Junk Food · Addiction · Disadvantages · Obsession with dieting. Eating a healthy diet is important, but do you need to eat only healthy foods at every meal and every day? Isn't it a pleasure from time to time? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) supports the idea of eating certain foods in moderation. That means it's okay to eat something that isn't good for you, as long as you only eat a small amount and not very often. The truth is that it's extremely difficult to follow a healthy diet when you regularly eat at fast food restaurants.
Fast food is often packed with calories, sodium and unhealthy fats, often enough in one meal for an entire day. It also tends to be low in nutrients and is almost completely devoid of fruits, vegetables and fiber. Research has shown that excess calories shorten life expectancy, while moderate calorie restriction slows the aging process and protects the body and brain. Americans consume more calories than any other population and consume foods, many of which have little or no nutritional value (soft drinks and alcohol, for example).
So let's consider the person who consumes 50 excess calories per day. What will the result be in the short and long term? Fifty excess calories per day, above basic metabolic needs, over a 10-year period adds about 50 pounds of additional body weight. Excess weight increases the risk of multiple chronic diseases, cancers and also takes away many years of an individual's life simply by consuming just 50 extra calories a day. While everyone's definition of junk food may vary, most people agree that it's not the healthiest thing for you.
Junk food is high in calories, sugar, and fat, but lacks important nutrients such as fiber, vitamins and minerals. If I prepare a buffet dinner and ask all the guests to form 2 rows and then give everyone on the right side a spoonful of olive oil, and each of those on the left side an apple to eat while waiting in line, those who ate the 65-calorie apple will generally eat 65 calories less than the buffet. Junk food or fast food are those foods with empty calories, which means that they only offer you a large amount of calories without providing you with the vital nutrients you need. Regardless, sugar and fat haven't been shown to have addictive qualities, but together they can stimulate the brain's reward center that increases cravings for junk food.
You can reduce your consumption of junk food by leaving it on the shelf, practicing portion control, and adding more healthy foods to your diet. Many of us love fatty and sugary foods, and for those used to eating junk food (cheese, fried and sweet delicacies) they are something of an obsession. Well, regular or even intermittent intake of junk food has the potential to boost habit formation in the brain, which can increase cravings, leading to excessive consumption of junk food and, over time, resulting in weight gain. Junk food tends to be high in fat, unrefined carbohydrates and added sugars, all of which increase your energy density or caloric values.
Junk food consumption is associated with excess body fat, high blood pressure and low HDL cholesterol, all of which increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (30, 31, 32, 3). And while it's true that people should eat less junk food, it's important to stop and ask yourself why you're trying to limit certain foods in your diet. While no single cause can be established for the rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases, the easy access to junk food, its low cost and its high palatability are one of the main contributors. On the other hand, if you don't want to move your body, then reconsider the junk food you want to eat.
If you want to eat junk food, be sure to stay active and include some physical activity in your routine. Junk food can be very practical, easily available to go and cheap, while healthy food is better for maintaining weight, obtaining an adequate amount of essential nutrients and maintaining good health. .
