8 minute read
Tuesday, October
by John Swart
Food labeling changes mean little
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These regulations will require a new symbol to be displayed on the front of packaged foods that are high in saturated fats, sugars and/or sodium. Manufacturers have until January 1, 2026, to change their labels and comply with the new requirement,” announced the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Federal Minister of Health in June of this year.
This action is simply too little, too late, in our world of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and misleading food labeling. This is not a column designed to discuss how excess dietary salt, sugar and fats can lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, or that we need to eat more veggies. We all know this already.
What we may not know is how insidiously UPFs are labeled and marketed—that it is beyond the simple salt, sugar and fat content that is signifi cantly more dangerous to our health, and why.
UPFs as a food class was fi rst proposed in 2009 by Carlos Monteiro, a professor of Nutrition and Public Health at University of Sao Paulo, in Brazil, when he developed a food classifi cation system based on the level of processing which foods undergo called NOVA.
Group 1 includes natural, unprocessed or minimally processed foods in which their vitamins and minerals are still intact. Minimal processing could include cleaning, removal of inedible parts (seed shells, for instance), drying, fermenting, or freezing and boiling—all processes that add no new ingredients to the food.
Group 2 is oils, fats, salt, and sugar, an acknowledgment that we sometimes fl avour our food with “processed culinary ingredients.” In this context these are products obtained from natural foods through pressing, grinding, pulverizing and refi ning that are used in minimal quantities for seasoning, without upsetting the primary food’s nutritional balance.
Group 3 is processed foods, those usually made commercially by adding salt, various oils and sugars, and other Group 2 substances to improve taste and palatability, yet are still recognized as versions of the original food. Canned fi sh and vegetables, fruits in syrup, and fresh bread, are examples of this category. Most Group 3 processed foods have two or three ingredients.
Group 4 is ultra-processed foods, those industrial formulations in which Group 1 natural foods comprise only a small portion, or are completely absent. A quote from the abstract of a United States National Institute of Health study called, “Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them,” is unintentionally (or intentionally) exquisitely graphic in its description of UPFs.
“The manufacture of ultra-processed foods includes the fractioning of whole foods into substances, chemical modifi cations of these substances, assembly of unmodifi ed and modifi ed food substances, frequent use of cosmetic additives and sophisticated packaging. Processes and ingredients used to manufacture ultra-processed foods are designed to create …. hyper-palatable products liable to displace all other NOVA food groups, notably unprocessed or minimally processed foods. A practical way to identify an ultra-processed product is to check to see if its list of ingredients contains food substances never or rarely used in kitchens (such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated or interesterifi ed oils, and hydrolysed proteins), or classes of additives designed to make the fi nal product palatable or more appealing (such as fl avours, fl avour enhancers, colours, emulsifi ers, emulsifying salts, sweeteners, thickeners, and anti-foaming, bulking, carbonating, foaming, gelling and glazing agents).”
That is scary s**t. I wouldn’t lubricate the chain on my bicycle with some of these ingredients, let alone eat them.
Yet according to Heart and Stroke Canada, 50 percent of Canadians and 58 percent of American’s caloric intake is from ultra-processed foods, defi ned back in 2010 by Monteiro as, “industrial formulations with fi ve or more ingredients.”
Vegans, especially those consuming fast-food meat or dairy substitute options, are not immune. Oat milk,
See BALANCED LIFE Page 17
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HOROSCOPE
ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20
Th is should be a very interesting week, Aries. Money matt ers will be at the heart of it. Figure out what you want to do with the extra cash that you have accumulated.
TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21
Treat everyone with a bit of caution, Taurus. Some person in your circle may need a litt le extra support this week, and your calm and even approach could be just what’s needed.
GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21
Gemini, this week has the potential for a few bumps in the road that could be avoided if you simply slow down a bit. Th ink things through or you could trip yourself up.
CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22
An exciting few days lie ahead, Cancer. You may be tempted to spend much more than you usually would. Have fun, but keep track of your fi nances.
LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23
Leo, even if you have plans to hang out with friends, something at home could crop up that will need your immediate att ention. Be fl exible and at the ready.
VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22
Virgo, fi nd balance where you feel out of sync. Maybe you have been having relationship woes or seem out of touch with family. Make an eff ort to respond to these feelings.
LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23
Libra, even if your best plans do not work out, that doesn’t mean you have to scrap everything and sulk. Make the most of what worked and build on that.
SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22
Scorpio, you may fi nd yourself in a situation that tests your levelheadedness in a big way this week. It could throw off your equilibrium when your plans go awry.
SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21
Sagitt arius, focus on communication in the days to come. Th e ability to communicate eff ectively will be a true asset as you work more with others.
CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20
A problem that arises may initially seem insurmountable, Capricorn. But you’re more than capable of overcoming this obstacle. Look to Pisces for help.
AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18
Are you ready to take action and get to work, Aquarius? An unexpected home project has fallen into your lap, and it will take some eff ort to get it all done.
PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20
You could wind up learning something simply by lett ing the wind take you where it will, Pisces. Firm plans are unnecessary this week.
FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS
OCTOBER 23 Ryan Reynolds, Actor (46) OCTOBER 25 Nancy Cartrwright, Actress (65) OCTOBER 26 Seth MacFarlane, Actor (49) OCTOBER 27 Lonzo Ball, Athlete (25) OCTOBER 28 Brad Mondo, Stylist (28) OCTOBER 29 Winona Ryder, Actress (51)
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Darcy Richardson
CPA, CA | Broker
darcy@darcyrichardson.ca darcyrichardson.ca
by Pastor Rob Weatherby
Dave Thomas, the man behind Wendy's
Breaking news: a Wendy’s restaurant just opened in Fonthill! (No, I’m not getting a commission.) But it is the third most popular hamburger chain in America (after McDonalds and Burger King). So, where did the name come from and who is the familiar face behind it all?
Adopted once
Rex David (Dave) Thomas was born in 1932 in New Jersey during the Depression. His parents (Sam and Molly) weren’t married, which was a big thing back then. They put their baby son up for adoption and Rex and Auleva Thomas became his new parents.
Sadly, Auleva died when Dave was only fi ve and his father had to travel to fi nd work during those diffi cult years. So, Thomas was raised by his grandmother, Minnie Sinclair, who instilled in him the values of service, hard work and respect for all. These would later serve him well in his business career.
Thomas then made “the worst decision of my life” by dropping out of school to take a restaurant job. He would eventually graduate from high school in 1993 at age 61 (never too late). During the Korean War in 1950, Thomas joined the U.S. Army and became a mess sergeant, feeding 2,000 soldiers a day.
Adopted twice
After the war, Thomas began working for Colonel Harlan Sanders of the “Kentucky Fried Chicken” chain in the mid 1960s. Sanders was a committed Christian and mentored Thomas both spiritually and professionally. This was Thomas’ second adoption — not by Sanders but by God.
Scripture teaches that when a person becomes a true believer he or she is adopted into God’s family. The apostle Paul wrote, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)
Later Paul continues this theme, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem (save) those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.“ (Galatians 4:4-5)
In 1969, Thomas founded “Wendy’s Old-Fashioned Hamburgers” with his fi rst restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. His goals were high quality and good value. He named the restaurant after his 8-year-old daughter, Melinda Lou (say what!). As a child, Melinda couldn’t pronounce her name correctly and it came out as “Wenda.” Thomas tweaked it to “Wendy’s” and the rest (as they say) is hamburger history.
The well-known image of the red-headed girl with pigtails reminds Canadi-
See FAITH LIFT Page 17
Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fi ll each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can fi gure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Word Search: Produce Dept Voice
CROSSWORD
ANSWERS ON PAGE 22
160 Hwy 20 E, Fonthill, ON
