OTTAWA—A diet heavy on processed foods, combined with a lack of exercise, is writing a death sentence for many Canadians, warns a Senate committee that is calling for a national campaign to combat obesity and proposing a sugar tax.

In a blunt report released Tuesday, senators urge federal action to curb rising obesity rates, including a tax on sweetened drinks, a ban on advertising food and drink to children and a call to make healthy foods more affordable.

And it took aim at Health Canada’s own recommendations to Canadians on healthy eating, saying the dated Canada Food Guide is no longer providing sound nutritional advice.

“Fruit juice, for instance, is presented as a healthy item when it is little more than a soft drink without the bubbles,” the report said.

The report warns that rising obesity rates among adults and children are taking an “enormous” toll on the health of Canadians with rising rates of diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses which are all costing society, perhaps as much as $7 billion a year.

“It’s an epidemic. It’s just been getting worse,” said Sen. Art Eggleton, deputy chair of the Senate committee on social affairs, science and technology, which produced the study.

“To the health care system, it’s costly. To the individual, it’s costing them their health and their lives in many cases,” he said in an interview.

Just how much sugar is in our food?

Can of Coke: 39 grams of sugar

Four Oreo cookies: 14 grams of sugar

A slice of pizza: 6 grams of sugar

Glass of orange juice: 38 grams of sugar

A tablespoon of ketchup: 4 grams of sugar

Pasta sauce (150 gram serving size): 13 grams of sugar

Mars bar: 54 grams of sugar

½ cup of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia: 21 grams of sugar

1 cup of Cheerios: 1 gram of sugar

Carton of chocolate milk: 55 grams of sugar

In a statement, federal Health Minister Jane Philpott said she welcomed the report and said she was already committed to taking action in some areas, such as the restricting the marketing of “unhealthy” foods to children.

The senate committee studied the issue between February 2014 and June 2015 and on Tuesday rolled out findings it hopes will transform the lifestyle choices — and health — of Canadians.

At its heart is the conclusion that a growing taste for prepackaged, processed foods — the report cites instant noodles, prepackaged pizzas, candy, soft drinks and salty snacks as a few examples — while sitting around using electronic devices have made it too easy “to eat poorly and remain inactive.”

“There is an obesity crisis in this country. Canadians are paying for it with their wallets — and with their lives,” the report said, concluding that as many as 66,000 Canadians die each year from obesity-related health problems.

Eggleton, a former Toronto mayor, said there has to be a focus on both diet and exercise, but he added, “you can’t outrun a bad diet.

“Diet to me is paramount,” he said.

Eggleton said more Canadians are reliant on fast foods and processed foods “because we’re in a hurry so much of a time.

The reports also notes as well that low-income Canadians are forced into making unhealthy choices since prepared foods are often less costly than fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Highly processed foods for a lot of people are cheaper than whole foods and take less preparation,” Eggleton said.

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“Processed and ready-to-buy foods are very significant in the diet of Canadians. We need to have more of an emphasis on whole foods,” he said.

Eggleton said he’s especially concerned that the numbers of overweight children have tripled since the 1980s. “The majority of the children who are obese in their childhood end up struggling with the problem in their adulthood too,” he said.

The problem is especially severe for Canada’s indigenous population, where 35 per cent of adults are overweight while another 35 per cent are obese, the report says. It cites the high cost of perishable foods in remote communities as a major factor.

The report’s 21 recommendations set out a prescription for healthier living, starting with a call for the new Liberal government to take the lead in promoting better lifestyle choices for Canadians.

It urges a prohibition on food and beverage advertising aimed at children under the age of 13, similar to one it says exists now in Quebec while conceding the challenges of imposing such a ban.

The report also said that Ottawa should look at options to impose a tax on sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened drinks. It noted that France has brought in a tax on carbonated soft drinks and Mexico has a tax on sugary drinks.

But that suggestion sparked quick resistance. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation said a “sugar tax” would do little more than pump money into the federal coffers. The Canadian Beverage Association said that while it supports the push to healthier living, there’s little evidence to show that a beverage tax would work.

Philpott was not available for an interview Tuesday, according to her office. But in a statement, the health minister, herself a doctor, acknowledged the fact that rising obesity rates are putting the lives of Canadians at risk.

She said the new Liberal government is “committed” to taking action in areas such as restricting the marketing of “unhealthy” foods and beverages to children; reducing salt and trans fats; improving food labelling and supporting efforts to encourage physical activity.

“I look forward to reviewing all of the recommendations of this report in depth . . . and working with my provincial and territorial colleagues and stakeholders across the country as we work to tackle this national obesity issue,” Philpott said in a statement.

Recommendations to curb obesity

A recipe for healthier living.

A Senate committee made 21 recommendations to combat growing obesity rates in Canada, including:

Creating a national campaign to combat obesity with goals, timelines and annual progress reports.

A ban on the advertising of foods and beverages to children, modelled on a ban already in place in Quebec.

Price-tag changes to encourage healthier eating. The committee suggests looking at a tax on sugar-sweetened and artificially-sweetened beverages. And it urges the government to look at how to make healthy foods more affordable, perhaps through lower taxes.

An overhaul of the Canada Food Guide. Witnesses said the dated guide was “at best ineffective, and at worst enabling.” Instead, the committee said the guide should be rewritten to reflect the fact that “people don’t eat nutrients. The promotion of fresh, whole foods should be front and centre and the dangers of processed foods should be highlighted.”

Clear nutritional labelling that can be easily understood by consumers.

More funding to ParticipACTION to better encourage Canadians to get of the couch.

Engage with provinces to improve doctors’ training on diet and exercise and encourage doctors to give patients prescriptions for exercise.

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