Junk food
All fast foods are not junk foods. Junk foods are classified as hamburgers, pizzas, french fries & tacos. Whereas fast foods can be high or low in nutritional value. For example – Salads are considered to be high in nutritional value. Junk Food does not provide any nutrients that are required by the body for a healthy lifestyle. Processed foods are mostly junk food, as they have high sugar content present in them.
The UK Advertising Standards Authority uses nutrient profiles to classify it as junk food. Foods are scored from A to C, depending upon their nutritious value. The difference between A & C defines whether it is junk food or not.
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The junk food label is described as nutritionally meaningless: food is food, and if there is zero nutritional value, then it isn't food. Co-editor Vincent Marks explains, 'To label a food as 'junk' is just another way of saying, 'I disapprove of it.' There are bad diets - that is, bad mixtures and quantities of food - but there are no 'bad foods' except those that have become bad through contamination or deterioration.
Why is junk food bad for you?
According to Dr. Sharma, the red flags that you should look out for and avoid bringing home include trans-fats, refined grains, salt, and high fructose corn syrup. Avoid foods that say corn sweetener, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, partially hydrogenated, fractionated, or hydrogenated on their label.
So next time you want to know if what's on your plate is junk or not, ask yourself these 3 crucial questions:
- How many calories am I consuming in this one serving?
- What are the nutrients that I should be taking with every meal that will fulfill my nutrition requirements?
- How fresh are the food items that I am intaking in my meal?
Calories from snack foods
Popular snack foods are usually commercially prepared and packaged, like chips, cheese puffs, candy bars, snack cakes, and cookies.
Snack foods have a high amount of unwanted calories that one must avoid or at least keep in check. Between the years 1977 and 1996, snack food contributed a 3o% increase in the total calorie intake in children aged 2 to 5.
Why junk food is so popular?
Junk food is very popular because it is cheaper, convenient, tastes good, takes less time to prepare & is served quickly. Nowadays you can find numerous restaurants serving burgers, pizzas, french fries, ice-creams, waffles, cakes, etc. They have become very popular nowadays. Every other person is seen consuming this food. Junk food is made from cheaper quality ingredients like high-fat meat, refined grains, sugar & trans-fat. They have high amounts of salt, oil, and calories present in them.
Is fast food bad?
An individual cannot say whether food is good or bad. But there are some foods that you should consume on a daily basis. Fast foods are one of them, which should not be consumed on a daily basis. Fast foods contain high amounts of salt, sugar, trans-fat, cholesterol, etc. which are not healthy for the human body. You can consume fast food, but once a week or month depending upon the individual. Consuming excessive amounts of fast food over a longer period of time can lead to health-related problems which are not good for your body. Eating these foods affects your body a lot & can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney failure, obesity, etc.
Reasons junk food is bad for your health
- Eating junk food makes your stomach full & satisfied, but it lacks in providing various health nutrients like protein, carbs, fats, fiber, etc.
- Junk food affects your hormones a lot. Sudden mood swings, anxiety, etc. are the common side effects of hormonal changes seen in youngsters.
- Junk foods affect an individual’s digestive system a lot. Those who are addicted to junk food are bound to have digestive problems like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Due to this, there is irritation in the stomach as the food was too oily, and spicy to digest due to which they feel acidity in their stomach.
- Junk food is high in sugar. Due to consuming such a large amount of sugar in a meal your metabolism comes under stress. These foods lack proper nutrients, which are required by the body.
- Recent research has shown that consuming bad fats present in junk foods replaces the healthy fats present in the body which results in improper brain signaling mechanisms.
- Junk food increases the risk of diseases in the human body. These foods have high cholesterol & triglyceride levels present in them which are the main causes of heart diseases.
- Fats present in junk food get stored in your body which makes you obese. As we all know obesity is very harmful to your body.
- Junk food affects your kidney a lot as they have a high salt presence in them. Eating too much salt increases blood pressure & kidney function.
- The high amount of fast present in junk food affects your liver & results in liver dysfunction.
- When an individual consumes a healthy balanced diet his or her body performs normally. But when he or she consumes junk foods his or her body reacts in a different way causing improper metabolism & this results in insulin drop.
Advantages of junk food
- Junk food is cheaper than healthy foods & is easily available in the market.
- They are made quickly & save preparation time.
- These are easy to carry & can be eaten anywhere & anytime.
- These satisfy your cravings.
- When an individual’s cravings are fulfilled he or she likes that food a lot.
The disadvantage of junk food
- Junk food increases your weight rapidly.
- Increase in weight lead to obesity.
- High presence of fats results in health-related problems.
- High amounts of sugar in junk food (ice creams, chocolates, etc.) lead to diabetes.
- The high amount of salt in fries leads to kidney problems.
- Junk foods have additives, preservatives & trans-fat in them which are very harmful to the human body.
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 Aged 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 fast 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.
Health effect
When junk food is consumed very often, the excess fat, simple carbohydrates, and processed sugar found in junk food contribute to an increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and many other chronic health conditions. A case study on the consumption of fast foods in Ghana suggested a direct correlation between the consumption of junk food and obesity rates. The report asserts that obesity resulted in related complex health concerns such upsurge in heart attack rates. Studies reveal that as early as the age of 3o, arteries could begin clogging and lay the groundwork for future heart attacks. Consumers also tend to eat too much in one sitting, and those who have satisfied their appetite with junk food are less likely to eat healthy foods like fruit or vegetables.
Testing on rats has indicated negative effects of junk food that may manifest likewise in people. A Scripps Research Institute study in 2008 suggested that junk food consumption alters brain activity in a manner similar to addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin.
Eating junk food multiple times creates pleasure centers in rats’ brains which make them desensitized to the enjoyment associated with junk food, which makes them want more food to satisfy the craving. When junk food is replaced in the rat’s diet with nutritious food, the rats chose to starve themselves rather than take in any food.
Anti- junk food
Since junk food consumption is a major concern globally, most governments encourage a healthy lifestyle and are adopting various forms of legislative actions, some minor and some major to make sure its citizens are healthier. A 2o14 UN report by Anand Grover talked about various effects of unhealthy eating. It called on governments to take strict action in order to develop nutritional habits. It called for rigorous advertising of nutrition and the ill effects of junk food.
Conclusion
So, I would like to conclude that fast food or junk food is mouth-watering & cravings for them don’t stop for an individual. Consuming junk food once in a week or month is fine but consuming regularly is very harmful to your body as it brings you a lot of health problems. The amount of sugar, salt, trans-fat, and cholesterol present in the food is not fit for the body & the body can’t handle that much pressure.
Don’t eat fast food, but if you want to eat make them at your home. Making them at home is better than eating from outside.
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