Are Enriched and Fortified Foods Healthy? The Pros and Cons
Have you picked up iodized salt or vitamin D-rich milk recently? Both are examples of fortified foods—meaning, foods to which extra nutrients have been added. Pumped-up products are crazy common: Besides milk and salt, commonly fortified foods include cereals, breakfast bars, orange juice, tea and infant formulas. At first glance, they seem incredibly helpful. If you tend to be calcium-deficient, why not get an extra dose while sipping your morning OJ, right? Of course, it’s not that simple (sigh …). Here are the facts you need to know to decide whether fortified foods are right for you and your family. Fortified Foods vs. Enriched Foods First, a distinction: Fortification and enrichment are both processes that add nutrients to food, but they’re slightly different. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), fortification is when a nutrient gets added to a food that never contained that nutrient. Adding vitamin D to orange juice or milk is a good example. Enrichment, on the other hand, is when nutrients lost during processing are added back into a food. For instance, when whole wheat is processed into white flour, iron and B vitamins may be added back in a synthetic form. Fortified functional foods Fortified functional foods take this concept even further. They contain an added ingredient intended to produce a specific health benefit beyond its nutritional value, such as cholesterol reduction or cancer prevention. Some types of fortified functional foods contain supplements, such as the addition of: Omega-3s in milk to boost brain function Collagen in protein bars to enhance skin health Probiotics for better gut or immune function Other types include antioxidants, like the addition of fruits or vegetables in cereals or beverages. The Benefits of Fortified Foods: 3 Success Stories Government agencies and food policy advocates often use one process or another to decrease nutrient deficiencies in large populations, an approach that can be super effective. In the 1920s, U.S. companies began adding iodine to table salt. This essential element supports the thyroid gland. Without enough iodine, humans experience a high incidence of goiters (the term for an enlarged thyroid). In the 1930s, commercial milk producers began fortifying milk with synthesized vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin,” to save children from rickets. In 1900, about 80% of children living in Boston suffered from rickets, a bone affliction that leads to deformities, but it was essentially eradicated thanks to fortified vitamin D. Much more recently in 1996, the FDA mandated adding synthetic folic acid to processed grains. The goal: to combat high incidences of neural-tube defects in newborns. All three of these policies helped prevent real public health problems. The Problems with Fortified Foods However, the average consumer who regularly eats fortified foods faces a few big issues. Many experts argue that your body does not absorb individual nutrients added to foods in the same way that it absorbs naturally occurring nutrients in whole foods, consumed alongside other complementary nutrients. A simple example: Skim milk is often fortified with vitamin A and D, which are fat-soluble vitamins—but the milk was processed to remove the fat. When you consume those vitamins without a fat source, you may not get the same degree of nutritional benefits. RELATED: Food Combining: The Facts and 5 Combos That Make Sense for Your Health and Life Not to mention, most food companies use synthetic versions of micronutrients, which your body may process differently than the natural, food-based versions. The Problems with Enriched Foods Companies often add vitamins into food at incredibly high levels—up to 100% of the recommended daily amount into one serving of food. Since most of us don’t have severe deficiencies, eating a lot of enriched foods might cause you to exceed the recommended daily intake by a long shot. This can mess with your digestion, for starters. Some individuals have trouble breaking down folic acid (which is necessary for the important process of methylation), for example, so eating enriched bread, pasta and cereal regularly could lead to decreased immunity or mask a vitamin B12 deficiency. In severe but thankfully rare cases, overconsumption of micronutrients can lead to toxicity overload. RELATED: What is Methylation and Why Does It Matter For Your Health? The Takeaway Here’s the bottom line: You may have noticed something about most of the enriched or fortified foods mentioned here—they’re usually highly processed to begin with. It’s much better to avoid those kinds of foods altogether. Fortification can be a useful tool for delivering nutrients to at-risk populations. But if you’re lucky enough to have the choice, it’s better to skip labels that say enriched or fortified. Instead, reach for naturally nutrient-rich whole foods. (Image: Shutterstock)
How to Be Healthy On a 3 Day Weekend
Three day weekends. They’re all about your favorite F words: friends, family, food, and fun. You know the drill. But it’s amazing how an extra 24 hours makes it so easy to overdo everything and turn what could’ve been a chance to press the reset button on your life into a hangover-filled, sleep-deprived, food-coma weekend. I always talk to my clients about changing their mindset about what weekends mean, especially those clients who tend to eat well all week long and then go bonkers come Friday night, undoing all the “good” work they did since Monday. This weekend, break the cycle. Flip the switch. Redefine what a weekend means. Learn how to be even healthier during a time you normally reserve for your most unhealthy habits. Instead of thinking it’s time to go “off” your diet, skip your workout, and binge watch Netflix, use this 72 hour break to be kind to your body. Approach this weekend as a kickstart to good health and a little more happiness. Today I’m teaching you how to be healthy on a 3 day weekend, and I’m not even gonna talk about food. How to Be Healthy On a 3 Day Weekend Sleep Deep: Allowing yourself to become sleep deprived can leave you feeling lethargic, dull, cloudy, and can even worsen your metabolism and interfere with proper decision making. I want you to tuck yourself in a little bit earlier and aim for a minimum of 7 hours with the Sandman, sans electronics! Winding down before bed is important for setting yourself up for a good night of sleep. Chamomile tea, a little lavender oil, some deep breaths can go a long way. Figure out a routine you can stick with even if just on the weekend, and treat your body to some much needed downtime. Love More: While I have you thinking about your time between the sheets, go ahead and stimulate the release of those feel good hormones by creating a little extra time to connect. Intimacy and sex flood the body with oxytocin, and I’ve never heard anybody say they are getting too much oxytocin in their, er, diet. And did you know that research shows oxytocin lowers stress, which also helps lower your weight? Wham bam thank you ma’am. Sometimes a busy schedule can leave the importance of intimacy on the back burner, so use the extra time this weekend to light that fire again. Nurture Yourself: Sometimes being passionate in our lives is easier when we take a moment to love ourselves a little more. There are endless benefits to feeling your best, and most of them happen on their own. Your posture will straighten, your face will soften and brighten, you’ll naturally be exuding the best version of yourself. Think about what makes you feel pampered and do it. It might be a massage after work or a mani pedi tomorrow with your morning coffee or even just taking time to use that delicious moisturizer you normally skip after a shower because you’re running out the door. Whatever it is, remember that it’s not selfish to use time for yourself. I hope this long weekend you enjoy a lot of your favorite f words, and that you do it in a way that is kind to yourself. Learning how to be healthy doesn’t have to start on a Monday. It can start on a Friday and continue all weekend long.
