I am sure you all know by now that fast food affects your health. You’re out shopping and notice that it is almost lunch time. You still haven’t finished getting everything you need and right about now there is a hunger in your stomach.
What do you do?
Well, you could go into the nearest supermarket and look around for a low fat chicken salad whole meal roll and a small bottle of water. Then you would have to wait in the queue behind the heavy set woman who is offloading her over filled trolley and seems to be ready to pay by credit card.
Or, you could just pop into the burger joint that you passed 10 seconds ago and jump in that fast moving queue.
Most of us at some time or another have gone for option two, after all, it is cheap, easy and you get to eat within a few minutes. There is nothing wrong with doing this once in a while; you have to treat yourself sometimes, (if you can call that a treat), but what about those who eat this type of food on a regular basis?
What are the fast food effects? In this fast paced world we live in it is only natural that we are going to want types of food that we can eat on the go. If you think about it, this can never be an issue because we have a variety of foods available to us that are convenient and healthy. If you just think ahead a little you could have some fruit with you or a sandwich and a small bottle of water. Yet many people choose to go for the burger meals.
Notice, I use the word “choose” as that is exactly what it is, a choice. Yes, you like the taste of a burger and fries yet you also know by now that eating junk food almost daily is not the way to go if you want to save time. Do you think you are saving time? You’re not.
Fast Food Affects Your Health
Here is a list of some of the fast food effects.
Obesity and junk food: Fast food has contributed significantly to the obesity epidemic in certain countries especially the USA. Calculate the amount of bad calories found in a standard burger restaurant meal. It is not hard to consume around 2000 calories in one sitting. That could be a person’s daily calorie intake!
High Salt content: Do you have any idea how much salt is used in this type of food? The recommended daily sodium intake for an adult is 1500 to 2400mg. A large-sized burger meal from any one of the fast food restaurant chains can contain 1330mg of sodium per meal. That is from one meal! By the end of the day imagine how hard your Liver has to work to excrete the excess sodium.
Low Fibre: Do you have constipation and digestive problems? There is a serious lack of fibre in fast foods. Fibre helps to reduce the bad cholesterol and reduces heart disease.
Trans fatty acids: The body needs fats to survive but there are good fats and bad fats; these are bad. Trans fats lower the ‘good’ cholesterol and raise the ‘bad’ cholesterol. They contribute to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Fast food addiction: Ever noticed how after eating a fast food meal that you have the need for another? Are you one of those people who frequent the fast food joints on a regular basis? There is an addiction factor to take into consideration here.
Nutrient deficiency: There is virtually no recognizable fruit or vegetable in the servings and if there were how many of those would still carry the vitamins and minerals freshness after they have been chopped and cooked? You will become lethargic and tired and your body’s immune system will weaken.
Finally, it is true that fast food affects your health but no one is saying you should cut out fast food altogether and a visit once in a while is acceptable. Just be aware of what you are eating and try to stick with the grilled chicken meals. Skip the fries and drink water instead of soda.
Related posts:
Comments are closed.