FAST FOOD DANGERS TO YOUR HEALTH
Are you a fast food eater? How often do you eat at fast food restaurants? Unfortunately, fast foods have become an iconic staple of the SAD American Diet. All of us know at this point what fast food is: it is highly processed foods that are made very quickly for mass production. They’re known for using bad oils for frying and microwaves to cook much of the food. Most of us are also well aware of the bad side effects of these fast foods, yet they say one out of every three Americans still eat this stuff!
Let’s take a look at what dangers to our health are offered by eating fast foods.
1. Contains toxins – This, honestly, is the biggest reason that keeps me away from fast food. Phthalates (endocrine disruptors and reproductive harms), propyl gallate (preservative that has an effect on cancer cells), BHT, phosphate additives, TBHQ, propylene glycol, potassium bromate, and so much more!
2. Causes spikes in blood sugar – We are all well aware that fast foods contains high amounts of simple carbohydrates. This causes spikes in glucose as the body tries to convert this influx of sugar spikes and crashes in the body. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle or if (or maybe we should say when) your body can no longer manage this, you will develop diseases like diabetes type 2.
3. Contains empty calories – You must know that fast food contains very little in the way of nutrition. They mostly contain what’s referred to as “empty calories”. Karen Basen-Engquist Ph.D. “Empty calories come from foods that provide a lot of calories but lack many of the nutrients your body needs”, professor of Behavioral Science says this about empty calories. These are foods and drinks that contain added sugars and poor-quality fats with very little fiber or any nutrients we need for good health.
4. Causes obesity - “These foods have a lot of fat and sugar — and not many vitamins, minerals, protein, antioxidants or fiber,” says Basen-Engquist. “It’s a double whammy. You get the stored fat and the weight gain. And you also don't support any of the systems in your body.” With fast foods, we’re literally eating but we are starving ourselves nutritionally, especially if this is a regular part of your diet.
5. Causes insulin resistance – Fast foods cause many issues for our health, inflammation and insulin resistance included.
6. Causes high blood pressure – Fast foods are jam-packed with sodium, and NOT from the good salt (minerals) we need! This is because this sodium is acting as a preservative, and it also enhances the flavor of these foods. This type of sodium is known to raise our blood pressure.
7. Causes bloating - Eating foods with these empty calories, highly refined carbs, and high levels of sodium weighs heavy on our digestive system and causes bloating. This is usually a temporary feeling but can leave you feeling unwell. These things lack the fiber needed to keep things moving in your digestive tract.
All of these things mentioned ultimately bring down our level of energy, affect our mood, and cause us poor health overall. Eat high-energy foods like whole plant foods, grass-fed meats and dairy, pasture-raised pork, poultry, and eggs, for example.
I always recommend my 15/6 rule if you must eat fast foods. Here’s how it works. If we assume we are eating three meals per day for one week (7 days), that equals 21 meals. Eat 15 of those meals at home or of quality nutrients that you know of. This leaves 6 meals to eat out. This leaves room for lunch dates with friends, weddings, family gatherings, even lunch meals at work, etc.
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Resources:
https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/how-to-cut-empty-calories.h00-159463212.html
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/heres-how-fast-food-can-affect-your-body/