After smoking, obesity due to consumption of fast food is the most preventable cause of death. There are numerous health hazards related to fast food consumption which is why it is important to limit it. In this article, we will give you all the good reasons to get over junk consumption and then tell you how you can start going about the procedure.
Reasons to stop junk food consumption
Food hygiene
Everyone who sells you fast food at the joints or street sides, do not care about food hygiene the way you do at home or a good restaurant. Having a dinner at a good and pricey restaurant will be of good quality, than the regular fast food joints. You never know what utensils they use, how frequently they wash, what they wash with, what ingredients they put, where they buy them from, etc. Fast foods are usually so tasty that we can neglect these aspects at times, but ask yourself if it is worth the health hazard in the long run?
Lower the cost, lower the quality
Why do you think that the fast food outlets sell products cheaper than restaurants? They add the cheapest possible ingredients. For example, you burger is probably added with little meat, wilted sugar and cheap bread. These have less nutritional value and a lot of flavourings.
Poor animal welfare
Maybe not something you’d be concerned about, but the meat that goes into your stomach would be something worth the worry. Farmers are often pressurized by the fast food centres drive down the meat prices, which makes them farm cruelly and unhealthily. The meat that goes into your stomach might not be as good as you choose from the market and make at home. Some animals are pumped with chemicals so that they growth faster. These chemicals get into your stomach when you eat!
You never know what you’re eating
You might know how it tastes, but you might not know how old the ingredients are. The low priced places used stale stuff which they buy in a lot and store. They get the cheapest meat and veggies available, usually the reclaimed ones, after all the good meat has been used up. Sometimes these are artificially coloured and flavoured and then added with preservatives.
Teenagers tend to get depressed
Hormonal changes in a teen’s body calls in for a healthier diet. This wards off their mood swings and makes them feel better. The teens that are more used to eating junk over good food, are more prone to face depression at this time.
Impairs brain functioning
A study conducted what to figure out how excessive junk food can lead to memory problems. It was researched that having more of junk can impair a rat’s memory! The bad fats in fast foods are known to replace healthy fats in brain, and then impair its functioning.
Improves kidney disorders
French fries are tempting as they have excessive salt content. This increases salivation and cravings too. High salt content in the fries increase your blood pressure and that is directly related to kidney disorders.
Increase in heart risks
This is something that you know about. Excessive smoking, drinking or eating can lead to heart diseases. There is high level of cholesterol in the junk food that you eat. It also had good amounts of triglyceride, which builds up with time and is related to obesity and heart risks.
Possibilities of cancer
Junk food has high amounts of fat, salt and sugar, and this leads to heart risks. There are no studies to prove the direct link that trigger cancer, but slowly and steadily we tend to indulge into things that keep pushing us towards the possibilities of having cancer. Junk food tends to kill us slowly and steadily, which is why slowing down its consumption is the best option.
How to quit eating junk food
If the above points have been convincing enough, and you want to get over the junk food consumption routine from your system, you can follow the tips we list below:
- Avoid snacking in a way that it doesn’t let you crave for junk. At some weak hours of the day, you might tend to get tempted to eat some junk, and distracting your mind at that time is the best thing you should do. Replace your snacks with healthier alternatives so that you are full, you eat tasty food and you don’t add junk to the body.
- Eat lots of food during the early hours of the day. The more food you eat at the beginning of the day, the less chances you have to get into junk consumption. Have a healthy breakfast in the morning and continue snacking on things like fruits and yogurt. Replace meal into 6 from 4, so that you can go on nibbling through the day and they won’t be junk.
- Keep sugar-free mint gums handy for times of cravings. There will come a time when you feel like having something unhealthy, but that can be replaced by temporary chewing. This is best when you keep some gums handy and you are less likely to throw it and eat something!
- Keep a huge variety of food options for yourself. Initially, when the process tends to be pretty tough. You ought to add variety to your list. Keep numerous healthy items on your list and switch over from one meal to another. When you have a variety, you don’t get bored with home cooked meals.
- Drink lots of water because that is also a detoxifying process for a healthier stomach. Water balances the blood sugar and you also keep away from eating junk. Sometimes having water when you are hungry or craving for junk, is the best way to turn down the feeling. Try to stay hydrated at all times, so that you body and mind feels better.
- Buy yourself a healthy recipe book so that you can go on eating different dishes without adding junk to your body. This is one of the easiest ways to cut down on junk food and you realize that you can make better food at home.
- Eating less junk and healthier alternatives makes you have a healthier shape. For numerous people, this is a driving force to quit junk.
Always treat yourself on special occasions, and that can be cutting out from the routine. Have some good quality burger and rolls which you know would sell you good ingredients.
