According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Americans spend up to 100 billion dollars on fast foods annually. The occasional consumption of fast foods isn’t harmful, but overeating fast foods daily are detrimental to your health. The effects are short to long-term, depending on the intensity of the damage.
A healthy eating plan consists of vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, beans, poultry, lean meats, fish, eggs, and nuts. Unfortunately, most people prefer to maintain bad eating habits, leading to irreversible health risks and diseases. Let’s have a look at some of the effects that come from maintaining bad eating habits:
Obesity
Eating unhealthy foods has been linked with weight gain. Untreated weight gain leads to obesity. As a result of high salt and fat levels in junk food, developing kidney disease is expected.
Obesity also plays a role in increasing heart disease chances, stroke, cancers, and liver disease. Heart attacks are a common threat among people with obesity.
Depression
When you overeat junk foods, you tend to feel bad about yourself. When you stress about it, you crave more junk food; this is a leading cause of depression among most people.
Junk food consumption is linked with chemically altering our brain cells, making us believe we need these foods instead of fresh produce.
Diabetes
High sugar and carbohydrates such as fruit juice, white bread, white flour, soda, and French fries can contribute to type 2 diabetes. Foods with high amounts of refined sugars force your body to pump more insulin, causing your metabolism to wear out and putting you at risk.
Consuming too much junk food affects your emotions and moods, bringing down your energy levels. With low energy levels, you feel less inclined to work out or stay active.
Bloating and Headaches
High sodium consumption leads to short-term effects such as headaches, having swollen fingers, swollen cheeks, and a bloated tummy.
When our kidneys hold onto too much water to maintain the sodium balance, the blood volume increases, resulting in high blood pressure, which eventually causes heart disease.
Acid Reflux
Fatty foods take longer to digest (Multi GI 5 is an amazing digestive support supplement); this is why you tend to have a bloated stomach after consuming them. Gaesterophagial reflux disease(GERD) is a disorder that can be alleviated by high consumption of fatty foods.
When you feel the food, acids, and fluids from your stomach flow back up your esophagus, followed by uncomfortable belching, you may be suffering from GERD disorder.
Poor Brain Function
Our brain needs glucose for optimal performance on our motor skills, thinking, speech, and concentration levels. When deprived of our bodies’ healthy fats, antioxidants and carbohydrates, our brain tends to function poorly.
Overall Health Diseases
Eating a low, non-nutrient diet can harm our overall health. Unhealthy eating patterns can cause osteocalcin, where the bones tend to deteriorate due to lack of vitamin D. Malnutrition causes edema, anemia, discoloration, and skin deterioration.
People who consume plenty of fat, animal protein, and preserved sugars have a higher risk of colon cancer, diabetes, and kidney failure.