Plant Based Food Additives and Diabetes

De: Mark A. Ashford

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Hello and welcome to this book Plant-based Food Additives and Diabetes.

In this book, we will explore Plant-Based Food, Plant Forward Eating, Organic Food, Vegetarianism and Veganism. It is not just about eating more whole foods, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds we need to consider. Plant Forward Eating does not restrict animal sources from a diet. Vegetarianism restricts animal sources, and there is a consequence and we explore this too.

The trend for Plant-Based or Plant Foreword diets are aspects of a change in the public interest in what they consume. They want it to be heathier and include more whole foods rather than highly processed products.

There is another dimension to this interest most people are unaware of. The change from food additives derived from synthetic sources to additives derived from plants.

An additive made from plants is still highly processed, and has the same objective in the manufacture of food products but the source being plant based can make the product more marketable and acceptable to the casual consumer.

Additives have long been associated with Ultra-Processed Food - UPF. UPF is typically high in nutrients of concern, including total energy, free sugars, saturated fats and sodium, and low in fibre, protein, and micronutrients. In 2016, in Canada, per capita sales of UPF were estimated at 275 kg per year, the fourth highest among 80 countries.[1]

Changing an additive from synthetic to plant-based will not make the product any less effective for the consumer. Their food product will still be emulsified, stabilized, coloured, and flavoured etc. In my book NOVA Food Classification, Food Additives and Diabetes, I considered the NOVA food classification system and how it defines food products designed for profitability, not nutritional value.

There is an increasing interest in taxing highly processed products that contribute to Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease, Fatty Liver, Fatty Kidney, Gallstones, and some cancers. These health conditions increase the demand for medical care, which ultimately costs the taxpayer and national economy money. The transition to plant-based additives will not forestall taxation; a plant-based additive is still an additive and adds calories in its own right.

Read on to learn about Plant Forward Diets and additives.

Mark Ashford - [e-mail]

[1] Government of Canada, "Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods in Canada," (2020).