By: April Carson
Junk food is delicious, but it can also be bad for your body. If you find yourself eating junk foods every day without stopping to think about how much salt and sugar are in the treats, quit now before they cause any lasting damage to your health. The occasional sweet treat might not hurt as long as you're aware of what these types of ingredients do inside our bodies and steer clear from overdosing on them entirely!
What Is Junk Food?
In order to understand how junk food affects the body and what aspects of our bodies it collects fat on, we first have to know what junk food is. The basic ingredients in it are sugary foods like cookies, cakes, candies and soda as well as other items that are greasy and contain a lot of salt like chips, French fries and bacon.
Junk food falls under the category of 'hyperpalatable foods' which indicates that they contain a lot of sugar and salt and are high on flavor. These types of meals can be very addictive because they stimulate our brains in the same way as drugs! Studies have shown this to be true not only for rats but also for humans.
It is already known by scientists that hormones in our body affect where fat is stored. Even though we would like to blame some of our bad habits or overeating on a slow metabolism, the truth is that all obese people have a problem with insulin in their body.
So you might want to think twice before buying that big bag of chips or candy the next time you go shopping. Even though it's little things like this that seem unimportant, these small items can accumulate to larger problems such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Eating junk food can also cause: depression, fatigue, lack of concentration and memory loss. These symptoms can be contributed towards overuse of caffeine or poor nutritional choices. Junk foods are generally high in fat and contain low-quality protein and added sugars.
The Effects -
When you eat something that is high in sugar, your blood sugar levels rise and in response the body produces insulin. The insulin then allows glucose into the cells for them to use as energy. If you do not have enough insulin, your blood sugar levels can stay high for some time after eating (hyperglycemia). This can lead to damage in the tiny blood vessels of diabetics and result in stroke or heart attack. It will also cause you to feel very tired, become irritable and thirsty.
After a meal, blood sugar levels should return to normal after about 2 hours. Eating foods that are high in sugar and fat can keep your blood sugar levels raised for too long, leading to increased insulin production and the eventual storage of fat around your body.
If you have an overactive appetite it may be because your body thinks that you are not getting enough to eat, due to the fact that some foods take longer than others to digest. Eating these types of food can also lead you to overeat as a result.
There are several ways in which sugar contributes towards weight gain: it provides only a short feeling of fullness or satisfaction after eating (satiety), but results in cravings for more, it causes spikes in blood sugar levels and the release of insulin.
Change Your Eating Habits -
If you want to eat healthy it's recommended that a maximum of 30% of your food intake should come from complex carbohydrates, about 15% from protein and the rest from good fats such as those found in fish or nuts.
People who are overweight usually have excessive fat deposits in and around their abdomen or 'belly' area. Abdominal fat is the most dangerous kind of fat as it tends to be linked with a wide range of health conditions including insulin-resistance, diabetes and high blood pressure. It's also associated with cholesterol problems such as heart disease.
It is recommended to have a healthy, balanced diet of about 2-3 servings of fruit & vegetables per day along with protein and a complex carbohydrate at each meal. Healthy snacks should include fruit or nuts.
Eating junk food on a regular basis is linked with obesity, type-two diabetes and heart disease. As mentioned earlier, the nutrients that our bodies require to function healthily are found in fruit & vegetables, lean meat & fish and complex carbohydrates. If your goal is to live a longer life and be healthy then you should avoid eating junk food as much as possible. Changing your eating habits and exercising more are the best ways to staying healthy!
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