Why is fast food unhealthy? How to stop eating fast food? Did you know that obesity is second only to smoking as a preventable cause of death in the US? That is just one of the reasons that you shouldn’t be eating fast, or junk food. Add to that the many other health risks associated with fast food, along with the animal welfare considerations, too, and you have a really good case for staying away from the burger joints and other junk food outlets. Here are ten very good reasons why you should stop eating fast food:
- Food hygiene
Not everyone who works in fast food restaurants is as careful about basic food hygiene as you probably are. How can you be sure that they washed hands before preparing your food or that the utensils they have used are clean? It’s not uncommon to read about fast food outlets that have been closed down because of poor hygiene, and that’s just the ones that have been caught!
- Low price means low quality
Why do you think that some fast food outlets can sell their food cheaply? Primarily, it’s because they use the cheapest possible ingredients. That means burgers, with very little meat, wilted salad and burger buns that have more air in them than bread! This means it has very limited nutritional value and a load of salt added, to create some flavour.
- It promotes poor animal welfare conditions
The constant pressure that is out on farmers by fast food restaurants, to drive prices down promotes the need for cruel, intensive farming methods. Factory farmed animals are forced to live in awful conditions. They are often also pumped full of chemicals to enhance their growth and fight infection and those chemicals can be passed on in the food you eat.
- You don’t know what’s in your food
You really have no idea what goes into your fast food, but most chains and independent outlets are looking for low price and a long shelf life. That means the cheapest meat available, like reclaimed meat, which is the meat that is mechanically recovered from the carcass, after all the good meat has been used. Such meat is often then coloured artificially, flavoured artificially and it contains large amounts of artificial preservatives.
- It can cause depression in teenagers
Because of all the hormonal changes, going on in a teenager’s body, they need a healthy diet to ward off mood swings and behavioural issues. Teenagers that eat more junk food than fresh food are nearly 60% more likely to suffer from depression.
- It can increase the risk of kidney disease
The reason that fries are so tempting is because they contain huge amounts of highly processed salt which increases salivation and even causes a craving. The high salt and fat content in fries increases blood pressure and adversely affects the functioning of the kidneys.
- It can affect the functioning of the brain
In a study conducted by the journal ‘Brain, Behaviour and Immunity’, researchers found that one week of eating junk food was enough to impair the memory of rats. It is believed that the bad fats in fast food replaces the healthy fats in the brain and so impairs brain functions.
- It increases the risk of heart disease
This is probably no surprise, but too much fast food increases the risk of heart disease. Junk food contains high levels of cholesterol and triglyceride, which builds up in your body over time and will eventually lead to obesity and heart problems.
10. It increases the risk of cancer
Fast foods are high in fat, sugar and salt, which can lead to an increased risk of cancer. Studies have proven that there is a direct link between the amount of fatty, fried food that people eat and the incidence of cancer.
Do you have some other reasons why we should stop eating fast food?
Stay happy and healthy!
