Even though Canada’s Food Guide advises avoiding them, ultra-processed foods occupy an important place in the grocery basket of Quebecers. Knowing how to identify them is therefore a step towards a healthier diet.
“Ultra-processed foods have really been shown to be foods that are higher in calories, higher in sugar, fat and salt, which we already consume way too much of in our North American diet. And sugar, fat, salt: this is the trio that has been associated with much higher risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity,” explains author and nutritionist Hélène Laurendeau.
To support her point, she cites a large French study published in 2019 and conducted among 45,000 adults over the age of 45 which showed that a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods consumed was associated with a risk of mortality. increased by 14%.
Processed or ultra-processed: how to tell the difference? There is a system called NOVA that classifies foods into four groups.
Group 1 is “unprocessed” or “minimally processed” foods, such as fruit or eggs. Group 2 is “processed culinary ingredients” such as oils. Group 3 is “processed foods,” where foods from groups 1 and 2 are prepared or preserved together using several methods. Group 4 is “ultra-processed food and beverage products”.
Test your knowledge with our quiz.
What is the share of ultra-processed foods in the diet of the average Canadian?
- A) 10%
- B) 25%
- C) 40%
- D) 50%
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Answer: D
About 48% of the calories Canadians consumed per day in 2015 came from ultra-processed foods, found a 2020 report released by Statistics Canada. “Regardless of economic status, half of people’s grocery basket is made up of ultra-processed foods. In Canada, we are the world champions of ultra-processed foods! “, emphasizes Hélène Laurendeau. A survey published in 2019 by the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec revealed that ultra-processed foods accounted for a third of the total volume of food purchases in the province.
Which of the following grocery list are ultra-processed foods?
- A) Canned tuna
- B) Granola bars
- C) Soda crackers
- D) Breakfast cereals
- E) Pepperoni
- F) Maple syrup
RM NUNES, GETTY IMAGES
Answer: B, C, D and E
Granola bars, soda crackers and crackers, and breakfast cereals that can live on shelves for months are usually ultra-processed foods. Most of the time, “reconstituted” meat products like pepperoni are too. Canned fish is generally minimally processed, while maple syrup is an ingredient. “Ultra-processed foods are foods that don’t exist in real life except through the food industry. These are ready-to-eat foods,” explains Ms.me Laurendeau.
Can you determine which industrial techniques can make a food ultra-processed?
- A) Pasteurization
- B) Adding salt
- C) Hydrogenation
- D) Hydrolysis
- E) All of these answers
PHOTO LUKE SHARRETT, BLOOMBERG ARCHIVES
Answer: C and D
Hydrolysis is a chemical process that is used in particular to transform corn starch into corn syrup. This is an inexpensive way to sweeten foods. “Hydrolyzed vegetable proteins” are also used as a flavor enhancer. Hydrogenation of oil is a chemical process used to transform a liquid oil into a solid oil at room temperature. Good news: since 2020, “partially hydrogenated oils”, the famous trans fats, are prohibited in Canada.
What ingredients can make bread ultra-processed?
- A) Stearoyl-2 – sodium lactylate
- B) A flour fortified with iron
- C) Cellulose
- D) Vegetable monoglycerides
- E) Maltodextrin
- F) All of these answers
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Answer: A, C, D, E
To only be considered a processed food, breadcrumbs must be made from one or more flours, yeast and salt. Adding nuts or dried fruit will not make this an ultra-processed bread. What reflex to adopt when reading the list of ingredients? “The advice I give is, when you look at the ingredient list, is it something you have in a home’s pantry? explains nutritionist Hélène Laurendeau. “Normally, ultra-processed foods are foods that have been created from scratch by industry, which are made from modified substances. The industry doesn’t cook like you and me, so it becomes like a consumer good. »
Peanut butter is…
- A) A minimally processed food
- B) A processed food
- C) An ultra-processed food
- D) All of these answers
PHOTO IVANOH DEMERS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Answer: D
Consisting only of ground peanuts, it is a minimally processed food. Adding salt or sugar to amp up the flavor of the nuts will flip it from group 1 to group 3. Adding emulsifiers to ensure the oil doesn’t separate from the butter can make it an ultra-processed food. .
Are vegetable balls that mimic the taste of meat ultra-processed?
PHOTO NAM Y. HUH, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Respond to
Eating red meat is the food choice that emits the most greenhouse gases. On the other hand, it suffices to consult the long list of ingredients of industrial vegetable pellets to notice the addition of several additives. Raw tofu is not an ultra-processed food.
Yogurt is…
- A) A minimally processed food
- B) A processed food
- C) An ultra-processed food
- D) All of these answers
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Answer: D
Pasteurized foods like plain yogurt are considered minimally processed if they contain only milk and bacterial cultures. But beware of colorings, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup and texturizers, which will make them go to the aisle of ultra-processed foods.
Which of the following ingredients can make drinks ultra-processed?
- A) Natural flavors
- B) Artificial flavors
- C) Sugar
- D) Caramel colors
- E) Aspartame
PHOTO GETTY IMAGES
Answer: A, B, D and E
The term “natural flavor” can be confusing. “Artificial flavors” are created from scratch in the laboratory to mimic flavors, while “natural” flavors are derived from plants or animals. But other ingredients that go into these flavors can include solvents and emulsifiers. Sugary juices aren’t healthy foods, but just adding sugar doesn’t automatically make them ultra-processed.
Sources
This quiz is inspired by the quiz “Do you know how to spot foods that are ultraprocessed? ”, published by the New York Times.
Ultra-processed foods, diet quality, and health using the NOVA classification systemMonteiro, CA, Cannon, G., Lawrence, M., Costa Louzada, M. L. and Pereira Machado, P., 2019, Rome, FAO.
The purchase of ultra-processed foods in supermarkets and big-box stores in QuebecPlamondon L, Durette G and MC Paquette, 2019, National Institute of Public Health of Quebec.
Association Between Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Risk of Mortality Among Middle-aged Adults in France, JAMA International Medicine, Laure Schnabel, MD, MSc; Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, PhD; Benjamin Allès, PhD1 ; Mathilde Touvier, PhD; Bernard Srour, PharmD; Serge Hercberg, MD, PhD; Camille Buscail, MD, PhD; Chantal Julia, MD, PhD.
The consumption of ultra-processed foods in Canada, Statistics Canada, Jane Y. Polsky, Jean Claude Moubarac And Didier Garriguet.