How to Avoid Junk Food
We’re all guilty of the habit of consuming junk. Sometimes, it’s to lessen hunger intensity or for the fun and pleasure derived from eating it, or even due to how relatively cheap and available they come. Regardless, junk food can be very harmful when taken in tremendous amounts. We tend to be oblivious to this harm and concentrate more often on its pleasure.
However hard it may seem to curtail our excessive take of junk, it remains possible and it’s exactly what we shall look into.
What is Junk Food?
Junk foods are pleasure-induced foods with neglectable nutrient value and massive calorie/sugar content. The processing part of their manufacturing process is usually why they are made up of unnatural additives and flavorings. This is exactly why the intensity of sweetness derived from it is high.
Junk foods are also called optional food because they’re our next option for hunger satiation in the absence of well-prepared meals. Some of its examples include cakes and biscuits, chocolate and sweets, snacks, sugary drinks, etc.
What makes Junk Foods so Addictive?
Ever wondered why you can’t stop yourself from munching chicken and chips every day? Or consuming a certain kind of junk food?
It isn’t far-fetched from its sweet nature. Our brain system is wired in such a way that dopamine which is a feel-good chemical in the body is released upon taking junk. The problem here is that the dopamine released when junk is taken comes in more powerful doses than when normal food is taken. Due to this, it is only natural to crave to feel that pleasure again and once this happens, repeated eating becomes hard to stop and thus leads to addiction.
Another factor is the ready availability of junk foods. They’re found everywhere. In malls, restaurants, shops, etc, therefore the temptation to walk in and buy one is rarely resisted.
Why Should You Avoid Junk Foods?
Our health should be paramount to us and so there are lots of reasons for us to avoid Junk foods which include:
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Low nutrition content
Junk foods widely contain a large amount of sugar, nitrates, salt, and fat. These substances are good for the body but only in moderate amounts, once they become excessively, they’re in for harm. For instance, immoderate fat content increases cholesterol, and a great deal of salt can cause bloating. Also, the chances of cancer proliferating when the nitrate content is abnormally high.
2. Unprepared weight gain
Due to the enormous sugar and fat content found in junk foods, the possibility of gaining unwanted weight increases. The fat, sometimes, is undigested and is just stored in the parts of the body which leads to weight gain. The large sugar content also causes diabetes.
3. Addiction
Getting addicted to junk is as easy as getting addicted to drugs. Why? They share commonly, high dopamine release when taken which causes you to crave and indulge in its consumption over and over
4. Heart Diseases
Junk contains a lot of sodium content as well. This is a contributing factor to the salt level that leads to heart, kidney, and liver diseases. Studies show that people with hypertension or high blood pressure often consume diets excessively rich in sodium and fat.
How to Avoid Junk Food
Staying away from junk food can be easily achieved with the following steps:
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Try to avoid a state of excessive hunger
Hunger makes us crave food, but excessively hunger doesn’t just make us crave food, it makes us crave any substance with the ability to reduce its intensity in a pleasurable way. With the ready availability of junk, buying and consuming one isn’t difficult. Instead of getting the body to a state of massive hunger, eating healthy meals regularly will help.
2. Avoid Stress
Asides from hunger, stress also puts our body in a mode for cravings. To avoid this, resting in between tasks is advised greatly. Breaking down tasks into segments also helps as this helps to prevent multitasking which will eventually lead to stress
3. Take a lot of water
Sometimes, excessive thirst can be confused with cravings, and usually, instead of taking water, you dive right into taking junk. Drinking enough water reduces appetite and so with this, the supposed cravings fizzle out in a matter of minutes.
4. Eat healthily and take enough protein
In all of the classes of food, proteinous food even when taken in small amounts makes us feel full. When we’re full, there’s less desire for cravings.
5. Sleep a lot
Studies have shown that sleep-deprived people indulge more in cravings than people that sleep well. This is because staying up wide awake especially when idle wires the brain to find some quick food to munch on. Allocating enough time to sleep helps put this in check. Also, eating way earlier before you turn in helps to avoid a full stomach that might cause indigestion and keep you awake.
