Sunday, August 16, 2015

The Consequences of Eating Unhealthy


We are bombarded with commercials for fast food.  Every franchise is in competition with each other.  They offer us quick food at cheap prices.    We find ready made meals, processed foods and frozen entrees at our local grocery store.  It's all so very convenient for the fast paced lives we all seem to be living.  I, for one, have fallen down this dark, delicious, fast food hole.   Unfortunately, these types of food can lead to health problems and obesity. This increases our chances of developing health problems.  "Being obese increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and some cancers" (NLM, Obesity).

Obesity isn't the only problem associated with poor eating habits.  Not providing your body with the proper nutrients can also lead to underweight and malnutrition.  People who are underweight could not live as long as someone who is of ideal weight, or even overweight, in case of a famine.  They tend to not do as well during medical tests and surgical procedures that require prior fasting (Sizer, Whitney, 2013, pg. 336).   Malnutrition can cause body organs to slowly shut down.

Our brains are also affected by not eating right.

      "Food is like a pharmaceutical compound that affects the brain," said 
       Fernando Gmez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and physiological 
       science who has spent years studying the effects of food, exercise and sleep on
       the brain. "Diet, exercise and sleep have the potential to alter our brain health 
       and mental function. This raises the exciting possibility that changes in diet are
       a viable strategy for enhancing cognitive abilities, protecting the brain from damage 
       and counteracting the effects of aging"  (Wolpert, Science and Technology, 2008).
Eating a healthy diet can help ward off mental diseases such as depression and anxiety.


Resources
NIH.  Medline Plus.  Obesity

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013).  Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.).  Mason, OH: Cengage Learning

Wolpert, S. (2008).  UCLA News Room.  Scientists Learn how what you eat affects your brain - and those of your kids.
      Retrieved from:  http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/scientists-learn-how-food-affects-52668






No comments:

Post a Comment