Eating junk food can have a significant impact on one's health. Though many people enjoy eating junk food and think it tastes great, the health consequences can be serious, and can range from everything to low energy levels to weight gain and illness. The term "junk food" encompasses a fairly broad category of food, but it typically refers to foods that are relatively high in caloric content, but low in nutritional value.
Junk food is often high in sugar, salt, white flour, and fat, particularly saturated fat. It is often heavily processed and prepackaged, making it easy to prepare and consume. A few examples of foods often considered to be junk food include fast food, sweets such as ice cream, candy, donuts, and prepackaged treats, soda, and potato chips, among many others. Most people have no trouble identifying junk food; it is when they want to stop eating junk food that the trouble starts.
The first effect of eating junk food is its impact on energy levels. Many people skip breakfast or other meals throughout the day, choosing instead to grab a quick snack or a soft drink. The junk food causes energy levels to spike, which people like, but then energy levels will quickly plummet, sending one back into the kitchen for another quick snack. In addition, junk food can cause moodiness, and make it difficult to get enough sleep at night, so energy levels are never restored to normal.
Another one of the most obvious effects from eating junk food is weight gain. People who eat a lot of junk food tend to gain weight quickly, which can lead to obesity over time; this extra weight then has an impact on the health of the rest of the body. It can raise cholesterol and blood pressure, contributing to heart disease. In addition, eating junk food can cause one to develop insulin resistance, which is one of the risk factors for diabetes; this is a particular concern in children.
When the body does not get proper nutrition, it can become difficult to concentrate. It can also cause depression. Keep all of these health effects of junk food in mind before eating anything; a healthy diet can lead to greater energy levels, improved mood and concentration ability, weight loss, and decreased risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. Though junk food may be easy and fast, its health impacts are too great to ignore.