A collaborative effort by various health organisations and government is underway to step up individual and public efforts to encourage healthier eating as South Africa grapples with an increase in people suffering from diabetes, cancer and hypertension.

This year’s National Nutrition Week, from 9 to 15 October, encouraged people to “Eat more vegetables and fruit every day”.

“We are more concerned about the health effects of ultra-processed foods than about minimally processed or processed foods,” says Prof Salome Kruger and colleagues at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Centre of Excellence for Nutrition.

According to the team, processed foods are made by adding salt, oil, sugar, preservatives and artificial colourants to extend shelf life and increase sensory qualities for a more enjoyable product. Examples are canned fish, vegetables and fruits, and bakery goods such as mass-produced bread.

“Ultra-processed foods contain additives that may be associated with asthma, allergies, irritable bowel syndrome (spastic colon) and some types of cancer,” explains Prof Kruger.

Currently, a team of NWU researchers is investigating the relationship between the degree of food processing and breast cancer risk in black urban South African women. The researchers are Dr Mariaan Wicks, Dr Christine Taljaard-Krugell and PhD candidate Inarie Jacobs.

Prof Kruger and her team are encouraging the public to opt for whole foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables instead. These whole foods are often replaced by convenient, ultra-processed foods that have a negative effect on the intake of essential vitamins, minerals and fibre.

They suggest that people grow fresh herbs at home in pots and try to have a small (or large) vegetable garden. “Parsley, mint, basil and origanum are easy to grow and so are spinach, tomatoes and green beans,” she says.

So next time you open a tin of vegetables, ask yourself if there is not a fresh, healthier option.

Prof Salome Kruger