Quebecers are eating too much salt and sugar, study shows

A new study shows that Quebecers are eating too much salt and sugar and not enough fruit, vegetables or whole grains.

“That’s a major concern, because not enough fruits and vegetables and too much salt equals more heart disease, more cancer and more diabetes,” said Benoit Lamarche, lead author of the NutriQuebec study.

After surveying more than 6,000 people across the province on their dietary habits, the researchers at Université Laval found that 80 per cent of people exceed the 2,300 milligrams maximum recommended by Health Canada per day.

Plus, two-thirds of the population are not reaching their daily target of five fruits and vegetables.

Quebecers, on average, consume about 3,200 milligrams of sodium, 4.5 portions of fruits and vegetables and 125 millilitres of sugary beverages per day.

The study highlights inequality when it comes to access to healthy foods: it’s worse for people in vulnerable socioeconomic situations, says Lamarche.

Households with higher incomes and who are more educated typically eat better.

“There is a proportion of people for whom just nourishing their family is a big stress, and they don’t know if they’d be able to do that,” said Lamarche.

Food insecurity has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic, the study adds.

While they don’t necessarily consume more sodium than the average Quebecer, those experiencing food insecurity do struggle to eat enough fruits and vegetables, observes Lamarche.

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Only one out of 10 people living with food insecurity consumes five or more portions of fruits and vegetables daily.

In comparison, 36 per cent of all Quebecers meet the daily target.

“So, that’s an even bigger gap in terms of health inequities,” Lamarche said.

Impact on health care system

The study also shows that, by increasing the risk for conditions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes, “we stress the health system prematurely.”

Data suggest that for every dollar the government invests in prevention and nutrition, it can save $10 in the health care system.

“That’s very efficient, but you need to have methods or interventions that shift the balance towards more fruits and vegetables, less salt, more whole grains,” said Lamarche.

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He adds that the goal of the study is to inform government decisions.

According to the researcher, education is not enough, as most people know what it means to eat well, but it can be hard to do.

“Our food environment and our lifestyle are not compatible with healthy eating in general. We’re pushed by time, we’re stressed. Often, the low-nutrition quality foods are less expensive than the healthier foods, so we’re kind of naturally drawn to less nutritionally adequate diets,” said Lamarche.

NutriQuebec researchers say they now want to expand the study and survey up to 30,000 people.

They say they also plan to follow up with the initial respondents to repeat the survey as the government adopts new measures, like increasing labels for foods high in salt, sugar and saturated fats.

“We’ll be able to say in Quebec, did this have an impact on the consumption of salt or sugar? Because we’re following people before and after the appearance of this policy,” said Lamarche.

Those interested in taking part in the survey can register on NutriQuebec’s website.

With files from CTV News’ Angela MacKenzie.