There are practically innumerable curiosities and apprehensions regarding this otherwise hot food category for its contrasting effects on our smacking taste buds and health. Though there is still a lot of confusion over what should be called a junk food in accordance with its nutritional and health aspects, more or less in the civic perception the demarcation of junk food as unhealthy is common across various countries. The challenge of demarcating junk food is really awesome as with the passing of every day the food courts, provision stores and quick take away food stalls are swarmed with new and newer range of varieties.
Thanks to the onset of globalized environment of cultural exchange and food processing native taste buds in every corner of the world can now have a mouthful of new range of lip smacking fusion between their homegrown items with their counterparts from abroad. Now in Singapore you can have a mouthful of Indian Panipuri infused with vodka or on the streets of India you can taste a Mexican egg roll with a fiery punch of Indian spices. This fusion and reach of global culinary recipes from one part of the world to another makes invoked the popularity and acceptance of junk food even higher than earlier time. But equally disastrous are the health effects and disorders junk food causing to millions of people who irrespective of being health conscious cannot just resist their watered mouth to have a taste of them whenever and wherever they have a reach to them.
Junk food definition
According to medical experts junk food is the type of food items that are typically deficient in nutritional values and rich in certain derogatory nutritional components like fat, salt, sugar and calories. Instead of providing all nutritional components like minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and edible fibers in perfect balance junk food typically consist of fatty substances, sugar, salt and supply higher calorie than other food items or nutrients and thus it can render wide range of harmful effects on various health scores like causing increase in blood glucose level, gastronomic problems and ulcers, increase in cholesterol and resulting heart disorders, higher blood pressure and increase in toxins in the body that results in many other complications.
What are junk foods?
Though according to definition we all know that fast processed food items that are deficient in nutritional value and loaded with certain elements that are harmful for our organic function are called junk food, we must exemplify certain junk food for a better understanding of what you need to be cautious of in respect of your regular eatables. First of all, any ready to eat food stuff that are sold in the food stalls without any detailed statutory description on their packaging regarding the nutritional value or ready to eat food stuff that are sold without any regulated packaging norm can be straightforwardly labeled and discarded from your palatable food stuff as junk food. There are practically a whopping list of popular to regular to exotic food delicacies under these categories, from your favorite pav bhaji to French fry to egg roll to burgers to hotdogs to sugary candies and ice cream scoops.
This is just one way to differentiate the junk food, but the most important way is to read the label on the packaging that according to the food administration regulation must mention the detailed nutritional value of the food you are going to consume, but for food stuff without any packaging and detail information on nutritional value, it is always a grey zone and you never know what exactly you are gulping down with their tongue tingling taste and aroma.
What health disorders can be caused by junk food?
When people comment that they just cannot stop eating their favorite French fries or a pack of potato chips it sounds ridiculous, but consumption of junk food can really be like consuming cocaine or some kind of addictive drugs and even many researchers have given testimony to that. When you are young you are likely to consume heavy loads of junk food without much of a health disturbance or derogatory effects on your health, but as you grow older you begin to experience more and more health problems are taking root and suddenly a time comes when just a mouthful of French fry or similar snacks can shoot your blood pressure and leave you agonizing with serious health problems for days. In the youth people normally possess a better and effective metabolism and they digest fast. But how taking junk food can cause you permanent health problem there lays the answer as to why medical perception is long warning against the intake of junk food.
Obesity:
Obesity or gaining body weight is the most common disease or health disorder that you experience with persistent intake of junk food. Almost all junk food are rich in saturated fat that results in people being obese or overweight faster than usual by taking junk food regularly.
Heart disorder:
Junk food is crucial in developing bad cholesterol called LDL which is the prime reason for developing coronary heart disorder. So every time you are taking a mouthful of junk food your heart is getting vulnerable to diseases and disorders.
Gastric problems and ulcers:
Junk food is deficient in nutritional value and particularly deficient in respect of certain digestive elements like food fiber and acids, on the contrary it is full of hard to digest and harmful fat and spices making it a tougher edible item for digestion.
Blood sugar and diabetes:
Junk food, especially the sugary and sweet ones are particularly derogatory for health as these food items can increase blood glucose level consistently over a period of time and even other junk food with predominantly oily and fat rich composition can also play a detrimental role in increasing blood glucose level. So if you have developed a knack for junk food, it is very much probable to develop diabetes sooner than you expected it.
Hypertension and high blood pressure:
If food is one of the most important contributory factors to the onset of hypertension or high blood pressure then junk food with the concentration higher saturated fat, raw salt and other toxic substances can play more crucial role in causing diabetes or high blood pressure.
Liver dysfunction:
Over time junk food can cause a higher level of fat deposit in your liver and thus can completely or partially derange liver function and can cause liver diseases.
Decrease in energy level:
Junk food can cause severe decrease in your energy level if taken persistently over a longer period of time, because junk food lacks in necessary constituents in respect of nutritional value to be present in a balanced diet. Junk food lacks certain good carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals all of which are essential for our regular energy supply. So those lip smacking burgers and hotdogs are actually making you weak over time.
Stress:
It is not at all a surprising fact that junk food has a great bearing in making you reel under stress. As junk food are mostly deficient in certain minerals and vitamins that are crucial for the normal functioning of stress hormones like Cortisol and as with the absence of these minerals and vitamins our brain tends to function slower than usual, you are likely to develop stress with persistent intake of junk food.
Alzheimer's disease:
Leave alone the chronic cardiovascular disease or lifestyle diseases like obesity or gastrointestinal problems, even junk food can cause paralyzing life threat like Alzheimer's disease. As it is widely agreed across the scientific and medical community that Alzheimer's disease is mainly a disease that is cause by non-functioning or deficiently functioning metabolism and as junk food is well known to cause disruption in metabolism it can end up in causing the symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Cancer:
Even life threatening diseases as great as cancer can be traced back to the contributing factors of junk food according to various scientific studies and researches. Though junk food cannot directly cause cancer it can make the basis or groundwork for the development of cancer. Obesity, deposit of toxic substances and higher risk of being vulnerable to intake some cancer causing chemicals, are some of the factors that associate this disease with junk food. Moreover and importantly, as junk food is almost devoid of dietary fiber which is one of the key constituent in fighting cancer, it can as well be attributed to junk food in its effect in causing cancer.
Cloudiness in thought and Depression:
Junk food according to the medical researchers, experts and practitioners in various parts of the world can cause depression also. Simply on account of being deficient in certain vitamins and minerals which are crucial for brain functioning and release of some hormones junk food can cause slowed drown brain function, cloudiness in thinking and can result further into depression.
Birth Defects:
The latest scientific research outcome that junk food can cause birth defects is the topping on the whopping list of health hazards of junk food. Researchers at the Georgetown University Medical Center recently came up with this astounding truth that consuming junk food on a regular basis for a considerable time can result in genetic modification that by generation can be inherited by your children and grandchildren and these modifications are supposed to make them more vulnerable to many crucial diseases like cancer, type II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
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