The field of nutrition is frontier land. It’s the Wild West. That’s just the way it is. Many of the nutritional assertions we experts hold dear have a brief shelf life and will soon be replaced by something crispy and fresh. That’s because the science of eating is always changing, just like you and me. We are still discovering who we are what sustains us. Perhaps this will aways be so. – Marc David, The Slow Down Diet
The food chain has some lessons for us: You are what you eat and you are also what you eat ate. That goes for the pasture-raised or the grass-finished, as well as the soil and water that nourishes orchard and farm. Quality begins there and travels to your grocery store.
Unfortunately, the inner aisles of the grocery store can also be a mine-field with rows and rows of ultra-processed foods, also known as UPFs. Examples of UPFs are soft drinks, packaged baked goods, candy, breakfast cereals laced with sugar, to list a few. UPFs are associated with an increase in childhood obesity as reported in a 2022 study published by the BMJ as well as a faster rate of cognitive decline in adults as reported in JAMA Neurology (December 2022). UPFs are energy-dense but not nutrient-dense. In addition to the risk of weight gain, there is chronic disease risk, as discussed in “Ultra-processed Foods, Weight Gain, and Co-Morbidity Risk,” Current Obesity Reports 2022 (National Library of Medicine).
“In general, the majority of calories consumed in high-income countries are from ultra-processed foods and beverages. For example, in Canada, the UK, and the USA, UPF products were estimated to contribute 45.0%, 50.4%, and 57.9% of total energy intake, respectively.”
Learn to shop for quality, because the better the nutrients in the food you eat, the healthier you will be. In communities with social and economic constraints, this will present a challenge, because ultra-processed foods are less expensive and more accessible.
In The Slow Down Diet, Marc David offers several key points in his second chapter, “The Metabolic Power of Quality.”
- Eating quality food is perhaps the most powerful and nutritional strategy we can choose.
- Higher quality food means greater nutritional value. When we continually eat low-quality food, the brain will register a nutrient deficit and signal us to eat more.
- Many people who think they have a willpower problem are experiencing a lack of nutrient-dense food.
- No matter what food you eat, choose the highest quality version of that food.
- First and foremost, food is energy and information.
- Every experience in the history of a food is encoded within it as energy and information. This is a significant determinant in its nutritional value.
Start by reading the labels and learning how to choose the best quality food when you or your family members shop. Please download and print the Institute for Integrative Nutrition attachment, Food Labels and Quality Ingredients. Learn the difference between organic and conventional foods. Educate yourself about your local farmer’s market and where the food you eat was imported. Help yourself to make better choices by reading the lists of ingredients and what the labels mean on the foods you buy.
Quality is everything and leads to greater satiety and better health.
♥ Susan L. Ward
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach