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“It is important to help children develop friendly relationships with food,” said Dr. Kozeta Miliku, author of the study and assistant professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. Eating fresh or whole foods together as a family, or setting up opportunities for children to help prepare their own snacks, she said, can help influence healthy eating as they age.

Globally, Canada is in the top five countries when it comes to the sale of ultra-processed foods, in part,听which听“now dominate the food supply in high-income nations,” according to Statistic Canada’s website.听A diet fuelled with听highly processed foods can also lead to diabetes and high blood pressure.

Part of the problem is that听ultra-processed foods can be addictive.

“We develop a taste for them,” said Dr. Dina Kulik, emergency medicine doctor and director of Kidcrew, a clinic focused on health services for children.听“If you eat them often enough and then go to a fresh fruit, it will seem more bitter or bland.”

Here’s what you need to know about processed and ultra-processed foods, and how your family can eat healthy on a budget.听

Key takeaways from the study

• The study suggests that in Canada, ultra-processed foods contribute to almost half of a child鈥檚 total daily energy intake
• Researchers found a link between eating a lot of ultra-processed foods at age three and an increased risk of being overweight by age five.
• The associations were mostly seen in males
• The findings remained significant after accounting for other factors such as parent education and whether the child was breastfed.

What is a processed food?

Any foods that have been changed from their original state, either fresh or whole, are processed.

Examples of processed foods include baked bread, canned fruits, canned vegetables, and pasteurized milk.听And while only minimally processed in comparison, even foods such as pre-cut fruit and vegetables are technically processed in order to be prepped and sold in stores, marketed for convenience.

While these items have been altered and are processed, they are not necessarily听harmful to your health.

What is an ultra-processed food?

Any foods that have been “really changed from its original state, are ultra processed foods,” said Kulik.

Often, they contain artificial flavours, preservatives, sweeteners and emulsifiers, and lack many essential nutrients. 鈥淭hese are often designed to be convenient, tasty, and have a long shelf life,鈥� said Miliku.

Eating chicken offers more meat protein than a chicken nugget for example, due to additives. Hot dogs often come from the meat of a cow (and sometimes mixed with pork), but are very different nutritionally from eating meat protein in the form of beef, said Kulik.

Examples of ultra-processed foods include sugary soft drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals, packaged soups, chicken nuggets, hotdogs and fries.

As a rule of thumb, when reading a list of ingredients, if you cannot pronounce it, or it is an ingredient you cannot find in the kitchen, it is likely processed, said Miliku, adding there may be a healthier alternative you can make yourself, without additives.

Tips for busy parents or people on a fixed income

Dr. Miliku and Dr. Kulik offered money and time-saving tips for how to keep children’s’ diets healthy

• As a general rule, instead of buying pre-made food items, try to make them at home. Instead of ordering pizza, spend that money on buying pizza ingredients. On the chance that it ends up costing more than your pizza order would have, there is a strong chance you will have leftover ingredients you can use for additional meals, or more pizza nights.
• When making meals that include processed or ultra processed foods, aim to pair them with healthy fats and/or proteins, which will keep you energized and feeling fuller longer, cutting out the risk of eating 鈥� likely processed 鈥� snacks between meals.
• Choose the most affordable fruit or vegetable to supplement packaged foods, whenever possible.
• Try meal planning around the fruits and vegetables that are on sale, buying in bulk when able and freezing the rest for future use.听
• Plan ahead whenever possible. Often, we turn to processed foods out of convenience, but they are not necessarily cheaper. Try to prep foods in advance to make it easier on busy days.
• Seek out opportunities in your area for access to community garden plots, try growing your own food or look into food share options.
• When shopping, take a minute to read the packaging, looking at the ingredients list and where it lists the breakdown of nutrients.

Federally, by 2026, Canadians will start seeing a front of package nutrition labelling system, highlighting key information and ingredients we should be aware of. The new requirement will be applied to most prepackaged products containing items听of public health concern,听like saturated fat, sugars and sodium, according to the .听