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Harmful Effects of Junk Food: 12 Reasons to Avoid Them
Over the past decades, junk foods have penetrated every corner of our lives. We take a step out of our houses and see them being served from roadside corners to mall & restaurants, from college canteens to offices. Ever wondered why these food products are termed as “junk food”? The word junk is used for something scrapor useless. Junk food is true to its name. It might give a quick and tasty bite, but all it only provides unhealthy calories and unwanted fat in the body. Long term consumption of junk food makes an individual prone to various life-threatening consequences and other healthrelated complications. Junk food contains a high amount of oils, saturated fats, and carbohydrates. The nutritive value in junk food is very low or negligible. Due to a busy lifestyle, more and more people are getting habitual to junk food, which is leading to various chronic health diseases.
Why Should You Lay Off Junk Food?
Here are 12 reasons you should avoid or lay off highly processed junk foods.
1. Obesity
Junk food adds lots of calories to the body. It is a common known fact that eating junk food increases the risk of being obese. Obesity is the root cause of many diseases, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and many more.
2. Digestion Problems
Too much consumption of junk food leads the brain into a state of puzzlement. The increased amount of sugar levels causes fluctuation in the blood sugar level, which further makes the condition worse. An individual eventually feels the need to eat more food. This leads to indigestion because the digestive system is unable to handle the excessive amount of junk food consumed at one time.
3. Loss of Nutrition
Junk food causes a loss of nutrition. It do not provide any necessary vitamins or proteins. Junk foods doesn’t have any nutritional properties, which the body requires in order to keep itself healthy. Rather, it causes fatigue, lowers the energy level, and puts the metabolism under stress.
4. Harmful Ingredients
Evidently, junk food is filled with unhealthy ingredients. What appears to be tasty is actually damaging the body. It contains a high concentration of nitrate as it is used to preserve food products from harmful bacterial attacks, which can be carcinogenic if consumed for a long period of time. Saturated fat present in junk food can increase the levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). They also contain high amounts of sodium, used as a preservative, which is unhealthy for the body.
5. Food Standards
Most of the time, junk food does not contain fresh vegetables or other ingredients, or the method of preparation is not very healthy. The manufacturing companies use frozen components, which can be stale and might be prone to bacteria as well. Most of the time, these processed foods do not fulfil the quality standards criteria. So, it is always better to avoid these junk foods for better health.
6. Depression:
The high amount of sugar and fat in junk food may cause some chemical reactions in the brain that ultimately affect its normal functioning. High consumption of junk food products leads to the loss of amino acids and nutrients that are essential for our health. This eventually leads to the brain’s inability to cope up with stress, and you start feeling depressed.
7. Kidney Damage:
Consuming junk food for an extended period can cause kidney diseases. The reason why anybody can hardly say no to fries or chips is that they contain a high amount of finely processed salt. This increases salivation and secretion of enzymes that enhances cravings. A high amount of bad fats and sodium (salt) content increases blood pressure and affects kidney function.
8. Makes Skindul
It is also well known that junk food affects the skin too. This is because the junk food that people eat is filled with carbohydrates that affect the sugar levels. The effect in sugar levels may increase the amount of acne on the face, along with many other problems pertaining to the body.
9. Teeth Erosion
The junk food that is consumed dreadfully affects the enamel of the teeth in the long run. Teeth are a very important part of the body, and losing or deteriorating its quality can create several problems.
10. Memory Loss
Memory loss is one of the lesser-known harmful effects of eating junk food. Some studies show that eating foods that are high in sugar and salt concentration are known to impact brain functions. The prolonged eating of junk foods can lead to memory loss. It can even cause learning and concentrating problems, especially in children and teenagers.
11. Behavioural Problems
The harmful effects of junk food on children are highly harmful. It has also been noticed that junk food causes behavioral issues in children because of unhealthy eating habits. Junk food is lowin nutrition values, whichwhen fed to children, can impact their central nervous system. Lack of proper vitamins and minerals can make them dull, lazy, and sometimes aggressive too.
12. Lifestyle Damages:
Junk food is sometimes an easy way to eat. It can make people lazy and addicted to it. People tend to spend most of their time on the sofa or couch in front of the screen with junk food. This also distances them from physical activities. Moreover, whenever people feel hungry, they just prefer to grab a junk food item, which fills their stomach instantly, but again puts their health at risk.
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Data Sources:
- https://www.healthline.com/health/fast-food-effects-on-body#central-nervous-system
- https://stylesatlife.com/articles/effects-of-junk-foods/
- http://silasinternationalschool.org/blog/2016/05/16/students-avoid-junk-foods/
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