Effects of Junk Food

Junk Food Sucks Eating junk food can have a significant impact on one's health. Though many people enjoy eating junk food and think it tastes great. The term "junk food" typically refers to foods that are relatively high in caloric content, but low in nutritional value. Junk food is often high in sugar, salt, white flour, and fat. A few examples of foods often considered to be junk food include fast food, sweets such as ice cream, candy, donuts, and prepackaged treats, soda, and potato chips, among many others. The effects of eating too much junk food are lower energy levels, can weight gain and led to illness and diabetes. The first effect of eating junk food is its impact on energy levels. Many people skip breakfast or other meals throughout the day, choosing instead to grab a quick snack or a soft drink. The junk food causes energy levels to spike, which people like, but then energy levels will quickly drop, sending one back into the kitchen for another quick snack. The high levels of sugar in junk food puts your metabolism under stress; when you eat refined sugar, your pancreas secretes high amounts of insulin to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels. In addition, junk food can cause moodiness, and make it difficult to get enough sleep at night, so energy levels are never restored to normal. (Junk Food) Second effect from eating junk food is weight gain. People who eat a lot of junk food tend to gain weight quickly, which can lead to obesity over time; this extra weight then has an impact on the health of the rest of the body. It can raise cholesterol and blood pressure, contributing to heart disease. The high levels of fat and sodium in junk food can cause high blood pressure or hypertension. Excessive dietary sodium can also have a negative effect on renal function, even leading to kidney disease. High levels of dietary fat lead to poor cognitive performance. You'll feel tired and have trouble concentrating because your body might not be getting enough oxygen. (Nutrition) Third effect of eating too much junk food is Diabetes. Over time, the high levels of sugar and simple carbohydrates in junk food can lead to type 2 diabetes. This occurs because eating too much sugar puts your metabolism under stress; when you eat a lot of refined white sugar and simple carbohydrates, your body has to pump up insulin production to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels. Because junk food doesn't contain the protein or complex carbohydrates that your body needs to maintain consistent blood sugar levels, your blood sugar levels will drop suddenly soon after eating. You'll crave sugar and likely end up eating more junk food. Over time, this stress damages your body's ability to use the insulin secreted by your pancrease. A healthy diet can help maintain your body's insulin sensitivity. (Nutrition) When the body does not get proper nutrition, it can become difficult to concentrate. It can also cause depression. Keep all of these health effects of junk food in mind before eating anything; a healthy diet can lead to greater energy levels, improved mood and concentration ability, weight loss, and decreased risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. Though junk food may be easy and fast, its health impacts are too great to ignore.

Work cited
“Fast Food Nutrition” Fitday.com
Tuesday, January 22, 2013

B, Miller. “Effects of Junk Food” Wisegeek.com
Tuesday, January 22, 2013