What's really in your fast food?

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Fast food is any food that is prepared and served quickly for immediate use. Fast food is often poor in nutrition, high in sugar, salt, saturated fat and preservatives. It also lacks some healthy nutrients.

1. What are the ingredients of fast food?

1.1 French fries A small piece of potato is fried in a pan of hot oil, finished with a sprinkle of salt. The recipe is so simple that anyone can do it. French fries typically have more than 15 ingredients, including sugar and artificial colors. Besides, it also has preservatives like sodium acid pyrophosphate and tert-butylhydroquinone, which when taken in high doses has been linked to vision problems.
1.2 Hamburger The ground beef in a hamburger may contain growth hormones and antibiotics, which enter your body when you eat a hamburger. According to one study, some hamburgers actually have 100 more calories per serving than fast-food restaurants offer.
1.3 Soft drinks It's actually like the soft drink you buy at the grocery store. But when you drink it at the fast food restaurant, you can take in more calories because of the large size of the drink, which is not to mention the "supersize" type. A large soft drink at a fast food joint is typically about 32 ounces and has about 270 calories.
1.4 Breakfast sandwich Some of the ingredients that can be found in this sandwich include modified corn starch, soybean oil, medium chain triglycerides, propylene glycol, artificial flavors, citric acid, xanthan. Propylene glycol is the chemical used to make polyester.
1.5 Hot dog What's in a hot dog? Assuming stores sell fresh animal meat, hot dogs are still high in salt and saturated fat and nitrates - a preservative linked to diabetes and cancer.
1.6 Fried chicken nuggets Most people think that chicken nuggets are made from shredded chicken breast and deep fried. But this is not correct. In it, in addition to chicken meat also includes bones, blood vessels, nerves, connective tissue and skin. These ingredients are high in salt and fat, which have been linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
1.7 Sauce The first ingredient in almost any sauce served at a fast food restaurant is sugar. Sauces can contain various sugars such as sucrose, dextrose, maltose, rice syrup, barley malt, high fructose corn syrup, or anything else; But the end result of these sugars is the same: a quick supply of lots of calories with almost zero nutritional value.

2. Health effects of fast food

There has been a lot of research done showing various negative health effects of eating too much fast food, including short-term effects or long-term effects.
2.1 Short-term effects Fast food is high in sugar, salt and saturated fat. The body's response to these nutrients leads to a range of short-term effects when a person eats fast food.
Sudden blood sugar changes Fast food ingredients are quickly absorbed by the body, blood sugar spikes high due to fast food containing a lot of carbohydrates, this causes an abnormal insulin spike drop in blood sugar, which can make the body feel tired. Increased insulin levels promote feelings of hunger for a short time after a meal.
Hypertension Research has shown that excess sodium in fast food ingredients is associated with water retention which leads to a sudden increase in blood pressure.
The nutritional quality of each meal is reduced. Fast food usually does not contain fresh fruits and vegetables. If you eat fast food regularly, it will be difficult for you to reach the recommended intake of at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables and 28g of fiber per day.
Binge eating Fast foods are very tasty, the body will break them down quickly in the mouth and do not need to chew much. Thus, it activates the reward nervous system of the brain quickly. This familiarizes the palate with processed foods and reduces the preference for fresh, whole grain foods.
A small 2017 study of 15 adults found that eating too much fat each day decreased the sensitivity of the hormone insulin. This can cause binge eating cycles or binge eating disorder.

2.2 Long-term effects There is a great deal of well-researched evidence that regularly eating fast food can harm a person's health, including obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and various cardiovascular conditions. Fast food ingredients are often low in antioxidants, fiber and many other nutrients.
Digestive system Extremely low fiber fast meal. Doctors point out that a low-fiber diet is associated with a higher risk of digestive problems such as constipation and diverticulosis, as well as a decrease in the gut microbiota.
Memory and learning A 2020 paper suggests a link between an unbalanced diet high in saturated fat and carbohydrates - a typical fast food ingredient - and lower memory learning . This type of diet may also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
Heart Disease The FDA recommends that a diet high in salt raises blood pressure, making you more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, or heart disease. The FDA also notes that a diet high in trans fats increases levels of low-molecular-weight lipoproteins, or “bad” cholesterol, and decreases levels of high-density lipoproteins, or “good” cholesterol. This means an increased chance of heart disease.
Obesity Fast food contains a very high amount of calories. If you eat more calories than you burn each day, you will gain weight, leading to obesity. Obesity increases your risk of developing a variety of other serious health conditions.
Education Another consequence of young people regularly eating fast food is that they unintentionally lack knowledge about basic meal preparation, cooking and healthy eating. Over time, this perpetuates reliance on fast food, and people may not learn how to prepare healthy and balanced foods in-house.
The main feature of fast food is that it is readily available, less expensive than eating in a traditional sit-down restaurant, usually made from frozen (not fresh) ingredients and fried by frying. Fast food often contains many unhealthy substances or if abused can cause various chronic diseases. Therefore, form using healthy meals to help you live a healthy life and prolong your life.

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