Zaidie Crowe, Editor
You are Vegan or Vegetarian. That means you eat healthy, right? Wrong! Eating vegan/ vegetarian is no guarantee that you are eating a healthy diet. According to the Online Merriam- Webster Dictionary, junk food is “high in calories but low in nutritional content or, something that is appealing or enjoyable but of little or no real value.” So however your style of eating is described, if it falls within this definition it is junk food. And too much junk food is bad for your health and can make a difference to how long you live.
Two new studies conducted over the last 10 years (2009-2018) just confirmed existing research that too much ultra-processed food in your diet, such as packaged snacks could lead to higher chances for diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and multiple sclerosis. One study comes from the Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center at Sorbonne Paris Cité in France. Bernard Srour and his colleagues found a link between eating ultra- processed foods and increased risk of cardiovascular, coronary heart, and cerebrovascular diseases. Ultra- processed foods “often have a higher content of total fat, saturated fat, added sugar, energy density, and salt, along with a lower fiber and vitamin density,” the study’s authors explain. So that an increase of say 10% of ultra-processed food in one’s diet could lead to an increased risk of 12% for cardiovascular disease, 13% coronary disease and 11% cerebrovascular disease.
The second study came from the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. The researchers examined the link between ultra-processed foods and mortality risks from any cause. They found that there was a 62% more likelihood of dying from any cause for people with 4 or more servings of ultra-processed foods in their diet compared with those who had 2 or fewer servings. The relative risks of premature death increased by 18% for every extra serving of ultra-processed food.
The goal of everyone ought to be staying as healthy as possible for as long as possible. Many people choose to be a vegan/vegetarian primarily for this reason. But for your vegan/vegetarian meals to really be beneficial to your health they should consist of whole foods, plant based, fiber-rich and unprocessed items. This would naturally include regular servings of vegetables, legumes, beans, fruits, seeds, nuts, grains and healthy fats. If instead the greater portion of foods in your diet is processed/ultra-processed foods, you are one of the many thousands consuming a disproportionately large amount of vegan junk food – bad news for your health.
The single greatest benefit of removing meat from your diet is that you have gotten rid of a major source of saturated fats. A big boost to your health status. But this benefit can very easily be undone. How? By substituting products with large amounts of highly processed ingredients or excess levels of sugar, fat, and sodium. There is no shame to eating packaged snacks, quick meals or vegan fast food. But like everything else, excess is dangerous.
If you want to be a healthy vegan/vegetarian you will need to maintain a healthy outlook, a healthy pantry and a healthy, balanced diet. This means giving up mindless eating. Start by carefully checking ingredients before placing your order or spending your money.
Here are some important things to consider when deciding if the vegan food you are about to purchase and/consume is healthy or just meatless junk food.
• Is there a high level of sodium in your choice of food such as in some vegan deli meats, other meat and cheese substitutes? Anything above 400 mg in one item is not considered the best choice. The American Heart Association recommends moving towards an ideal limit of 1500 mg for the whole day.
• Enjoy your vegan desserts but make sure that the manufacturer has not replaced butter and eggs with starches, pectin or gum which adds to the amount of sugar.
• Vegetable snacks can be great but if it is fried and sprinkled with salt for example it may be just as bad as non-veggie versions. Any food item that has preservatives, processed oils and artificial additives should set off alarm bells. The chances are these may be bad for your health.
• Foods with high sugar content are obviously not okay when your aim is to be healthy. Be especially aware of hidden sugars which usually have code-names such as high fructose corn syrup. They have the same or similar impact on you as sugar. You can easily make your own without the risk of excess fat, sodium or even sugar that many manufacturers add.
