Originally from our sister publication, SmallBizAdvisor.ca.
Although Canadians have made small improvements to their diets in recent decades, persistently poor eating habits continue to increase their risk of developing a chronic disease later in life, according to a new Conference Board of Canada report. And chronic disease is expected to create a significant burden for benefit plans.
“In some ways, Canadians eat better than ever before,” said Daniel Munro, principal research associate with the Conference Board of Canada. “But despite the small improvements, Canadians are exposed to unnecessary risk because we continue to eat too much harmful fats, sodium and sugar, and not enough fruits, vegetables and fibre. It’s also very troubling that children’s eating habits are poor and getting worse. We need to take action to improve dietary patterns—especially among children—in order to reduce the future health, economic and social burden of chronic diseases.”
Employers who provide educational material to employees about healthy food choices may help reduce the risk of chronic disease in their employee populations. The report identifies possible initiatives, such as the following:
- encouraging people to lower their sodium and trans-fat levels;
- targeting communication to subsets of employees with specific problems, such as obesity and diabetes; and
- teaching employees how to read food labels.
The report, Improving Health Outcomes: The Role of Food in Addressing Chronic Disease, considers the food-related risk factors for three highly prevalent chronic diseases—cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
The report identifies aspects of Canadians’ diets that increase their risk of developing a chronic disease. Among some of the troubling findings are the following:
- Canadians’ average daily consumption of sodium—3,400 mg—is well above both the adequate daily intake level of 1,500 mg and the upper limit target of 2,300 mg per day. Canadian processed foods tend to contain more sodium than equivalent products sold in the U.S., although, overall, Canadians consume less sodium daily than Americans.
- Seven out of 10 Canadian men and five out of 10 Canadian women eat more calories than they expend through activity. By 2008, 62% of Canadians were overweight or obese—which is a key risk factor for many chronic diseases.
- Few children eat the recommended five or more servings of fruit and vegetables each day, and many children consume more calories than they burn, due to their low and declining levels of physical activity. An alarming 8.6% of children aged 6 to 17 are obese; one in four are overweight or obese.