Junk food contains large amounts of fat, and as fat
accumulates in your body, you'll gain weight and could become obese. The more
weight you gain, the more you'll be at risk for serious chronic illnesses such
as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. You could even have a heart attack.
The high levels of fat and sodium in junk food can
cause high blood pressure or hypertension. Excessive dietary sodium can also
have a negative effect on renal function, even leading to kidney disease.
In the short term, high levels of dietary fat lead
to poor cognitive performance. You'll feel tired and have trouble concentrating
because your body might not be getting enough oxygen.
Junk Food Can Damage Your Liver and Your Heart
The high levels of fat and sodium in junk food and
fast food can contribute to heart disease by raising blood cholesterol levels
and contributing to arterial plaque build up. The high levels of trans fatty
acids found in many junk foods and fast foods can lead to fatty liver deposits,
which, over time, can cause liver dysfunction and disease.
Junk Food Can Lead to Diabetes
Over time, the high levels of sugar and simple
carbohydrates in junk food can lead to type 2 diabetes. This occurs because
eating too much sugar puts your metabolism under stress; when you eat a lot of
refined white sugar and simple carbohydrates, your body has to pump up insulin
production to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels.
Because junk food doesn't contain the protein or
complex carbohydrates that your body needs to maintain consistent blood sugar
levels, your blood sugar levels will drop suddenly soon after eating. You'll
crave sugar and likely end up eating more junk food.
Over time, this stress damages your body's ability
to use the insulin secreted by your pancrease. A healthy diet can help maintain
your body's insulin sensitivity.
Even in the short term, eating too much junk food
can make you feel really uncomfortable. It can lead to mood swings and
constipation, and lower your energy levels so that you lack interest in the
exercise you need to burn off those extra calories.
Fast Food Nutrition: Junk Food's Effect On Your Body
Fast food nutrition should
make up a minimal part of a healthy diet. Fast foods and junk foods are high in
fat, sodium and sugar, which can lead to obesity and a range of attendant
health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Here are the
facts about how excessive junk food consumption affects your body.
Junk Food Affects Your Energy Levels
Junk food doesn't contain the nutrients your body
needs to stay healthy. As a result, you may feel chronically fatigued and lack
the energy you need to complete daily tasks. The high levels of sugar in junk
food puts your metabolism under stress; when you eat refined sugar, your
pancreas secretes high amounts of insulin to prevent a dangerous spike in blood
sugar levels.
Because fast food and junk food don't
contain adequate amounts of protein and good carbohydrates, your blood
sugar levels will drop suddenly after eating, leaving you feeling grumpy,
fatigued and craving sugar.
What Happens to Your Metabolism After Five Days of
Junk Food
Even though their caloric intake remained unchanged,
when men ate a junk-food diet their muscles' ability to oxidize glucose was
disrupted in just five days' time. This is a significant change, because muscle
plays an important role in clearing glucose from your body after a meal.
Under normal circumstances, your muscles will either
break down the glucose or store it for later use. Your muscles make up about 30
percent of your body weight, so if you lose this key player in glucose
metabolism it could pave the way for diabetes
and other health problems. As reported by TIME:
"'The normal response to a meal was essentially
either blunted or just not there after five days of high-fat feeding,'
[Matthew] Hulver, [PhD, department head of Human Nutrition, Food, and Exercise
at Virginia Tech Hulver] says.
Before going on a work-week's worth of a fatty diet,
when the men ate a normal meal they saw big increases in oxidative targets four
hours after eating.
That response was obliterated after the five-day fat
infusion. And under normal eating conditions, the biopsied muscle used glucose
as an energy source by oxidizing glucose. 'That was essentially wiped out
after,' he says. 'We were surprised how robust the effects were just with five
days.'"
Just One Bad Meal Can Mess with Your Health
Morgan Spurlock's documentary Super Size Me was one
of the first to vividly demonstrate the consequences of trying to sustain
yourself on a diet of fast food. After just four weeks, Spurlock's health had
deteriorated to the point that his physician warned him he was putting his life
in serious jeopardy if he continued the experiment.
