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Junk Food
Chocolates, lollies, soft drinks, pizzas, cakes, burgers,
hot dogs, chips etc are Junk foods. It is tasty. It
has high calories and it is less nutritious.
Junk food consumption leads to various obesity related
diseases, vitamin deficiencies and health problems.
According to a survey, an Australian spends one third
of his income on junk food. Americans also eat a lot
of junk food.
Junk Foods are rich in saturated fat. Saturated fat
is a type of fat usually found in
animals. It is not suited for humans. According to an
article, ‘One fast food meal may have more than
50 per cent of your daily fat allowance and almost 100
per cent of your daily saturated fat allowance’.
Fast foods like chips, fried chicken, Big Mac and pizza
have about 20g saturated fat, which is more, than the
required daily intake. This increases the cholesterol
levels and contributes to obesity.
Junk Food and Salt
We require certain amounts of salt in our body. But
junk foods have high amounts of salt or sodium, which
increases heart attack risks. The National Academy of
Science recommends just over one spoon salt a day. A
recent study amongst Australians reveled that they consumed
double the amount of salt that their body wanted.
Junk food also lacks fiber. The National Cancer Institute
recommends 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day while an American
eats only an average of 15 grams of fiber. A high fiber
diet reduces the risks of diseases like heart disease,
diabetes and colon cancer.
Sweet Drinks
It is evident that soft drinks contain high amounts
of sugar, which is not good for the body. It encourages
the process of putting on weight. It can also cause
serious problems including tooth decay, childhood obesity,
diabetes and heart diseases.
It is seen that children stick to junk food more than
adults do. Junk food is advertised as ‘fun food’
or ‘cool’ food, with the majority of the
advertising directed at children and teenagers. Surveys
have told the industry's chieftains that parents often
let children make restaurant choices and over 80 percent
of the time, kids under 17 choose fast food.
Solution
Frankly speaking, we eat everything that is
easily available. But avoid junk food on all days and
keep check of what you eat. For example, a small amount
of real chocolate is more satisfying than lots of low
fat chocolates. When you go to the restaurant, try to
order smaller dishes, avoid fried items and limit your
unhealthy carvings.
These are some low fat junk foods available:
- Vegetarian pizza
- Seafood pizza skinless chicken
- Grilled chicken Souvlaki Grilled, lean meat hamburgers
- Grilled fish burgers
It is not easy to stop eating junk food. But we can
easily cut down on our unhealthy food diet and reduce
the risks of heart attacks and strokes. Indulge in unhealthy
eating occasionally but always keep check on the calories
you consume.
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