Let’s accept this fact: junk food is almost impossible to avoid as it’s ubiquitous everywhere — at superstores, workplaces, schools, and in vending machines.
Given the many health hazards associated with junk foods, a number of people wonder if they should stay away from them or enjoy them occasionally.
While everyone has a different definition of junk food, most people concur it’s not the best thing for you as it contains plenty of calories and almost no vitamins, minerals, or fiber. Examples: soda, chips, candy, biscuits, cake, and pastries, among others.
Addictive Qualities
Junk food is considered to be addictive, centered around sugar and fat. Sugar hasn’t been steadily shown to be addictive, but when combined with fat, the blend can be tough to resist. Research suggests that the mixture of sugar and fat is generally linked with addictive symptoms than sugar itself.
An examination of more than 50 studies revealed that the foods most related to addictive symptoms were mostly processed and contained high levels of fat. That said, steady or even irregular consumption of highly-processed food has the potential to stimulate the reward and habit formation center in your brain that raises cravings. This leads to overconsumption of junk food and, therefore, weight gain, causing many fatal diseases like the following.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is the Number One cause of death all over the world. And sugar intake is one of the many driving factors for this disease.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes happens when your body becomes unresponsive to the effects of insulin, the hormone that reduces blood sugar. Intake of junk food is linked with additional body fat, hypertension, and low HDL cholesterol — all of which raise your risk of type 2 diabetes.
How to Limit Intake of Junk Food
Reducing consumption of junk food is not as difficult as one thinks.
First, try to let it be on the store shelf as not taking it to your house diminishes the craving completely. Also, replace your junk food with better options like fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, fish, healthy fats, among other things. Keep in mind that it’s best to execute small changes over time to ensure long-term results.
In a Nutshell
As mentioned above, junk foods, which are high in calories, sugar, and fat, but low on other nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals, are believed to be a key element in prevalence of obesity and a fundamental factor in the development of a number of chronic diseases. And the lethal combination of fat and sugar make one get easily addicted to junk foods.
Despite all the drawbacks of consuming junk foods, skipping them altogether may not be beneficial. Enjoying your favorite treat now and then is a more wholesome and sustainable approach for most people.
And if you are worried about the foods that cause you to eat junk foods, it’s best to talk to a healthcare professional. But skipping the temptation of munching on those crispy chips with a glass of Coke — only occasionally — is not right!