Nutrition: An Investment in your Health
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Before eating that melt-in-your-mouth brownie bonanza, and refusing to share it with your significant other, do you stop and think about how the deliciously decadent dessert can influence your health?
I know I don’t, because even with a full stomach, ‘there’s always room for dessert’!
But did you know that the simple act of prioritizing nutrition can improve diet quality [1], and as a result, improve your health [10]?
Taking the time to think about the food you eat is like warming up before a workout.
To prevent injury, you may stretch, think through muscle groups you will activate, or slowly mimic movements you will do under greater exertion later.
To prevent disease, why not take time to think about how the food you eat fits into your diet and how it will affect your body after a meal?
It’s a bit of a stretch, but I wanted to warm up your mind before diving in.
Is nutrition knowledge worth the time and money?
Nutrition has been referred to as a preventive medicine because of how food and food components interact with our biological systems to impact our health.
Food not only fuels the body, but also serves to support development, growth, and recovery [13]. It is essential to maintain balance in the body for disease prevention [12], and it even promotes social interaction [5].
There’s a reason the ‘Father of Early Medicine’ once said:
“Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”
With proper nutrition, the quality of your diet will improve, along with the quality of your life.
Nutrition counseling has demonstrated improved physical and mental health status from increased fruit and vegetable consumption [10]. On top of that, self-rated health improved, meaning that not only will you look and function healthier, you will feel healthier too.
Aren’t fruits and vegetables more expensive?
Poor fruit and vegetable consumption can cost you more money in the long run.
Canada spends $1 billion in direct health care costs and $2.3 billion in indirect productivity losses per year because of poor fruit and vegetable intake [4].
Contrary to popular belief, diet quality and fruit and vegetable consumption may be influenced more by access to healthy foods rather than education and/or income [6]. Income itself may not be a good measure of food spending [2].
Poorer regions tend to have reduced infrastructure that can limit transport and processing of fresh produce [11], reducing accessibility and increasing costs.
Availability, proximity, cost, and appeal of quality health foods seem to have more of an impact on consumption than income or education level [3].
Seasonality of produce is a great example of this.
Greater quality and lower costs
Throughout the summer, tiny juicy Quebec strawberries are everywhere. Farmers' markets fill parking lots. Fruits and vegetables are basically walking to you from the farms of neighboring towns.
Prices are reasonable because produce is plenty.
At the market near me, I can get a large brown paper bag overflowing with fruits and vegetables for about 20 dollars. And it lasts me up to two weeks!
Farmers Market Veggie Basket
During the winter months, it’s a different story.
With little produce in season, most must be transported over long distances to reach supermarkets. This causes prices to increase and, if you’re on a student budget like me, may limit financial flexibility [9].
One way to mediate this is by getting frozen fruits and vegetables, as the nutritional quality is generally comparable to fresh produce [7, 8] and can be cheaper.
The closer the sale of produce is to its production, and the easier it is to transport it there, the greater the quality will increase and the lower the costs will decrease.
To Sum It Up
The time and money spent learning, cooking, and purchasing the proper foods might make nutrition seem like a costly investment but the quality of your life will improve and you will save money in the long run.
Regardless of your income or education, your diet quality can improve by simply understanding how nutrients and other food components interact with your body.
Be smart about groceries, considering seasonality, availability, and proximity to improve the costs and quality of your diet.
As long as you get your information from credible sources, your future self will thank you!
- Lucas Roldos
Lucas Roldos
is currently completing his MSc in Human Nutrition at McGill University, where he received his BSc in Nutrition Science with a sports concentration and a minor in Neuroscience. His research examines motivation for healthy behavior.
Disclaimer: The information provided is meant to spread knowledge and induce interest for educational purposes. It is based on limited research. We try to pull the overall message of the literature, but further research may be necessary. What is done with the information or suggestions is solely the consumer's decision. The information provided is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition. References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute the endorsement of any website or other sources.
References:
[1] Aggarwal A, et al. Importance of taste, nutrition, cost and convenience in relation to diet quality: Evidence of nutrition resilience among US adults using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2010. Preventive Medicine (2016). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27374943
[2] Drewnowski A, et al. Geographic disparities in Healthy Eating Index scores (HEI–2005 and 2010) by residential property values: Findings from Seattle Obesity Study (SOS). Preventive Medicine (2016). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26657348
[3] Dubé L, et al. A nutrition/health mindset on commercial Big Data and drivers of food demand in modern and traditional systems. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (2014). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25514866
[4] Ekwaru J, et al. The economic burden of inadequate consumption of vegetables and fruit in Canada. Public Health Nutrition (2017). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27819197
[5] Fieldhouse, P. (1995). Social Functions of Food. In Food and nutrition: Customs and culture. London: Chapman & Hall.
[6] Mentz G, et al. Neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage and fruit and vegetable consumption: a seven countries comparison. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2015). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25997451
[7] Rickman, JC et al. Nutritional comparison of fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables. Part 1. Vitamins C and B and phenolic compounds. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. (2007). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.2825/abstract
[8] Rickman, JC et al. Nutritional comparison of fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables II. Vitamin A and carotenoids, vitamin E, minerals and fiber. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. (2007). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.2824/abstract
[9] Rogus, S. Do the Poor Pay More for Food? A Review of Food Price Disparities in Urban Environments. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition. (2015). http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19320248.2014.962775
[10] Steptoe A, et al. Quality of life and self-rated health in relation to changes in fruit and vegetable intake and in plasma vitamins C and E in a randomised trial of behavioural and nutritional education counselling. The British Journal of Nutrition (2004). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15231001
[11] Thow, AM, Priyadarshi, S. Aid for Trade: an opportunity to increase fruit and vegetable supply. Bulletin of the World Health Organization (2013). http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/91/1/12-106955/en/
[12] Tsai AG. A quality-adjusted life year of prevention: the cost-effectiveness of nutrition counseling. Journal of the American Dietetic Association (2011). http://jandonline.org/article/S0002-8223(10)01650-0/fulltext
[13] Wardlaw, GM, & Hampl, J. S. (2007). Perspectives in nutrition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.