Wherever we go into the supermarket or convenience store, it seems easy to find those mouth-watering food which may not be considered as healthy food. We so called this kind of food as “junk food.” There are lots of reasons for why people getting more and more unhealthy, such as sitting all day long, seldom drinking water or without doing the exercise regularly, and one of them is because of eating too much junk food. We all know that it does not benefit our body while having junk food, but what are the common causes and effects if we eat too much junk food?
One of the common causes to why we choose to eat junk food is due to lack of sleep. According to the Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Food Desire in the Human Brain (Stephanie, Andrea & Matthew, 2013), sleep deprivation increases the desire to choose high-calorie foods, which might cause the later problem of fat accumulation. In other words, having enough sleep can reduce the brain endocrine hormones to suppress their desire and help restore health. Another cause to eat junk food is because of the pressure during the work environment. A research found that people who are in a highly stressed working environment tend to prefer junk food because it can relieve stress a little. (Chu-Hsiang (Daisy), Yihao, Junqi, Jaclyn, Yifan, Mo, 2017) Yihao Liu, an assistant professor then stated that “eating is sometimes used as an activity to relieve and regulate one’s negative mood, because individuals instinctually avoid aversive feelings and approach desire feelings.” This result can be observed while our friends are enduring loss of love or high stress in class, etc.
Save your time!
We can take care of your essay
- Proper editing and formatting
- Free revision, title page, and bibliography
- Flexible prices and money-back guarantee
As for the effects of eating junk food, one of the common effects is that it will lead to heart diseases. It is said that most of the junk food contain lower nutrients but higher in calories, sugar, and salt. Such as potato chips, French fries, and some other kinds of fried and full of carbohydrates food contain large amount of salt and sugar, which will increase the burden of metabolic toxins in the kidneys and cause high blood pressure. Besides, according to the American Heart Association, “Eating foods that contain saturated fats raises the level of cholesterol in your blood. High levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.” And saturated fats is often found in baked goods and fried foods, which means the more you consume from the fried food, the higher chance of you getting the cardiovascular diseases.
In addition to heart diseases, type 2 diabetes is also one of the chronic diseases that people might get if they have a problem with the diet. As the previous statement had mentioned, junk food usually contained high quality of sugar, which will let the blood sugar “doesn’t get into cells to be stored for energy,” and “when sugar cannot enter cells, a high level of sugar builds up in the blood. … This leads to the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.” (American Diabetes Association, 2018) When people get diabetes, they will greatly increase the chances and risks of getting other complications. Therefore, the proper intake of salt and sugar, especially in the consumption of junk food, requires more attention and care.
Moreover, nutritional deficiencies would somehow be a serious problem for people to notice, and we know that junk food had few efficient nutrients. According to Dr. Victoria J. Drake, a research associate at the Linus Pauling Institute, any lack of nutrients affects the immune system and increases the risk of illness and infection. She also stated that once the body lacks the nutrients it needs, people are prone to feelings of depression, anxiety and irritability. This result made me think of just a few weeks ago, I was suffering from anxiety, and at that period I indeed absorbed fewer nutrients than a person should take in one day. From then on, I patiently talk to myself every day that it is better to eat just a few healthy food than consume junk food as a formal meal, and it will gradually let my skin become better if I get rid of the junk food.
People eat junk food for many reasons, whether it is because of the sleep deprivation or work in the high pressure environment, it seems that this kind of “tasty” food would not disappear immediately as well as our desire for it, even though there is a high risk of getting some heart or chronic diseases, weight gain, and nutrients deficiencies. For me, I am still trying to reduce the amount of taking junk food and take more valuable food instead, I think it will be a long journey to do.
Stuck on your essay?
