{"id":2944,"date":"2023-11-01T11:02:28","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T11:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/?p=2944"},"modified":"2023-11-01T11:02:28","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T11:02:28","slug":"junk-extras-discretionary-foods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/2023\/11\/01\/junk-extras-discretionary-foods\/","title":{"rendered":"Junk, extras, discretionary foods?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most people are aware that some foods are rated as healthy; others are not. In Australia, the healthy foods that can meet all your nutritional needs are arranged into the five food groups:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">vegetables<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fruit<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">grains (predominantly wholegrains)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">meat, fish, poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">milk, yoghurt, cheese, or calcium-enriched plant alternatives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the four years we spent working on the last revision of the Dietary Guidelines for Australians, it proved impossible to get any consensus on what to call the foods and drinks that don\u2019t fit into the food groups.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some could definitely be described as \u2018junk\u2019 as they contribute little or no nutrients. Others have the potential to make some contribution to nutrient intake but any such virtues are counteracted by their quantity of undesirable types of fat or added sugars or high levels of salt.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people use the term \u2018junk\u2019 foods. Health officials traditionally called them \u2018extras\u2019, but the food industry got their way and the guidelines used \u2018discretionary\u2019 choices. As many of us predicted, it turned out that few people had much understanding of how much \u2018discretionary\u2019 choices would mess up diet and health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether foods that don\u2019t fit the five food groups are consumed in place of, or in addition to healthy choices matters. These foods now make up 42% of the average Australian\u2019s kilojoule intake, with even higher levels dominating children\u2019s diets. That puts us as fifth highest consumers in the world (the United States gets the gold, silver goes to the United Kingdom).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With 75% of men, 60% of women and 25% of children above a healthy weight, nutritionists and those of us who work in public health believe these products should be called \u2018unhealthy\u2019. They are replacing healthy foods, especially vegetables, fruits and wholegrains. Sadly, no Australian government to-date has ever been prepared to upset the all-powerful processed food companies by using the term \u2018unhealthy\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Researchers around the world are now concentrating on ultra-processed foods (UPFs). These are defined as products that contain ingredients that you wouldn\u2019t find in any home kitchen \u2013 items such as protein isolates, modified starches, hydrogenated or inter-esterified oils, and additives such as colourants, flavourings, artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers and thickeners, as well as bleaching, bulking, firming, gelling, glazing, foaming and carbonating agents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples of UPFs include soft drinks with sugar or artificial sweeteners; sweet and savoury snacks and biscuits; many breakfast cereals; sauces and instant soups; many desserts; foods for infants and young children; most fast foods and some sports foods. UPFs are palatable, convenient, easy to eat (most require little chewing so they\u2019re consumed quickly), fairly cheap and aggressively marketed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some make health claims \u2013 for example, foods for young children may claim they have no added sugar when they\u2019re full of sugar that has been extracted from fruit rather than from sugar cane. It\u2019s still just sugar. Many breakfast cereals project a healthy image by emphasising they have added vitamins even when they have high levels of sugar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consuming a small amount of UPF may not be a problem \u2013 it\u2019s the quantity that makes them unhealthy. Sadly, UPFs have become a habit and, with food companies creating literally thousands of them, they\u2019re now considered \u2018normal\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over 70 studies have shown that high consumption of UPFs is linked with excess body fat, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, inflammatory diseases such as Crohn\u2019s disease, as well as higher levels of depression and anxiety. Children may also have an increased risk of abnormal levels of blood fats.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Current research is looking at whether the problems associated with UPFs come from the high amounts of added sugars and salt, the unhealthy fats, the additives or the processing methods.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those marketing UPFs point to their greater shelf life, microbiological safety, cheaper price and their popularity with the public. Some concede that the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">quantity<\/span><\/i> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of UPFs consumed could be a problem, contributing too much fat, sugar or salt. Food companies reject the idea that any processing method or additive(s) could be problematic. Indeed, their technologists suggest they could find substitutes for some of the fat, just as they found sweeteners other than sugar. Recent research shows sugar substitutes have not been successful in reducing weight or preventing type 2 diabetes, and the acidity of artificially sweetened soft drinks damages tooth enamel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One recent study provided some proof that UPFs lead to excess weight. A group of people with stable weight were admitted to a USA National Institutes of Health live-in facility for 28 days. This meant that everything they consumed, and also their energy expenditure, could be measured. All 20 members of this groups stayed for the full four weeks and were given one of two diets for two weeks and then switched to the other diet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both diets were matched for calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sugars and dietary fibre, but one was high in UPFs while the other featured unprocessed or minimally processed foods. They were provided with three meals each day and told to eat as much or as little as they pleased. Snacks were also available throughout the day. To avoid small changes during the cross-over period, the researchers compared the final week of each diet, finding that energy intake was 500 Calories\/day higher during the ultra-processed diet period. The increases occurred at breakfast and lunch, but not dinner. During the high UPF diet period, the subjects gained weight in line with what was expected by their higher caloric intake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We need more studies like this, but it seems clear that the term ultra-processed food is going to stay, replacing \u2013 and extending \u2013 terms such as \u2018extras\u2019 or \u2018discretionary foods\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some consider a finer definition may be needed as a few foods currently included in the five food groups also fit the definition of a UPF. Examples include some breakfast cereals, some breads, sweetened coloured yoghurt or milks, soups, sauces and dressings. Some of these foods may be a good source of dietary fibre or some nutrients.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve known for years that the way bread is made is also relevant for many people. Many packaged loaves are made with rapid dough risers. These additives change the structure of the starch in the flour, reducing the time they take to be digested. This creates an adverse effect for those with, or at risk of, type 2 diabetes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To add to potential problems, a new research paper suggests that UPFs meet the criteria to be labelled as addictive substances. These criteria were established for tobacco products. That remains to be proved but, if it is correct, we could expect the same obfuscation from the food industry as was previously pushed by the tobacco industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we so often say, further research is needed on addictive potential for UPFs. More research is also needed to pinpoint the culprits in these foods, but we definitely have more than enough evidence that we need to reduce our current consumption of these highly processed food products. If you\u2019re in doubt about them, check the ingredient list on the package. If there are any items that you wouldn\u2019t find in a domestic kitchen, look for an alternative.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr Rosemary Stanton OAM<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most people are aware that some foods are rated as healthy; others are not. In Australia, the healthy foods that can meet all your nutritional needs are arranged into the five food groups:\u00a0 vegetables fruit grains (predominantly wholegrains) meat, fish, poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds milk, yoghurt, cheese, or calcium-enriched plant alternatives. Over the four [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food"],"acf":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kangaroo Valley Voice","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice","push-errors":false,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2944"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2945,"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2944\/revisions\/2945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kangaroovalley.nsw.au\/valleyvoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}