The food industry and your health

The food industry benefits from the current nutrition guidelines, much more than you do.

It’s a sad truth.

The shelves in popular big grocery stores are full of well-marketed options for packaged foods and drinks, containing ingredients that are profitable for the food industry. Some of these ingredients are sugar cane, corn, soybeans, potatoes, milk, wheat, and other food additives associated with adverse health effects. You can find them in the form of sugars, starches, flours, proteins, oils, and gums in all kinds of products. These products are all processed, meaning that they had to go through industrial machinery to be modified from their whole form.

These products, their ingredients, and guidelines on how much they should be consumed are not necessarily beneficial for your health just because they are available for purchase, but they are profitable for the food industry. Unfortunately, most times, profit comes before health when it comes to industrial practices because the industry is the one benefiting financially from the overconsumption of these products by us. There’s a whole chain involved, from the very beginning to the end of the process, including the healthcare system, which profits from treating diabetes, cancers, and other diseases caused by the lack of good health in the population.

A lot of these products I’m referring to are ultra-palatable and create an “addicting” behavior, making you want to eat more of them when in reality, what you need is real food, minimally processed and with high nutritional content.

I understand that industrial practices help feed the world population of 8 billion people. But other practices can also contribute to that and be more beneficial to the health of the populations and environment first.

What about strategies to reduce food waste, over purchase, and over production of certain food products?

What about more incentives for better industrial practices to optimize the distribution and consumption of whole fruits and vegetables?

What about promoting education in nutrition and new guidelines for the food industry to assure the consumption of healthier foods?

“Roughly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year – approximately 1,3 billion tonnes – gets lost or wasted”, according to Stop Wasting Food Movement.org. The waste comes from farms, transportation, retail, and households. The US is amongst the top 15 countries that waste the most food per capita and surprisingly, a big chunk of the waste comes from households. It tells a lot about who has the power to make better choices that will change the current food industry dynamic. YOU! You deserve more than just making the industry profit at the cost of your health. The scenario is different in each country, but all parts play important roles in the situation.

How can you do better?

After all, big organizations want your money! The way you can make a difference is by getting informed and choosing (AKA buying) products that are aligned with healthier practices. Examples: buy only what you need, buy local, buy from small businesses, buy organic whole foods, go to farmer’s market, ditch ultra-processed foods, choose farm-to-table restaurants, and prevent food waste. Get informed and go for what’s truly good for your health. I’m here to help!

IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT. Small changes go long way!

It is empowering to be aware and in control of your diet because when you choose with purpose what you eat, you know you’re doing what’s best for your body and your health. And that’s beautiful!

Get informed: