Partha Pratim Mazumder
(parthapratimmazumder1988@gmail.com)
Are you the one who lives on burgers or packaged foods?
Well, then it's time for you to check your diet. These delicious food items that you die for contain excess carbohydrates and unhealthy fats that are extremely dangerous for your health. Most of these food items contain an excess of carbs, fats, added sugars and salt. These items do not have sufficient nutritional value. They only offer you high calories that are harmful to the body and its various organs. Researchers have found that when most of these food items were given to lab animals, they yielded dangerous results, offering negative nutritional value to them. Prolonged exposure to these food items can affect the health of the heart, and gastrointestinal organs and lead to obesity. Women today are managing many spheres of life and this has also influenced some changes in their lifestyle. There has been a change in overall eating habits of all due to the constraint of time to prepare home-cooked food and also work-related situation. Time constraint is also not allowing much time for regular physical exercises. Junk food has made its way into everyone's life and women along with men are becoming victims of many ill effects of junk food on health. The bad effects of junk food are both short-term and long-term, and some are also irreversible.
In a few words, junk foods are creating havoc in the health and mental condition of women. Physical illness is also affecting the mind and other aspects of life, family and relationships.
Causes of obesity: It is one of the most common effects of junk food. Junk foods are full of calories, sugars and fats that are the main reasons for gaining weight. Further, obesity leads to various issues like joint pain, diabetes and various heart ailments. So, it is important to cut down on the intake of excess fast foods.
Induces learning and memory problems: If you take foods loaded with sugar and fat, it may suppress the function of the brain which helps in learning. This issue with junk food further has the backing of a research study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
As per the study, the consumption of excessive junk food caused poor cognitive test results. The hippocampus region of our brain is responsible for learning and memory. Due to an intake of foods loaded with sugars, a sudden inflammation occurs in the hippocampus region. This is one of the harmful effects of junk food.
Impacts on the respiratory system: Fast food meals are always high in calories. Now, calories lead to weight gain and obesity. Obesity will give rise to respiratory problems like shortness of breath and asthma. This can also put pressure on the lungs and heart. It is extremely difficult to breathe while walking, doing exercises, and climbing in such a situation.
Affects children's health: Junk food items are adverse to a child's health. Children are more prone to the such risk of respiratory issues. As per a study, children having fast food at least 3 times a week are more likely to suffer from asthma.
Ill effects on skin: Previously, pizza and chocolate have taken the entire blame for acne. However, carbs are behind such skin issues. Food items high in carbs will cause blood sugar spikes, which in turn may cause acne. According to a study, adolescents and children having fast food three times or more in a week can develop eczema. Eczema is a skin disease causing irritated patches of inflamed skin.
Harmful effects on the central nervous system: As per recent research and study, people who have processed pastries and fast food are 51% more likely to develop depression than those not having such foods or consuming a few of them. Fast food is of negligible health benefits. In the short run, it may satisfy hunger, but the results are less favourable in the long run.
May impact the reproductive system: The ingredients present in fast food will create an impact on a woman's fertility. As per a recent study, processed food has phthalates.
Now, what are phthalates?
These are chemicals that may disrupt a body's hormonal activity. Exposure to such high levels of chemicals may cause various reproductive problems, which include congenital disabilities.
Side effects on the skeletal system: Fast food contains huge volumes of carbs that may increase acids in your mouth. Such acids may remove tooth enamel. With the disappearance of tooth enamel, bacteria may develop, leading to the formation of cavities. Intake of carbs may lead to obesity, which in turn may impact muscle mass and bone density. Thus, obese people are prone to breaking bones. Consuming food items with optimum levels of carbs along with exercise can strengthen bones.
Kills appetite: One may feel good about junk food as it fills the stomach for long hours. However, there is a catch! These eatables are rich in carbs, which may affect your appetite negatively. You may lose your appetite subsequently. Thus, losing appetite is one of the harmful effects of junk foods.
Causes digestive problems: Overeating is one of the serious ill effects of fast food. People may end up eating more than what is required due to fluctuating levels of blood sugar. It makes the brain demand more quantity of food than what is needed. Subsequently, there are various problems with indigestion, which adds up to the ill effects of the consumption of junk food. Essential nutrients are keys to healthy growth and development. Now, junk food lacks basic nutrition too. Such unhealthy habits and insufficient levels of nutrition will affect the development of the brain and various other parts of the body. As a result, nutritionists do not favour intake of processed foods in excess due to their ill effects on a body's growth and development.
In conclusion, we know that junk foods are tasty, affordable, and convenient. This makes it hard to limit the amount of junk food we eat. However, if junk foods become a staple of our diets, there can be negative impacts on our health. We should aim for high-fibre foods such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits; meals that have moderate amounts of sugar and salt; and calcium-rich and iron-rich foods. Healthy foods help to build strong bodies and brains. Limiting junk food intake can happen on an individual level, based on our food choices, or through government policies and health-promotion strategies. We need governments to stop junk food companies from advertising to young people, and we need their help to replace junk food restaurants with more healthy options. Researchers can focus on education and health promotion around healthy food options and can work with young people to develop solutions. If we all work together, we can help young people across the world to make food choices that will improve their short and long-term health. Junk food may be the most preferred food but definitely not the healthiest. It is very important that you know how much is too much for your body. Consuming permissible amounts accordingly on an occasional basis should be the way to devour junk food.