well as altered metabolism and altered immune function.

You can minimize your exposure to these compounds with the following tips:

·         Use stainless steel, cast iron, glass, silicone, or ceramic products and containers rather than nonstick and plastic alternatives.

·         Remove takeout food from its packing promptly and avoid reheating takeout food in its original packaging.

·         Buy PFAS-free clothing.

·         Avoid furniture, rugs, and bedding labelled as water- or stain-repellent.

This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue of alive magazine.