Junk food and Diseases, WBCS 2021

Junk food and Diseases (WBCS 2021 – Paper II)

👉 What is ‘Junk Food’?

'Junk food' is food that lacks nutrients, vitamins and minerals and is high in salt, sugar and fat. Some foods are called junk food because they do not contribute much to our health. Junk food is also known as 'discretionary food' or 'optional food'.

👉 Some examples of junk food

Some examples of junk food include:

Cakes and biscuits,

Fast food (such as hot chips, burgers and pizza),

Chocolate and sweets,

Processed meats (such as bacon),

Snacks (such as chips)

Besides, soft drinks and hard drinks are considered as junk food.

👉 Diseases caused by eating junk foods

However, people ignore the adverse effects of junk food. Eating junk food causes several diseases. Some of these include obesity and several chronic diseases such as

Atherosclerosis,

High blood pressure,

Type 2 disease,

Cardiovascular disease,

Cancers and more

Junk food is high in saturated fat and cholesterol. These substances accumulate in the arteries and block blood circulation in the human body. In this case, a person may have a stroke or a heart attack.

Junk food is high in sodium salt, the excessive intake of which can lead to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is associated with the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Eating too much junk food can make a person fat or overweight. In this case, people may suffer from various diseases. For example, diabetes and insulin resistance can lead to eye damage, skin conditions, slow healing, hearing impairment, sleep apnea and dementia.

Again, junk food itself may not cause cancer, but conditions arising from excessive junk food consumption induce cancer. People who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop kidney, colon, gallbladder and various other cancers.

👉 Preventive measures to control diseases caused by junk food

Several preventive measures can help you avoid diseases caused by eating junk food. Some ways are-

(i) The best way to avoid junk food is to plan our meals in advance. We should try to include healthy meals and snacks in our daily diet.

(ii) When shopping at a grocery store, we should buy products from different categories marked as dairy, meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, eggs, etc. This category usually contains more real foods than processed foods if we start including these in our diet, the cravings for junk food will gradually decrease and the chances of diseases caused by junk food will also decrease.

(iii) Including healthy fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats will help us feel full and avoid cravings for junk food.

(iv) Protein foods like fish, beans, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and more make us feel full and reduce our cravings for junk food.

(v) If we tend to eat stress, consider practicing stress management tools such as running or walking, yoga, meditation and doing some creative things like drawing, writing.

However, regulation of junk food consumption is psychological because our brains are wired for the good taste of junk food. Following the steps mentioned above will help one avoid fast food. And also, this will reduce the risk of diseases caused by eating junk food.

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