McDonalds, In-N-Out, Burger King, Wendy’s, and many more fast food places are well known for the lack of nutrition in their menus, but the extent of the impact of fast food on health is actually greater than many think. Incessantly consuming fast food is highly detrimental because the aftereffects result in mild obesity and a fatal death due to an irregular and an unhealthy diet.
As ones corpulence increases, the level of sugar undermine, not only inducing the immune system to weaken but decreasing the metabolic rate. Recent studies show that over 25% of the population in the United States scoffs fast food each day and that a McDonalds milkshake has 1,000 calories more than the Wendy’s Small Frosty.
“The trend of supersizing orders tends to exacerbate the harmful effects of fast food. “The fries and other sugar-laden concoctions they try to pass off as real food will start your movement towards an increased risk for developing diabetes and increased weight gain, with all the poor lifestyle consequences, [such as] heart disease caused by the inflammation from the diet,” says biology professor John Magee.
This is not good news, especially as recent studies show that people between that 16 to 18-year olds collectively eat fast food a total of 157,000,000 times each month. French fries and other items on the fast food menu are high in simple carbohydrates, which cause an insulin spike in the blood, followed by a drop. Malnutrition can result into heart failure, because devouring large contents of sodium, will prevent the kidneys to eliminate the salt, which causes the sodium to build up within the body, forcing the heart to pump harder. This can lead to hypertension, agitation, heart attack, and kidney failure. All fast food restaurants are unwholesome, because they all provide food which is filled with components that mainly increase the fat in the body.
However, the costs to health far outweigh the benefits. “Fast food is calorie-dense and it does not feed your body the essential nutrients it needs,” says Magee. “And it’s only cheap when you don’t factor in the added cost of the health care. You will ultimately need to treat the poor health you develop as a result of eating that way.” Bringing a bag lunch to school instead of going to In-N-Out can make a big difference.
“Most kids remember their cell phone every day and remember to charge it when necessary, so treat your body like your cell phone– charge it when you are at home and bring the fuel you need with you so you can make some healthier choices than when your time and options are limited at school.”
Along with protein, fruits, and vegetables, people have to eat more healthy fats – most fats with the exception of trans fats are healthful. Saturated fat has had a bad reputation over the years due to alleged causes of heart disease, but more studies are being published which show that this is completely inaccurate.
In order to avoid unhealthful fats and oils, one should eat foods that contain high-ranks of vitamins, iron, and potassium of every kind, including carrots, vegetables, eggs, milk, and yogurt.
Occasional fast food lunches are acceptable, but “if you just eat the burger without the bread, that’s much healthier,” says Magee. “[A common excuse] is the ‘I did not know’ defense, so let’s educate people and remove that excuse,” says Magee. “Once you know and you still insist on ruining your health and expect a more and more beleaguered health care system to pick up the pieces, then that’s just plain lazy.”
