8 Irreversible Side Effects of Eating ‘Fast Food’ Every Day
Fast food can save our lives, especially when we don’t have time. But can these foods really save our lives? No, according to experts. Eating fast food every day has many damages to our body in the long and short term. We take a close look at the damage fast food causes.
There are fast food-centered meals that most of us consume or have to consume in our daily life. What if we make it a habit? The damages of eating fast food are mainly if we make it a daily habit.
Although we think of burgers, döner, pizza and similar foods when we say fast food, in fact, most of the frozen ready-to-eat foods can also fall into the fast food category. From this point of view, many products that we consume on a daily basis are actually fast food. What are the harms of eating fast food? How does consuming fast food every day threaten our health in the long term? We take a closer look at their scientific answers.
The dangers of eating “Fast Food” every day:
Your risk of having high blood pressure (hypertension) increases.
Your chances of having a heart attack increase.
Fast food causes nutrient and vitamin deficiency.
Your risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases.
Consuming fast food constantly increases the risk of cancer.
As a result of intense fast food consumption, the rate of bloating of the body increases.
Sugar and acid cause increases in tooth decay rate.
Your chances of getting high cholesterol increase.
Your risk of having high blood pressure (hypertension) increases:
the harms of eating fast food blood pressure
According to the American Heart Association data, most of us are not aware of how much salt is in the fast food foods we eat. In many foods we eat, such as fries, chips and similar foods, there is much more salt than the daily consumption of a healthy individual, 2,300 mg of sodium. In an average menu you will consume in a burger chain, there is nearly 2,000 mg of sodium, and this sodium consumption occurs in just one meal.
If you continue to increase your daily sodium intake every day, your chances of having high blood pressure increase in proportion with each passing day. According to researches, individuals who consume ready-made french fries for 4 or more days a week have a 17% higher risk of hypertension.
Your chances of having a heart attack increase if:
fast food heart attack
High sodium, which causes high blood pressure, also increases the chance of a heart attack. However, there are other active ingredients in fast food foods that increase the risk of heart attack. Many ready-made foods, such as burgers, french fries, pizzas, and similar, contain high amounts of saturated fat. These saturated fats can accumulate in the main arterial veins over time and cause blockages. Vascular occlusion is one of the biggest factors that trigger heart attacks and strokes.
According to clinical studies, the amount of fat that a person should consume daily is between 44 and 78 grams. In an average hamburger or cheeseburger you can consume in a burger chain, there is saturated fat close to 89 grams. When you consume these foods every day, it is not even possible to face a high risk of heart attack.
Fast food causes nutrient and vitamin deficiency:
fast food damages
While consuming fast food on a daily basis, of course, you will not be lacking in food. In fact, you will get the food that contains more calories than you need. But your body will be lacking in beneficial nutrients and vitamins.
The method you need to apply to prevent serious illnesses in the future is very simple. Even without giving up fast food consumption, it will be enough to reduce the consumption frequency and fill the gaps with vegetable-based nutrient-rich foods.
Your risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases:
fast food risk of type 2 diabetes
Sugar, sodium, saturated fat and high carbohydrates are among the main causes of Type 2 diabetes. Of course, your age of being a diabetic is effective in situations such as the number of people with this disease in your family and high blood pressure. However, a diet based on high fat, sugar and sodium increases the amount of triglycerides in your blood, increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
If you want to avoid this disease, you should especially avoid high-sugar drinks. While classic cola varieties have 10.6 grams of sugar per 100 ml, this amount can go up to 13 grams in energy drinks. In addition, high sugar content is not limited to beverages. There is a very high level of sugar in the burgers we eat, breads, french fries, freeze and its derivative fast food foods. The amount of sugar that should be consumed for a healthy person per day is explained as 36 grams. Even by drinking only 2 glasses of cola a day, we actually consume twice the sugar we need to take.
Constantly consuming fast food raises the risk of cancer:
fast food cancer
While the damages of eating fast food every day are so high, it is inevitable that it increases the risk of cancer. Many of the colon, prostate and breast cancers seen in the last 10 years are associated with the meat of fast food foods consumed. In a study conducted in 2008, it was revealed that the PhIP substance found in fast foods caused cancer and the fast food chains had to put a PhIP warning on their products as a result of the lawsuit.
Experts recommend minimizing the frequency of fast food consumption as much as possible instead of completely quitting fast food, because although consuming fast food affects health, not consuming it at all can cause mental distress in individuals. Therefore, individuals need to keep fast food consumption at a minimum in order to protect their health.
As a result of heavy consumption of fast food, the rate of bloating of the body increases:
fast food sodium bloating
When we look at the side effects of consuming fast food every day, which affect the quality of life and body balance, we see an increasing rate of body bloating. What causes the increase in bloating is the high amount of sodium, in other words salt, found in fast food foods we mentioned earlier. Exceeding the daily consumption of 2,300 mg of sodium causes visible sodium deposits and edema in the body.
Sugar and acid cause increases in tooth decay rate:
does fast food cause tooth decay
Although you regularly brush your teeth and use dental care products, regular consumption of fast food will cause this dental care to be wasted. Especially if the consumption of sugary and carbonated beverages such as cola, soda, and fast food dessert is excessive, your dental health will be greatly affected.
You are more likely to get high cholesterol:
fast food high cholesterol
Many fast food foods on the market contain excessive levels of animal by-products and animal fats. These fats, which are very difficult to digest, are directly mixed into the blood without being digested in the intestines and carried to our vessels. These oils, which accumulate in the vessels undigested, cause us to see high cholesterol values. The next destructive effect of high cholesterol is vascular occlusion and the resulting heart attacks or strokes.