Whether you call them fast food or food on the go, the fact is that junk food consumption continues to gain popularity these days, amassing millions of dollars to the industry every year. Most times, our days get so busy that we can hardly have enough time for a wholesome meal. Before we know it, terrible hunger creeps in and guess what comes to the rescue (or seems to?) You guessed right—Junk food! You grab a bottle of soda and take some bites of cookies, and the hunger problem is solved, then you can continue the day’s activities—seems cool, right?
Usually, they seem like lifesavers but these subtle addictions do your body a whole lot of damage as you consume them relentlessly. You are gradually making yourself unhealthier as you mark the junk food attendance register each day. Are you a junk food junkie, you may just want to reconsider and make amends. Here are some reasons. But first of all, how do you even know that what you are about to eat is junk food?
Junk Food?
Most times, you consume junk food without even knowing it. Eating them almost seems normal; so much that you don’t even know they are eating junk anymore. Let’s start with outlining what makes food ‘junk.’
Sugars and high level of cholesterol are the typical features of junk food diet. They usually contain high levels of calories with little fiber or proteins. It`s quite easy to identify them—just pay attention to those pre-packaged foods with so much of coloring and sweetness but very little nutritional value. Some people leave out foods like pizza from the junk category because they often contain tomatoes and vegetables that help us nutrition wise. Your breakfast cereals may also be considered junk food because they often contain sugar or high fructose corn syrup or milled corn.
Okay! So we know what junk food is now. It’s time to know why you should show them the red card and send them out of your diet for good. Here are ten reasons you should stop eating junk food.
Your One-way Ticket to Obesity
You are hitting the gym every morning because you want to burn off those extra calories and trim down to a size 8. Great ambition! However, you keep ending your training with a dose of all manners of junk food. Trust me; you are on a bullet train to obesity. This is because frequent consumption of junk food increases the risk of obesity and uncontrollable weight gain. These foods often contain high amounts of calories and unhealthy cholesterol that is bad for your health.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), obesity results from energy balances in the body; especially when calories that you consume are more than the ones you burn off in your daily activities. Now, where exactly does junk food come in with this whole obesity business? Junk food is high in calories but low in nutritional value. This means they often contain very high amounts of sugar and fat but they do not provide your body with the right amounts of vitamins and minerals needed to sustain your health. The excess sugar and fat from these foods accumulate in your body and lead to uncontrolled weight gain. If your job does not make you move around a lot, it is important that you stay away from junk food as you may not be engaging in enough physical exercises to burn off the calories you are consuming.
Obesity can also bring about issues like high blood pressure and cardiac-related problems. Want to burn off the wrong fats? Avoid junk food and embrace a healthy diet.
Saving Your Pocket
These foods cost a lot and give so little nutritionally as they are hardly satisfying. You end up even hungrier than when you took your first bite. In the end, you find yourself buying more and more of the same thing, thereby, spending way higher than your usual lunchtime budget.
Unhygienic
Where was the last place you bought your burger? Sometimes found on the streets or cooked in an open place, food on the go is everything but hygienic. We can hardly vouch for just how safe their preparation processes have been. This adds to the fact that many times, we do not even know when they were made since many of them are already pre-packaged. In many cases, people who prepare junk food hardly consume it so they don`t bother about making sure the ingredients are right or that the environment is safe and hygienic. In fact, some of them prepare these meals with the cheapest ingredients available which may not even be the best.
Remember, what goes into your body hardly ever gets out without making some impact. It is absolutely necessary that you are sure of whatever you are consuming.
Addicting!
Opium and hard drugs are common things people get addicted to. But what many of us do not know is that junk food can be extremely addicting too. Why do you think you are always craving more? Why exactly can`t you go a day without your burger and soda? As you continue to make junk foods a regular part of your diet, you subtly get addicted to them up to the point that you cannot go a day without them and you even begin to avoid the real food just to eat junk. Given that these foods are really unhealthy, you really cannot afford to become addicted to any of them.
Diabetes
Junk foods have high sugar content and raise your blood sugar to ridiculous levels. Research shows that junk food increases your risks of having type 2 diabetes.
Endangering Your Digestive System
Because junk foods contain a lot of sugar and little fiber, digesting them can put your digestive system under a lot of stress and this reduces its effectiveness and puts you at risk of digestion related problems.
What about Your Heart?
Keeping your heart healthy is undeniably important. Unfortunately, junk foods don`t agree to this. They contain bad cholesterol and fats that slow down your heart functions and increase your risks of having a number of cardiovascular diseases. Eating too much of any junk food can alter your body’s metabolic factors and increase your risk of having heart diseases.
Talking about Your Kidney
Junk food is really unhealthy for your kidney. You know that your kidney is in charge of detoxifying your body so you should make its job easier by eating foods with lower salt contents. The reason you nearly eat off your fingers when you eat your fries and ketchup is that they contain high salt and sodium contents that have you craving more. Unfortunately, this puts extra load on your kidney and puts you at risk of having kidney failure and other infections. In addition, excess salt in your blood raises your blood pressure and increases your risk of hypertension.
Depression
As strange as this sounds, junk foods also affect your psychological well-being. This applies to teenagers. Teenagers go through a whole lot of psychological changes that often affect their moods and behaviors. Research shows that teenagers who eat junk foods are at higher risks of being depressed than their counterparts who don’t. Sadly, junk food is most popular among teenagers.
Cancer too?
Yes! Eating junk food also puts you at a higher risk of having cancer. Studies have proven that there is a direct link between cancer and the fatty fried foods that people eat. Diets rich in salt and cholesterol are thought to be about 30% responsible for many cancer cases.
Final Words…
The next time you pass by a junk food stand or vendor and you are tempted to just have a bite, remember the reasons highlighted above. One bite could just be another step towards unhealthiness. Go get a wholesome meal!
