Sugar Does NOT Help the Medicine Go Down: Common Ailments of an Unhealthy Diet

Lydia Lavis • June 23, 2023

By Lydia Lavis, Education Specialist at Reimagine Agriculture

We all want to eat healthy, but what does a ‘healthy’ diet even mean? A ‘healthy’ diet as described by the United Nations is one that ‘provides adequacy, without excess, of nutrients and health-promoting substances from nutritious foods and avoids the consumption of health-harming substances.’ Excesses of some nutrients are very appealing to the human brain - driving our cravings towards food choices that might be very high in fat, salt, or sugar. In the subsequent paragraphs, we explore four main food components that are delicious in moderation but harmful to your health if eaten in high quantities.

The first food component is salt. While too little salt is just as dangerous as too much, in this post we’ll concentrate on the impacts of high salt consumption. Regularly eating high-salt foods may increase your risk of hypertension and a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Salt is very often added to processed and ultra-processed foods in large quantities (defined as more than 2,300mg of salt daily). Thus, a major way to eat a healthier diet is to make the food you eat yourself and from mostly unprocessed ingredients! That way you are certain what you are eating and in what quantities - including salt.

From: Vecteezy

Processed foods often ‘sweeten the deal’ by containing exorbitant amounts of sugars that have been concentrated, like in high fructose corn syrup. The bittersweet (pun intended) result of eating highly sugary foods frequently is that the extra calories from sugar get stored in your body in the form of fat. This can increase your risk of obesity, and type 2 diabetes, and may even predispose your brain to degeneration. So, while refined carbohydrates are a legitimate source of energy for the body, they should only make up approximately 25% of your daily calories, whereas the bulk of your carbs should come from complex sugars like those found in sweet potatoes and sugar beets rather than simple sugars like those found in cake, candy, and chocolate.

From: Kari Eats

There is a fat chance you haven’t heard of this next component to look out for: Fats. A high-fat diet, specifically one high in saturated and trans fats, has been associated with higher cholesterol , which has multiple health implications, including an increased risk of prostate cancer. To help prevent high cholesterol levels, limit the amount of saturated fat you eat, including foods like animal fats, butter, and coconut oil, and choose unsaturated fats, like nuts and seeds, or avocado or canola oil, more often.

From: eLife Science Digests

Animal foods are often high in saturated fat. Animal foods like meat and dairy are also often eaten in excessively large quantities. N ot only are high saturated fat diets putting you at risk of developing high cholesterol , these products tend to have high salt content as well, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease , hypertension, and cancer. One solution to this would be to cut down on the amount of meat and dairy you eat and to limit the amount of excess saturated fat (and salt) in your diet.

It can be difficult to fully remove foods from your diet, particularly those with strong social and cultural connections. However, it’s worth reducing your intake of ultra-processed foods that have high salt, sugar, and fat content and cooking your own whole foods when possible. Plant foods are a good choice as they tend to naturally have more complex sugars, little to no salt, and unsaturated fats. Eating a plant-focused diet lowers your risk of developing diabetes, coronary heart disease, and all forms of cancer compared to a meat-based diet. (WHO 2021).

No matter what you eat, moderation of all foods is key - although, we could all do with more plants in our diet. Eating a wide variety of foods will provide better nutrient benefits to you and more complex flavours! Reinvent your current meals with new plant foods and see if you can make a new, and better, recipe yourself.

Photo by: catsper on Flickr License: Creative Commons

Not sure how to start cooking a healthy diet? The 2019 Canada Food Guide is an excellent source of information on the health impacts of foods, the types of meals you can cook, and more! Head over to our new video series on Canada’s Food Guide to learn more!

Want to learn about Canada's Food Guide?

Here's a taste of what you can expect from our series on the past, present, and future of Canada's Food Guide.

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2024 Canada Animal Welfare Scorecard: Alarming Findings on Animal Welfare and Corporate Commitments

By Jessica Bohrson at Mercy For Animals • November 7, 2024

The 2024 Canada Animal Welfare Scorecard evaluated animal welfare commitments and transparency across 40 leading Canadian food companies. Focusing on cage-free eggs, gestation-crate-free pork, and adherence to Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) standards, the report uncovers serious gaps in transparency, industry-wide “humanewashing,” and persistent animal welfare issues. Here’s a breakdown of the most troubling findings. 1. Lack of Transparency in Major Retailers and Foodservice Providers Walmart Canada, Calgary Co-op, and Federated Co-operatives have demonstrated minimal transparency, failing to publish updates or roadmaps on their animal welfare commitments. Walmart Canada is the only top-five retailer in Canada not reporting any progress on welfare practices, despite publishing incremental updates in the U.S. Meanwhile, Calgary Co-op still lacks any published policies or progress toward ending confinement for hens and pigs, despite its members’ vote to support humane conditions over a decade ago. 2. Misleading Industry Claims and "Humanewashing" Tactics A major issue facing Canadian consumers is the widespread “humanewashing” in the food industry, where companies use misleading labels and terminology to suggest higher animal welfare standards than actually practiced. Companies like Burnbrae Farms label their eggs as “Nestlaid,” implying cage-free conditions, which leads nearly half of surveyed consumers to mistakenly believe these eggs come from open barns. Industry groups, including Chicken Farmers of Canada , amplify this confusion by using terms like “family farms” to evoke images of small, humane operations, even when products are sourced from intensive confinement systems. Rather than improving actual welfare standards, these organizations invest heavily in shaping public opinion through corporate responsibility reports and marketing campaigns, leaving consumers misinformed about the true conditions behind their food. 3. The Crisis of "Frankenchickens" in Poultry Production The Canadian poultry industry’s use of ultrafast-growing birds, often termed “Frankenchickens,” remains a primary welfare issue. These birds are bred to grow four times faster than chickens in the 1950s, resulting in painful health problems and limiting their ability to move or access food and water. Although companies have pledged to stop using these breeds by 2026, few have shown significant action on this front. Major Canadian poultry producers continue to use these breeds, creating severe welfare implications. 4. Continued Use of Gestation Crates for Pigs Gestation crates remain the norm across Canadian pork production, confining mother pigs in cramped stalls that prevent them from turning around. Some progress is evident, with companies like Costco and Starbucks Canada reporting steps toward group housing. However, Walmart Canada and Federated Co-operatives have not published policies or progress. While the industry timeline for complete phase-out stretches to 2029, these companies have yet to implement meaningful welfare improvements, prolonging extreme confinement for Canada’s 1.2 million breeding sows. 5. Slow Progress in the Shift to Cage-Free Eggs Despite growing opposition to cage confinement from Canadian consumers, the Canadian egg industry continues to invest in “enriched” cage systems that offer only minor improvements over conventional battery cages. Companies like Metro and Sobeys committed to sourcing cage-free eggs but report slow progress across their supply chains, while Calgary Co-op has yet to report any steps forward. Globally, over 2,600 companies have committed to eliminating cages, but Canada falls behind due to its reliance on slightly modified cage systems. Moving Forward: Accountability and Clear Roadmaps Required Companies need transparent roadmaps, annual goals, and consistent reporting to keep pace with rising consumer and investor expectations. Brands such as A&W Canada, Aramark, and Panago Pizza have set strong examples, publishing BCC-compliant policies and reporting progress, proving tangible progress is achievable. However, for others, a significant gapremains between public promises and the welfare practices in their supply chains.