The worst kind of poison is the one that tastes good

The most common ailments in developed countries are the ones related to a bad nutrition, those like obesity, diabetes and many others that even If they can be related to factors outside our control, in most cases all those curses befell upon us through our own neglect. What kind of neglect? The one that our bodies experience constantly when we make poor choices with regards to what we consume. From processed sugars to saturated fats and high amounts of calories, all these kinds of foods, which can be described as they commonly are with the name of "junk food" one that accurately depicts their nutritional value, are causing detrimental effects in our long term health and making us more prone to suffer an early death. That's why in this article I will talk more in detail about the problems related with junk food, why all this happens and what we can do about this from my humble perspective, hoping to at least make you aware of the dangers that It entails. Let's begin:

What does Junk Food do to my body?

If you take the main two components of junk food, Saturated Fats and Sugars and analyze them both, you'll find out that they might be more dangerous than you think.

For example, in the case of processed and added sugars, the main effect they cause upon a high consumption of them is that they affect you in a hormonal level, causing your levels of insulin to rapidly increase while at the same time decreasing leptin, which is responsible for warning your brain when you have eaten enough and make you feel satiated. If you have low levels of leptin, you'll feel like you still haven't eaten enough and you'll be more prone to overeat and increase your calory consumption, thus causing exaggerated weight gains If not controlled properly. Along with this, If your liver has to process a high enough amount of sugars in the form of fructose which It turns into fat, you'll surely end with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and you can even begin to suffer from type 2 diabetes.

For saturated fats, these type of fats contain a high amount of calories per gram, It being 9 calories per gram of fat, being more than twice the amount found in carbohydrates and proteins. Besides this, If you consume too much saturated fats, It will cause cholesterol to build up in your arteries, specifically LDL, your bad cholesterol, thus increasing your chances of suffering from strokes and heart diseases.

Now we know how much bad the wrong kind of fats and sugars can do to harm our body, though something you might still don't know is why Its use is so recurrent todays and why It has increased so much. Let's give a quick description as to why.

The easiest option

Let's be honest, Junk food tastes great. Not only this, It is also cheap and quick to acquire instead of waiting on a restaurant or making food yourself, providing an alternative to save time and create more time for other activities. Along with this It is more accesible due to the fact that fast food franchises can be found at any point in the map of any city. All these factors contribute to an increased use of It, contributing to many of the problems we face today.

Then what can I do about It?

Well, as I explain frequently in my articles, I'm a fan of gradual and incremental change, It being a more sustainable strategy when trying to improve than a sudden disruption of an ingrained habit. That's why one of the tactics I would recommend you to apply If you find yourself stuck binge eating is to slowly introduce cleaner foods into your diet. For example, you might take off the fries from burgers and apply something cleaner like steamed vegetables for at least one meal at the day and then work from that to increase the amount of foods in which you turn to healthier alternatives week by week, all so you can adapt and create a more intuitive regime. If time is the problem when trying to stay away from junk food, then your priority should be to schedule a day in which to cook your meals for the week.

I hope that this article could've been of use to you, explaining what certain types of substances in our foods create all the distress we feel and how It affects our bodies, giving you my perspective on why It happens and what you can do about It, encouraging you to always opt for the cleaner option. Thank you for your support and good luck!