But as the featured study showed, it doesn't take a
virtual month to experience the health effects of a poor diet. In fact, the
changes happen after just one meal, according to research published in the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
When you eat a meal high in unhealthy fats and
sugar, the sugar causes a large spike in your blood-sugar levels called
"post-prandial hyperglycemia." In the long term this can lead to an
increased risk of heart attack, but there are short-term effects as well, such
as:
Your tissue becomes inflamed (as occurs when it is
infected)
Your blood vessels constrict
Damaging free radicals are generated
Your blood pressure may rise higher than normal
A surge and drop in insulin may leave you feeling
hungry soon after your meal
The good news is that eating a healthy meal helps
your body return to its normal, optimal state, even after just one. Study author
James O'Keefe of the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City,
Missouri told TIME:
"Your health and vigor, at a very basic level,
are as good as your last meal."
Kids who regularly indulge in junk food may be at
increased risk for health complications like obesity and depression.
Junk food can be appealing for a variety of reasons,
including convenience, price and taste. For children, who do not always
understand the health consequences of their eating habits, junk food may appear
especially appetizing. However, regularly consuming fattening junk food can be
addictive for children and lead to complications like obesity, chronic illness,
low self-esteem and even depression, as well as affecting how they perform in
school and extracurricular activities.
Energy and Focus
According to the Women’s and Children’s Health
Network, diet has a significant effect on children’s study habits. Junk food
and foods with high sugar content deplete energy levels and the ability to
concentrate for extended periods of time. Energy and focus are especially
crucial for school-age children. Children set the foundation for lifelong
habits in their youth, making junk food particularly hazardous to their
well-rounded development. Physical activity is also essential for children of
all ages, and regularly eating junk food does not provide the necessary
nutrients children need for sufficient energy to engage in physical activity. A
lack of physical activity is harmful to physical and mental well being and may
also exclude a child from critical social development.
Obesity Risk
A study published in “Pediatrics” in 2004 found
fast-food consumption in children was linked with many dangerous precursors for
obesity. According to this study, kids who ate fast food were more likely to
consume a higher amount of calories, fat, carbohydrates and added sugars in one
fast food meal. They were also less likely to consume as much fiber, milk and
fruits and vegetables as children who did not eat fast food. Children who
consumed more fattening foods while eating fast food were also likely, in
general, to eat more unhealthy foods at other meals. According to a statement
released by the journal “Nature Neuroscience” in 2010, high-calorie food can be
addictive, causing children who occasionally eat fast food to learn problematic
patterns of eating. These factors were found to place children who regularly
ate fast food at increased risk for obesity.
Chronic Illness
According to the Prevention Institute, experts blame
junk food for rising rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke.
Increasing rates of chronic illness affect children who regularly consume junk
food. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts if current trends
continue, one in three U.S. adults will have diabetes by the year 2050.
Diabetes can result in disability and premature death. The Center for Food
Safety noted in 2012 that obese children are also more likely to develop high
cholesterol and heart disease later in life. According to the Women’s and
Children’s Health Network, changes can happen in children’s bodies even when
they’re young that are associated with disease at a more advanced age.
Self-Esteem and Depression
Self-esteem and confidence in oneself are especially
important to growing children, and regularly consuming junk food can negatively
impact this sense of self. According to “Kids Health Club” magazine, junk food
can affect a child’s physical development in detrimental ways, including
unhealthy weight gain, which can result in self-esteem problems. Low
self-esteem can lead to consequences like depression. Nutritionists at
MayoClinic.com also report eating junk food can potentially cause depression on
its own. According to the journal “American Family Physician,” depression --
which can be very dangerous for children -- has negative impacts on growth and
development, performance in school and social relationships and can ultimately
lead to suicide.
Fast food hamburgers are high in calories in low in
nutritional value.
Junk food is food that is calorie-dense and nutrient
poor. In recent decades, junk food, fast food and convenience food consumption
in the United States have increased dramatically, with 25 percent of people now
consuming predominantly junk food diets. This trend has occurred concurrently
with rising epidemics of numerous chronic diseases and accounts for a long list
of reasons why eating junk food is bad.
Obesity
Junk food plays a major role in the obesity
epidemic. By the year 2050, the rate of obesity in the U.S. is expected to reach
42 percent, according to researchers at Harvard University. Children who eat
fast food as a regular part of their diets consume more fat, carbohydrates and
processed sugar and less fiber than those who do not eat fast food regularly.
Junk food in these children's diets accounts for 187 extra calories per day,
leading to 6 additional pounds of weight gain per year. Obesity increases your
risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many other chronic health
conditions.
Diabetes
Your insulin levels become elevated when you eat
processed sugars, such as those in soft drinks, white flour and other foods
devoid of fiber and nutrients necessary to properly metabolize carbohydrates.
