Fast Food-The brain connection

Everyday when I travel for work, I find parents  providing young toddlers with convinience foods. Its so rampant that kids are always munching on cookies, pastries, chips and the likes. I am appalled that people do not consider those foods to be harmful.

Fast foods are characterized as quick, easily accessible and cheap alternatives to home-cooked meals, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They also tend to be high in fat, sugar, salt and calories.

Food industry giants aggressively market their products with attractive packaging and strategic placements thereby getting people hooked. Special chemicals which enhance flavour are added to keep the consumer addicted to the psuedo food products.

HEALTH RISKS:

We are all aware that fast and processed foods can harm our physical health, leading to diabetes and obesity, as well as premature cardiac death, cancer, strokes, and more.

But these foods are also altering  our brain and our mental health – fueling depression, mental illness, and other issues.

According to a study published in the Public Health Journal, people who eat fast foods are 51% more likely to develop depression compared to those who eat little or no fast food. And this finding was for people who only consumed two servings of fast food a week.

Another study published in the Journal of Adolescence Health found that eating just one serving of French fries per week during adolescence increased women’s breast cancer risk later in life by 27%.

And a study published in Circulation found that eating fast food one time per week increased the risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 20% — a risk that grew to 50% for people eating fast food two or three times per week.

Other documented impacts from these foods include, Brain fog, Mood swings, Anxiety,Violence and Aggression. And for kids who eat fast food and processed foods, the situation may be even worse. Children are also developing habits and tastes that will affect them as they become adults. If kids eat fast foods often, it will  be harder for them to break those patterns later in life. And childhood eating habits have far-reaching consequences.

It is critical to note that, a weekly consumption of junk food can also have a cascading effect on our future. Children and Adults alike consume copious amounts of fast food on a daily basis. The current surge in the number of Autism spectrum disorders also are linked to poor dietary habits.

ACTION PLAN

Getting educated about the negative consequences of consuming junk foods can help us in tackling the beast. It is never late to start making healthy choices. We can also influence others by abstaining from eating the wrong foods. We just have to remember that change starts from an individual. Start a 21 day  JUNK FREE Journey. The changes in the body and mind will be self evident.