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ideas or topics that i want to explore further. 

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ideas or topics that i want to explore further. 

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why fast food does this to your body?

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why do they even make fast food?
make the fast food healthy?
take away certain food maybe?

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i think that no one wants any of these diseases that can cause your body to shut down over time and even cause death. People want to live their lives to the fullest but they do nothing to help themselves in where there at and where they want to be.

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i know a lot of people that eat fast food and its very unhealthy. People don't understand the causes of what it can do to your body and how dangerou it can be.

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Fast food is a common meal option, but it's high in calories and low in nutrients. Eating too much of it could affect nearly all parts of your body.

Swinging through the drive-thru or hopping into your favorite fast food restaurant may happen more often than some of us would like to admit.

Between 2013 and 2016, of U.S. adults ate fast food on a given day. The amount was nearly the same for children and adolescents, with of them eating fast food on a given day during 2015 to 2018.

While an occasional fast food meal won't hurt, a habit of eating out could be doing a number on your health. Read on to learn the effects of fast food on your body.

Most fast food, including drinks and sides, are loaded with carbohydrates with little to no fiber.

When your digestive system breaks down these foods, the carbs are released as glucose (sugar) into your bloodstream. As a result, your blood sugar increases.

Your pancreas responds to the surge in glucose by releasing insulin. Insulin transports sugar throughout your body to cells that need it for energy. As your body uses or stores the sugar, your blood sugar returns to normal.

This blood sugar process is highly regulated by your body. As long as you're healthy, your organs can usually handle these sugar spikes.

But frequently eating high amounts of carbs can lead to repeated spikes in your blood sugar.

Over time, these insulin spikes may cause your body's normal insulin response to falter. This increases your risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain.

Sugar and fat

Many fast food meals have added sugar. That means extra calories without added nutrition. The American Heart Association, which referred to people as either men or women, suggests only eating about 100 calories or 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day for women or 150 calories or 9 teaspoons for men.

Many fast food drinks alone contain more than the daily recommended amount of sugar. A 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola contains 9.75 teaspoons of sugar. That equals 140 calories, 39 grams of sugar, and no other nutrients.

Another common fast food ingredient, trans fat, is manufactured fat created during food processing. It's commonly found in:

No amount of trans fat is good or healthy. Eating foods that contain it can increase your LDL (bad cholesterol), lower your HDL (good cholesterol), and increase your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Sodium

The combination of fat, sugar, and lots of sodium (salt) can make fast food tastier to some people. But diets high in sodium can lead to water retention, which is why you may feel puffy, bloated, or swollen after eating fast food.

A diet high in sodium is also dangerous for people with blood pressure conditions. Sodium can elevate blood pressure and put stress on your heart and cardiovascular system.

One study found that about 90% of adults underestimated how much sodium was in their fast food meals.

The study surveyed 993 adults and found that their guesses were lower than the actual sodium content by more than 1,000 mg.

Keep in mind that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends adults eat no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. More than of sodium comes from processed foods and restaurant meals.

Excess calories from fast food meals can cause weight gain. This may lead toward obesity.

Obesity increases your risk of respiratory problems, including asthma and shortness of breath.

The extra pounds can put pressure on your heart and lungs, and symptoms may show up even with little exertion. You may notice difficulty breathing when you're walking, climbing stairs, or exercising.

Restaurants may increase the challenge of calorie counting. Research indicates that people often inaccurately estimate the number of calories of menu items.

Your central nervous system consists of your brain and spinal cord. These areas of your body may also see an impact from eating fast food.

One study from 2020 found that among college students, eating higher amounts of fast food (and, interestingly, salad) was linked to a lower short-term memory score.

Still, other research from 2019 found no effect of fast food consumption on cognitive function. More studies are needed in this area.

The foods you eat may impact your skin's appearance.

A research review from 2021 found that dairy, chocolate, foods high in fat, and foods with a high glycemic index (carbohydrates and sugar) were associated with acne, though more studies need to be done. These foods are often present in fast food.

On the other hand, the research suggested that eating fruits, vegetables, and fatty acids (found in fish and olive oil) helped protect against acne.

Eating fast food may affect your mental health along with your physical health.

A 2020 study found that consuming fast foods with sugary drinks increased the chance of mental health issues in middle school students in China.

Research from 2018 also suggested that eating a Western diet high in red meat, takeout, and refined foods was linked to a higher body mass index (BMI) and inflammation in 14-year-old participants. This was then associated with depressive symptoms and mental health issues when they were 17 years old.

Today, more than two in five U.S. adults and around one in five children have obesity.

Offerings at fast food restaurants may be contributing. One study found that between 1986 and 2016, portion sizes and the number of calories in restaurant entrées and desserts increased significantly.

As Americans eat out more frequently, it could have adverse effects for both individuals and America's healthcare system.

What are the health risks of eating fast food?

Fast food is often high in calories, fat, and sugar but low in nutrients and fiber. While eating fast food occasionally isn't a problem, consuming it frequently may raise your risk of obesity, heart attack, and other health issues.

What happens if you eat fast food more than two times a week?

Eating fast food too often may negatively affect your health. An older study from 2012 found that Chinese Singaporean adults who ate Western-style fast food at least twice per week had a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and dying from coronary heart disease compared with adults who consumed little or no fast food.

Fast food is a popular choice for its taste and convenience, but it tends to be high in calories, sugar, and fat and low in nutrients.

Eating fast food frequently may negatively affect multiple areas of your body, possibly increasing your risk of conditions including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. As a result, it's best for your health to eat it only occasionally.

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Fast Food's Effects on 8 Areas of the Body

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Eating fast food occasionally is fine, but too much of it may harm your health. Learn how fast food could affect different areas of your body.

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In comparison to 40 years ago, the average American family now spends half their food budget on restaurant food. In 1977, just under 38 percent of family food budgets were spent eating outside the home.

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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.

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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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9 ways millennials are changing the way we eat

Inside food cravings: How to deal when you're just dying to have that cookie

Olive oil options can be dizzying. Which is best for you?

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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.