10 Reasons you should Stop Eating Junk Food

If you get to know what that burger does to your body, you would never touch it again. But then, habits die hard. If you do a Google search, it defines ‘junk food’ as ‘pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value.’ It is known to have low nutritional value because junk food usually contains large amounts of calories from sugar, fat and carbohydrates and has little good to offer. The only alluring factor about junk food is the taste, which stays on your tongue for hardly a few minutes. Junk food can easily be termed as a ‘slow killer.’ To stop you from harming your body, we bring you a list of 10 strong reasons as to why you should stop eating junk food.

1. It is prepared in an unhealthy manner
   
   The worst part of eating junk food is you never get to know how it is prepared. Even if it is prepared in an open kitchen, you wouldn’t know if the ingredients being used are fresh or stale. Junk food is usually prepared using the cheapest quality of the ingredient available. The ones who prepare the junk food do not usually consume it on their own so they do not bother about maintaining hygiene and cleanliness while preparing junk food. There has been news of gol gappa vendors mixing phenyl/urine in water and it is not at all surprising that a lot of fast food outlets have been shut down majorly due to health and hygiene concerns.

1. Increased risk of Heart Disease, Cancer and Diabetes
   
   Junk food hardly has any nutritional value and only increases the risk of diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Owing to high levels of cholesterol and triglyceride, it leads to a buildup of these in the body. Buildup of cholesterol in the body increases the risk of heart disease. Not only this, fast foods are also high in fat, sugar and salt which can lead to cancer. Science has proven that the more fatty and fried food you consume, the greater risk you have of getting cancer. The fat deposits in your organs and hampers their daily smooth functioning and also damaging them.

1. Low food quality
   
   Junk food is not the food that is prepared with love like home food is. It is made for the purpose of business and selling maximum plates to earn profit. Hence, the ones selling junk food want to invest the minimum amount of money to gain maximum amount of profit, which means that they often use cheap quality ingredients and pay zero attention to health, hygiene and cleanliness. The utensils are not washed properly often and oftentimes, stale food is reheated and served. Low quality, unhygienic food can damage your body beyond repair. You shouldn’t compromise on your health for pleasing your taste buds!

1. Waste of Money
   
   Yes, you read that right. Spending on junk food is a waste of money. We often become lethargic and don’t feel like cooking, or are too burdened with work to hit the kitchen and cook. The only option that is left is ordering junk food, or simply going out to eat. Fast food is addictive and it makes a hole in your pocket. You feel like going out more often and this is the psychology that the junk food chains thrive on. Food is known to take up a big portion of most peoples’ budget. Kicking your fast food habit can help you save a lot of money, and of course, your health!

1. Obesity
   
   The credit for the obesity epidemic in children goes to junk food. According to WHO, the most fundamental cause of obesity is when there is “an energy imbalance between the calories consumed and the amount expended.” Our eating habits have worsened over the years and studies have proven that obesity is not a very old phenomenon. Some people resort to eating junk food when they feel depressed. Too much of sweet, carbohydrates and fats and hardly any physical activity leads to accumulation of fat in the body which is difficult to get rid of and makes a person obese.

1. Depression
   
   Researchers over the years have found out that the more junk food people eat, the more it increases the risk of depression. When you eat a lot of junk food, it increases the amount of trans-fats and saturated fats in your body which can be directly linked to the risk of depression. Studies say that an increased consumption of sugar and refined starch can be linked to the development of depression and cardiovascular diseases. If you consume more of fast food, you naturally consume less healthy food that can prevent depression like olive oil, omega-3 fatty acids and more. There’s a saying that says enough, ‘You are what you eat.’

2. There’s no such thing as ‘healthy’ fast food
   
   ‘Healthy’ and ‘junk food’ is an oxymoron. Junk food can never be healthy, until and unless it is prepared at home with the freshest of ingredients. When you prepare food like burger, pizza at home, you know that the ingredients you are using are fresh and clean and your kitchen is squeaky clean. When you prepare food at home, it is not for the purpose of earning profit. This is something that you can never expect from a food chain that serves junk food. Anyone who claims that they serve ‘healthy fast food’ is clearly lying through their teeth.

1. Empty Nutrition
   
   Empty calories are also known as discretionary calories. Empty calories are basically calories with very less nutritional value and no dietary fiber, amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They provide zero nutrition and can be categorized as solid fats which include beef, butter and fats that are solid at room temperature and added sugars which are usually added to food and beverages during their processing. Popular examples of foods that provide empty nutrition are cakes, pastries, cookies, pizza, soft drinks, energy drinks and soda. While they do not provide any nutrition, they might rob off the nutrition that is present in your body.

2. Risk of Infertility
   
   According to the experts from Harvard University, junk food is known to have a direct impact on the male reproductive system. Those who consume more of trans-fats, a common ingredient in most processed food, are at a high risk of infertility. This research applies not only to obese people but also to slim people if they consume a lot of junk food. Foods like cakes, biscuits and takeaway foods are known to be high in trans-fats. Believe it or not, fast food consumption is one of the biggest health concerns in today’s era.

1. It causes Brain fog
   
   Brain fog or brain fatigue can be termed as a mild to severe state of a mental confusion, forgetfulness and lack of mental clarity. If after consuming a meal, you feel exhausted, blank and are unable to think, you are experiencing brain fog. The problem usually lies in what you ate or how much you ate and junk food is one of the most common causes of brain fog. Artificial sweeteners and monosodium glutamate or MSG are two ingredients that primarily cause brain fog and are present in most fast foods. These ingredients are known to cause headaches, mood swings, dizziness and even depression.