The short answer is not very! There are a number of reasons for this that I’ll discuss later, but I believe the main one is very simple:
Food producers put profit before health
Now before they all rush out and sue me, let me define what I mean by ‘health’ in the above sentence.
I’m referring to:
- healthy ingredients according to modern nutritional science
- healthy animals used to produce meat and related products
- fish from a natural environment and mercury free
- fruit and vegetables grown in a healthy environment
So what exactly is wrong with the food most of us pick up at our local supermarket? Here are a few concerns to start with…
- Cattle, pigs and chicken are often raised on factory farms where thousands of animals live in very unsanitary conditions and are confined to relatively small areas.
- Farmed fish are fed a grain-based diet enhanced with antibiotics – how far away from their natural food is that?
- Much of the wheat and corn in foods come from genetically modified (GMO) crops and are sprayed with pesticides. Now personally I’m not convinced that GMO foods are bad for you – but who knows?
- MSG is frequently used to enhance taste, in spite of the fact that some people may have adverse reactions to this flavor enhancer.
- Sugar is another common ingredient that is overused. Do you know the average American consumes 130 or more pounds of refined sweeteners like sugar and corn syrup in one year (source: US Department of Agriculture). That’s three pounds per week!
- Sugar substitutes like High Fructose Corn syrup are as bad (or even worse) for you than sugar – but the food industry uses them all the time, they are cheaper than sugar!
- Processed meats like beef jerky, ham and bacon recently got a bad rap from the Heart & Stroke Foundation for their link to heart disease.
Now in their defense, the food industry goes to considerable lengths to make sure the foods they produce are free from contaminants like e-Coli, salmonella and other bacteria that can cause food poisoning or worse. However, they also go to great lengths to improve their bottom line!
More from Less?
Ever since the food industry world-wide boomed after the second world war, every organization in our food supply chain from farming to supermarkets has striven to become more “efficient”. A cynic might define efficiency as getting more from less and that is exactly what’s occurring in the food industry. Let’s take a closer look at the agriculture sector. The idea is to increase the yield per acre by producing bigger and better crops like corn, soy, and wheat. This is mostly achieved by genetically modifying the grain seed.
The processed food companies are no better. By ‘processed’ I’m referring to the food you buy that is pre-packaged. This includes things like cereals, peanut butter, frozen meals, sauces and so on. Do you know that processed food makes up 60% or more of the average North American diet? The food companies start out with reasonably healthy ingredients but then doctor them up with sugar, fat and similar products to make them taste ‘better’.
I wonder if we are craving foods like this because we really want them, or because that’s simply what we’ve become accustomed to? I believe it is definitely the latter – I used to love sugar and sweet treats until my late thirties when I gradually reduced the amount I was eating. Now I don’t even like anything too sweet and I steer clear of many desserts and cookies that are over-sweetened. So, our tastes can change!
Even when some food companies do try to take the high road and produce a healthier version of a product, quite often their competition steps in and offer the same old stuff in a new package to try and grab extra market share. The big loser is the consumer!
Even some of the so-called healthy foods are not that great – just take a look at the long list of ingredients on a box of popular ‘nutrition’ bars. Likewise, most granola products are absolutely loaded with added sugar.
So as a consumer, what can you do?
You can take a proactive approach to your shopping and look for products with healthier ingredients (including less salt and sugar).
- Read the labels – avoid products with extra or unhealthy ingredients
- Buy organic where possible
- Substitute healthier alternatives for high-sugar foods (colas, cookies etc.)
- Buy fresh local meat and produce when it’s available
- Purchase ethically sourced products whenever you can
- Subscribe to health and fitness blogs to stay informed
Unfortunately, this all takes more time but in the long run, you will definitely benefit by eating food from healthier sources.
About the Author:
Mike Stapenhurst is a long-time fitness enthusiast, runner and cyclist. He has completed over 25 marathons and he is co-author of the book “Marathon Training Tips”. Mike is also the developer of customized training logbooks including a Personalized Fitness Journal for those who want to track their fitness progress.