Eating junk foods throughout the day causes chronically high insulin levels, which
eventually prompts your cells to begin to ignore this important hormone,
resulting in a condition known as insulin resistance. Ultimately, obesity and
Type 2 diabetes may set in. Since the 1980s, Type 2 diabetes, which was minimal
in teenagers, has risen to 15 percent.
Depression
Junk food may lead to depression in teenagers,
according to Andrew F. Smith, author of the book "Fast Food and Junk Food:
An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat." Hormonal changes at puberty make
teens more susceptible to mood and behavioral swings. A healthy diet plays a
part in keeping hormone levels on an even keel, while a diet high in junk food
falls short of these requirements. Consuming trans fats, saturated fats and
processed food is associated with up to 58 percent increase in risk of
depression.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Processing that removes vitamins, minerals and fiber
makes junk foods into the sources of empty calories that nutritionists
disparage. Children who eat a lot of junk foods may develop nutritional
deficiencies that lead to low energy, mood swings, sleep disturbance and poor
academic achievement, among other health conditions, according to the
University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.
Sodium
High sodium levels are a defining characteristic of
many junk foods and one of the contributing factors to the overconsumption of
salt that typifies the Western diet and contributes to high blood pressure and
heart, liver and kidney diseases, according to Harvard Health Publications. The
average American eats five to 10 times more salt than the 2,300 milligrams per
day recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Considering the
high rates of high blood pressure among Americans, that level should be even
lower -- about 1,500 milligrams per day -- for 70 percent of adults. However,
the trend since 1988 shows that fewer people with hypertension adhere to a
low-sodium diet now than did then.
Are you a junk-food junkie? Here's what you need to
know.
It's the 21st century and "junk food" has
gone global. For better or for worse (mostly worse), junk food is now available
all over the world. We see it most everywhere we go -- in grocery and
convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, on television -- usually looking
very appealing. But just what are the facts about junk food?
"Junk food" generally refers to foods that
contribute lots of calories but little nutritional value. Of course, what's
considered "junk food" depends on whom you ask. Some might say pizza
is junk food, for example. But I personally don't think so, since it
contributes real food with nutrients,
like cheese and tomato sauce. Add whole-wheat or part whole-wheat crust, plus
veggies as a topping, and I'd say pizza completely exits the junk food
category.
One problem with junk foods is that they're low in
satiation value -- that is, people don't tend to feel as full when they eat
them -- which can lead to overeating. Another problem is that junk food tends
to replace other, more nutritious foods. When people drink lots of soda, for
example, they are usually not getting plenty of low-fat dairy or other
healthful beverages like green
tea
or orange juice. When they're snacking on chips and cookies, they're usually
not loading up on fruits
and vegetables.
Most "junk food" falls into the categories
of either "snack food" or "fast food." And then there are
things like breakfast
cereals. They seem innocent enough, but some of them could definitely be
considered "junk food," as they mostly contain sugar or high-fructose
corn syrup and white flour or milled corn.
Calories From Snack Foods
Popular snack foods are usually commercially
prepared and packaged, like chips, cheese puffs, candy bars, snack cakes, and
cookies.
The contribution of snack food to the calories we
eat should not be underestimated. Between 1977 and 1996, the contribution of
snack calories to total calories for American children between 2 and 5 years
old increased by 30%, according to an article published in the Chilean medical
journal, Revista Medica de Chile.
Fast Food and Overeating
Of course, junk food is also readily available at
restaurant chains across the country in the form of French fries, chicken
nuggets, shakes, soda, etc. Not only are most fast foods not terribly healthy,
one study indicates that there may be something about fast food that actually
encourages gorging.
In the study, from the Children's Hospital in
Boston, teens
age 13-17 were given three types of fast-food meals (all including chicken
nuggets, French fries, and cola). In one meal, the teens were served a lot of
food at once. In another, a lot of food was served at the same time, but in
smaller portions. And in the third test meal, a lot of food was served, but in smaller
portions over 15-minute intervals.
The researchers found that it didn't seem to matter
how much food was served -- the teens still took in about half of their daily
calorie needs in that one meal. The researchers suggested that certain factors
inherent to fast food might promote overeating:
It's low in fiber.
It's high in palatability (that is, it tastes good).
It offers a high number of calories in a small
volume.
It's high in fat.
It's high in sugar in liquid form.
Junk Food and TV
As we all know, many of the food commercials aimed
at children are for foods high in fat, sugar, and/or salt, and low in
nutritional value. And some research suggests that watching ads for processed
foods encourages children to eat more.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool in the
United Kingdom exposed 60 children, ages 9 to 11, to both food advertisements
and toy advertisements, followed by a cartoon and free food.
