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A client recently asked me, "How often can I get away with eating junk food?" She knows that my nutrition philosophy is the "80:20 rule": Eat healthy foods as often as possible (at least 80 percent of the time), but also enjoy the occasional less healthy food (less than 20 percent of the time), if that's what you really want.

I've seen this approach work well with my clients who were previously chronic dieters yet hadn't been able to lose weight. Once I give them permission to have "forbidden foods," those foods lose their power and they're able to make healthier choices the bulk of the time.

There is some evidence that "cheat meals" (although I hate that term) can help boost fat loss and mental health among dieters. Yet I wanted to give my client a more quantifiable answer. Could a few days of junk food or even a single fast food meal make a difference in your overall health?

Junk food and fast food defined

What is "junk food"? Essentially any food that is highly processed, high in calories and low in nutrients. Junk food is also usually high in added sugars, salt and saturated or trans fats. Some evidence points to junk foods as being as addictive as alcohol and drugs.

"Fast food" is food that is prepared quickly and is eaten quickly or taken out. Although there are a growing number of healthier fast food options, most fast food can still be classified as junk food.

Long-term effects of eating junk food

Eating a poor quality diet high in junk food is linked to a higher risk of obesity, depression, digestive issues, heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and early death. And as you might expect, frequency matters when it comes to the impact of junk food on your health.
[If you think grocery stores are playing tricks on you, they really are]
A review of studies on fast food and heart health found having fast food more than once a week was linked to a higher risk of obesity, while eating fast food more than twice a week was associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and death from coronary heart disease.

This is disturbing considering nearly half of American adults eat fast food at least once a week.

Short-term effects of junk food

It's human nature to think about benefits and risks over the short term rather than considering the impact our choices have over the long term. So how does consumption of junk food affect your body over the short term?

A few days of junk food

Just a few days of junk food could change your metabolism. A small study of 12 healthy young men found eating junk food for just five days led to a reduced ability of their muscles to turn glucose into energy, even though they didn't eat more calories as part of the study. Over the long term, this change could lead to insulin resistance and eventually type 2 diabetes.

Another effect of just a couple of days of junk food is poor digestion. Because junk food lacks fiber, eating too much of it could lead to constipation.

One junk food meal

That single fast food meal can narrow your arteries, leading to an increase in blood pressure.

And the quick spike in your blood sugar from eating junk foods high in refined carbohydrates and added sugars can cause a surge in insulin, leading to a quick drop in blood sugar. That leaves you feeling tired, cranky and hungry for more.

Just one serving of junk food can increase inflammation throughout your body. Further, an Australian study suggests that in people with asthma, a fast food meal high in saturated fat can increase inflammation in the airway, potentially making an asthma attack more likely. . So it seems the quick hit of junk food, while fleetingly rewarding, does carry short-term risks.

The good news: Every healthy meal helps

The amount of inflammation and oxidative stress your body will experience after eating occasional junk food seems to be a function of the "big picture" of your choices over time.

If you want to enjoy junk food once in a while but are concerned about the impact on your health, take a look at your overall health habits. Do you smoke or overdo it on alcohol? Are you exercising regularly and eating plenty of nutritious foods such as vegetables, fruit, legumes, fish, nuts and seeds, and whole grains? When it comes to your health, it seems you can "get away with" the occasional junk food more easily when you follow a healthy lifestyle most of the time. So think about your ratio of healthy to less healthy foods. Are you achieving 80:20 or is there room for some improvement?

When you're making the choice between a healthier option and junk food, consider that just one healthy meal a day worked into the typical American diet could reduce overall stress and inflammation in your body. Every meal is an opportunity to positively impact your health.

Based on the current research, my advice to my client essentially remains the same: Once you're aware of all of the short-term and long-term impacts of junk food and you still really want some, have it less than once a week and really savor it. Then get right back to enjoying nourishing, nutritious foods.

Christy Brissette is a dietitian, foodie and president of 80TwentyNutrition.com. Follow her on Twitter @80twentyrule.

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Perspective | This is your body on fast food

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A client recently asked me, "How often can I get away with eating junk food?" She knows that my nutrition philosophy is the "80:20 rule": Eat healthy foods as often as possible (at least 80 percent of the time), but also enjoy the occasional less healthy food (less than 20 percent of the time), if that's what you really want.

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Fast Food Business - Shocking Truth Behind It

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SUMMARY

In the article " This is your body on fast food the author talks about fast food on your body. It tells you that fast food is essentially any food that is highly processed, high in calories and low in nutrients. Tells of one meal can narrow your arteries and lower your blood pressure. It says that fast food can be as addictive as drugs and alcohol. Fast food does not have to be bad unless your not careful about your proportions.

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In "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" the author examines our daily meals and explains different facts and information that we didn't know before about our food.

