Why fast Food is not good for health

Last Updated on July 17, 2021 by Aaron Thompson

Yes, we all have a very fast life, and we are constantly looking for shortcuts to save out time and to get some convenience. There are times when you don’t even have time to go back home and cook, but fast food is never a good friend of the fast life.

Burgers, fries, pizzas, onion rings, tacos, burritos, and hamburgers all sound cool until you know how much damage they cause to your health. The idea of fast food was derived from the concept that it would be easier for people to grab a bite while they are on their daily grind. It takes less time to get prepared, and also, you can eat it while you’re on the go. It gradually got so famous that now we have a fast-food joint on every corner of every street in the world. People are treating it as the only option, and therefore, the side effects of fast food can also be seen in the recent population. Here are a few reasons how fast food is not good for your health;

Fast Food Loaded with calories

Fast food is either deeply fried or loaded with calories that are far beyond the need of a healthy human being. Consuming more calories than your body requires can lead to the accumulation of fat and add to your body weight, making you obese. Also, greasy meal is not good for your stomach and skin. It leads to disturbed digestion and dull skin over time. Sugar overload leads to diabetes, whereas sodium overload is a precursor for hypertension.

Unhygienic conditions

When food is prepared at home, you can take care of the cleanliness and hygiene; you can keep a check on the kind of meat, cheese and vegetables are being used. Whereas in the fast food joints, the food is made on a large scale, and therefore they use frozen food that has been frozen for months, and it causes problems like abdominal distress and food poisoning. Preparing fresh food using fresh ingredients is a healthier option.

Binge eating

You might have noticed that once you start eating from a fast-food chain, there is no going back. You get addicted to the taste, and it makes you crave for more and more. You start associating fast food with all your happy moments, celebrations, sorrows, and all other occasions. Though fast food makes you feel full soon, it also makes you feel hungry after some time, thus increasing the quantity and frequency of your meals.

No essential nutrients

Despite feeling full and consuming thousands of calories, you don’t get the essential nutrients that your body requires for normal growth and function. This leads to a deficiency of micro and macromolecules that are needed for biochemical reactions in the body. So what is the point of eating when your body does not get the energy that it requires?

Wastage of money adds to the stress

Suppose you did not have a good day at the office. Your boss scolded you, and you could not meet the deadline, so you got upset. You pick up some fast food from the drive-thru and binge eat while stressing over the deadlines you still have to meet. After eating, you feel guilty that you spent your money on the meal that is not good for your health and also costs you double the amount of money that would be enough for dinner at home. So now you are stressed, unhealthy, and broke at the same time.

Diseases like hypertension and diabetes

Hypertension and diabetes are among the most common diseases in the world. The sedentary lifestyle and poor meal choices make it even more common. These diseases further have many complications like cardiovascular diseases and peripheral neuropathy. Despite knowing the fact that this disease can be fatal, people continue to bombard fast-food chains with huge orders. Eating fast food once or twice is also fine, but making it a habit and an integral part of your life can have deleterious effects overall.

Fast Food makes you lazy and inactive

Fast food is often associated with relaxing and having fun, but I would say that it is a completely absurd concept. The trend of Netflix and chill, where people order a large pizza and finish it all by themselves before the movie ends, does not make sense at all. What is the point of chilling tonight when you know that a large pizza is going to make you sick tomorrow? Also, eating fast food makes you so full that it gets difficult for you to move from your place. Slowly this thing develops into a habit, and you become sluggish and lazy for all of your life. It further adds to your weight and makes you obese. We all know that obesity is the mother of all diseases, so fast food can be your ticket to the hospital indirectly.

What is a better option then Fast Food?

You can add thousands of healthy replacements to your lifestyle in place of fast food. Even if you want to have junk meal, why not cook it at your home, using healthier recipes that use less oil and other harmful ingredients? How about air frying your fries and onion rings? How about switching to whole wheat bread instead of a high-calorie bun? What about replacing greasy onion rings with some other fresh vegetable that does not add a truckload of calories in your body?

Conclusion

Treating yourself with fast food on the weekends or in a fortnight is fine, but making it your staple meal is equivalent to throwing yourself into a loophole of unhealthy choices. Daily exercise and sufficient intake of water can also help you deal with the unhealthy effects of fast food. To maintain a healthy lifestyle overall, you must opt for a balanced diet that contains all the food groups in moderation. You can also seek the help of a professional to guide you towards a balanced diet.

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