How often can you eat fast food?

The pandemic has changed our eating habits. We more often order takeaway or delivery. Preferably - in fast food establishments, although classic restaurants and gas stations are also popular ¹ . Usually the idea is to make it quick, relatively cheap - and tasty. The trend towards eating out is clear. While in the 1970s less than 38% of people ate this way, now the average American family spends half of their budget on restaurants (including fast food ones) ² .

How much is “too much fast food”?

According to scientists, fast food eaten by healthy people more than once a week increases the risk of obesity. Consumed more than twice a week - it increases the risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and death due to coronary heart disease ³ .

However, if we have chronic or autoimmune diseases, even 1 unhealthy dish may be risky. Fast food in this case can cause inflammation. For example, an Australian research study suggests that in people with asthma, a meal high in saturated fat may increase inflammation in the airways, increasing the likelihood of an asthma attack ⁴ .

What is fast food?

These types of dishes contain a lot of fats , including trans fatty acids, sugar, salt and flavor enhancers . An excess of each of these substances is harmful and leads to various health problems in both the short and long term.

Sugars and processed carbohydrates , including: in rolls and other baked goods made from wheat flour, especially if they are eaten as the first meal, after a while they make us hungrier than usual. As a result, we eat more at subsequent meals ⁵ . Such foods contribute to spikes in glucose and insulin in the blood. This makes us feel hungry faster.

Eating large amounts of salt from fast food worsens the functioning of blood vessels and may lead to blood pressure problems . Excessive sodium intake is also associated with edema ⁶ .

Trans fats , which are produced as a result of hardening liquid vegetable fats, are also dangerous . They are often included in deep frying. They increase, among others: bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels ⁷ .

Dishes of this type usually contain few vegetables and fruits. By eating them often, we fill up with empty calories and do not consume our daily quota of fiber . Such highly processed food does not require intensive chewing and disintegrates too quickly in the mouth. This immediately stimulates the reward system in the brain. As a result, we become addicted to such food ⁸ and have less and less desire for healthy meals.

The issue of calories in fast-food dishes.

Fast food is also very high in calories. The average burger and fries contain at least 600 calories. Although many restaurants include calorie counts next to their dishes, research shows ⁹ that we usually underestimate the calorie content of a meal by approximately 20%. This is dangerous, especially since dietitians recommend that one meal should provide us with 500 kcal or less. On average, we consume as many as 836 calories during a fast food meal!

It's a lethal – literally – combination. Regularly eating fast food chains increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart and blood vessel diseases, cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Parkinson's or Alzheimer's) ¹⁰ .

Children eat fast food more and more often.

Do you remember how Jamie Olivier, a British chef and healthy eating expert, cried on TV when the children still wanted to eat nuggets, even after he showed them what they were made of? Exactly.

A diet rich in fast food is especially inadvisable for children. Such food "does not support the child in learning and acquiring knowledge." Toddlers and slightly older children who eat this way may develop skin problems ¹¹ asthma or allergies ¹² . Moreover, taking children for a quick burger and fries shapes the belief that this is what their diet should look like, which in turn has long-term effects. Negative effects. As experts from the National Center for Nutrition Education point out, "It's natural for children to imitate adults. They observe them in their daily activities and adopt the same eating habits. If we often eat at fast food bars, our children will probably eat there too” ¹³ .

How to reduce the harmfulness of fast food?

The National Center for Nutrition Education recommends several ways to reduce the number of calories and the negative impact of this type of food on the body if we decide to eat this type of food . So, instead of a wheat roll or a pancake with fried meat, it is worth ordering a salad with grilled fish or meat, and instead of mayonnaise or fatty garlic sauce, choose a vinaigrette sauce. Pizza? Ok, but with a little cheese. As for drinks, a large kola will add a lot of empty calories to an already large meal. It is better to choose water. If we eat a hamburger, it is better to accompany it with a salad rather than deep-fried onion rings or fries.

It is also worth remembering that at home you can cook very "fast", but at the same time - healthily .

Bibliography:

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11. There.
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