The children ate more after the food advertisements
than after the commercials for toys, the study found. The obese
children in the study increased their consumption of food
the most (134%) after watching the food ads, compared to overweight
children (101%) and normal-weight
children (84%).
Taking the 'Junk' out of Junk Food
Now that you've got the facts about junk food, how
can you try to eat more healthfully in our junk- food-filled world? Here are
three tips:
Choose fast-food restaurants that offer healthier
choices. And no matter where you are, opt for food and beverages that are made
up mostly of ingredients that offer nutrients
along with calories. Enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice or a whole-wheat bagel
instead of soda or donuts. Buy a bean burrito, pizza topped with vegetables, or
a grilled chicken sandwich on a whole-grain bun instead of tortilla chips with
processed cheese sauce; frozen pizza rolls; or fried chicken pieces and French
fries. Avoid sweetened beverages.
Look for products low in sugar, high-fructose corn
syrup, milled grains, and partially hydrogenated oils. Choose a 100%
whole-wheat cracker made with canola oil, for example, or snack on a cheese and
fruit plate instead of a bowl of cheese puffs.
Limit TV viewing, for yourself and your kids.
Certain TV shows seem to attract more junk food commercials more than others,
so parents might want to discourage kids from watching these shows. Or try TIVO
(where you can fast-forward through commercials) or watch DVDs.
How to Kick the Junk Food Habit and Eat Healthy
The good news is that the research shows that the
less junk food you eat, the less you crave it. My own experiences have mirrored
this. As I’ve slowly begun to eat healthier, I’ve noticed myself wanting pizza
and candy and ice cream less and less. Some people refer to this transition
period as “gene reprogramming.”
Whatever you want to call it, the lesson is the
same: if you can find ways to gradually eat healthier, you’ll start to
experience the cravings of junk food less and less. I’ve never claimed to have
all the answers (or any, really), but here are three strategies that might
help.
1. Use the “outer ring” strategy and the “5
ingredient rule” to buy healthier food.
The best course of action is to avoid buying
processed and packaged foods. If you don’t own it, you can’t eat it.
Furthermore, if you don’t think about it, you can’t be lured by it.
We’ve talked about the power of junk food to pull
you in and how memories of tasty food in the past can cause you to crave more
of it in the future. Obviously, you can’t prevent yourself from ever thinking
about junk food, but there are ways to reduce your cravings.
First, you can use my “outer
ring” strategy to avoid processed and packaged foods
at the grocery store. If you limit yourself to purchasing foods that are on the
outer ring of the store, then you will generally buy whole foods (fruits,
vegetables, meat, eggs, etc.). Not everything on the outer ring is healthy, but
you will avoid a lot of unhealthy foods.
You can also follow the “5 ingredient rule” when
buying foods at the store. If something has more than 5 ingredients in it,
don’t buy it. Odds are, it has been designed to fool you into eating more of
it. Avoid those products and stick with the more natural options.
2. Eat a variety of foods.
As we covered earlier, the brain craves novelty.
While you may not be able to replicate the
crunchy/creamy contrast of an Oreo, you can vary your diet enough to keep things
interesting. For example, you could dip a carrot (crunchy) in some hummus
(creamy) and get a novel sensation. Similarly, finding ways to add new spices
and flavors to your dishes can make eating healthy foods a more desirable
experience.
Moral of the story: eating healthy doesn’t have to
be bland. Mix up your foods to get different sensations and you may find it
easier than eating the same foods over and over again. (At some point, however,
you may have to fall in love with boredom.)
3. Find a better way to deal with your stress.
There’s a reason why many people eat as a way to
cope with stress. Stress causes certain regions of the brain to release
chemicals (specifically, opiates and neuropeptide Y). These chemicals can
trigger mechanisms that are similar to the cravings you get from fat and sugar.
In other words, when you get stressed, your brain feels the addictive call of
fat and sugar and you’re pulled back to junk food.
We all have stressful situations that arise in our
lives. Learning to deal with stress in a different way can help you overcome
the addictive pull of junk food. This could include simple breathing
techniques or a short guided meditation.
Or something more physical like exercise
or making
art.
With that said, if you’re looking for a better
written and more detailed analysis of the science of junk food, I recommend
reading the #1 New York Times best-seller, Salt Sugar Fat
(audiobook).
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