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This chapter explains how our food looked like before and how it developed throughout the ages.
-In Ancient Egypt, they would make an Egyptian "pizza" (a flatbread with toppings) with the grains that grew when the Nile flooded. As well as beer.
-The ancient Romans would eat a lot of fish, it even got so fashionable that wealthy people would tame some.
-In China, they have been eating rice since 5000 BCE.
-The Chinese men has been sipping tea since 3000 BCE.

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HEALTH
-248,000 die due to obysity
-obystese is the #2 cause of prevention for death in the US
IMPORTANT FACTS
-Major vegetable is potato
-Potoato mostly consumedby french fries
-160,000 fast food reasturants in usa
-serve 50,000,000 people a day
-$110 billion doollars a year
HISTORY
-White castle was the first fast food chain
-white castle came in 1921 and mcdonalds was in 1948

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Break fast means break your fast. So when you've been fasting for about eight hours and your energy is at real low. That is why scientists has shown that breakfast is good for our brain and makes us happier, healthier and less stressed.
-Bananas are the most frequently eaten fruit in the morning
-If you eat ready-to-eat cereal you are less likely to get a cold.
-Eggs are nature's most perfect foods. Eggs are a great way to start the day.
-In Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia most people  eat soup for breakfast.
-In Philippines they eat garlic fried rice and pickles.

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Junk food and pizza does not have to be unhealthy if you control you quantities.

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Junk food can be appealing for a variety of reasons, including convenience, price and taste. For children, who do not always understand the health consequences of their eating habits, junk food may appear especially appetizing.

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SUMMARY
In the article how junk food affects children. The author examines about junk food. the central idea is how junk food can take control of you and harm you. Junk food can cause diabetes . Children can be addicted to junk food and keep eating it. It can destroy their well rounded thing( education,sports, activities, etc). It can increase physical problems such as weight gain, self esteem,etc. That tells how junk food effected children.

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NOTES
- Pizza can be eaten throughout the day. Pg 4
-Pizza orignated from italy. Pg 6
-Pizza came here when a large group imigrated here. Pg 7
- People put crazy topping on pizza. Pg 7
-Pizza uses natural sugar. Pg 9
-One bilion pizza are delivered especially during the superbowl. Pg 11
-The sauce on pizzas usually made fron tomato paste. Pg 11
-Most pizzas use mozzarala cheese. Pg 13
-Frozen pizzas are made from machines. Pg 14
- Some pizzas can last in the freezer for a year without going bad. Pg 15
-Most children eat 1,600-1,800 cal a day. Pg 18

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SUMMARY
In the book Whats in your pizza the author examines about pizza. The central idea is that fast food is not bad unless you eat too much. Pizza had originated from Italy. That pizza can last to for than one year in the freezer. Pizzas can have crazy topping, From eels to snails..etc. Pizza can have a big craze. More than one billion pizza can be delivered a year. That's a lot. Pizzas does not have to be bad unless your control you proportion. You can even check the nutrition label

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-Soft drinks are more than  25% of all the drinks that is chugged down in America.
-Sodas were invented when people had been bathing in fizzy water for hundreds of years. So someone thought if it would would be good for the outside of the body  then it would be good inside. The people began to add sugar and flavoring and soft drinks were born.
-The most popular topping on pizza is pepperoni while Anchovies are at last.
-Pizza is eaten in almost every country and each has its favorite.
-When a chef in New York had a picky diner, the customer sent his fried potatoes saying they were too thick and soggy. So the chef got furious and wanted to show the diner a lesson. So he sliced the potatoes as thinly as he could, then salted them heavily to make them taste bad. But when the customer gobbled the potatoes down and asked for more.

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In "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" by Frieda Wishinsky and Elizabeth Macleod, the authors examine how our daily meals look like, and explains facts and information about the food that we are eating.
How food looked like throughout the ages and the most common foods around the world.
Facts about our breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner.
Myths, explanations and history behind all the food that we eat.

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FINAL CONNECTIONS       Fast food is addictive -248,000 die to obesity-makes $110 billion dollars a year-serve 15,000,000 people a day-have 160,000 resturants-obyste is the #2 cause of preventionof death in the usa.

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FINAL CONNECTIONS       Fast food is addictive -248,000 die to obesity-makes $110 billion dollars a year-serve 15,000,000 people a day-have 160,000 resturants-obyste is the #2 cause of preventionof death in the usa.

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SUMMARY
In the video " Fast food business-and the chocking truth behind it". My central ideas that Fast food is addictive . one thing to know is 248,000 people die to obesity. Fast food restaurants Serve 15,000,000 people a day-have. Obesity is the #2 cause of prevention of death in the USA

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In "Americans' endless appetite for fast food" the author examines our outrageous intake of fast food and explains how, who and where we consume all the extreme amount of fast food.
On a typical day there is 22.7% of Americans that eat fast food for breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner .
The more money someone has the more likely they are to eat fast food on any given day.
Racial and ethnic differences also matters on the statistics of popularity when consuming fast food.

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Newsela | Más de 1 entre 3 estadounidenses comen comida rápida en un día cualquiera

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Cuanto más dinero tiene una persona, más factible es que recurra a la comida rápida