Addictive junk food
Institution
Name
Date
Addictive Junk Food
Junk refers to processed unhealthy food that is easy to make, consume and lacks the important nutritional value. Junk food was first popularized in the 1970’s in USA and has rapidly grown to be the largest food industry in the world. It is usually high in calories from salt, sugars and fats normally referred to as HFFS (high fat sugar or salt). The various types of junk food are pizza, burgers, sandwich, chips and soda. Fast food joints are highly increasing because most people in the world like to eat junk, while the manufacturer’s high profits and low cost of processing has led to the increase of junk food joints. There are more consumers because of the bursting flavor, better shelf life, favorable cost and easily accessible. Junk food is also advertised in a way that it is quite appealing and attractive to the consumers. (Mohiuddin, 2019)
Junk addiction is when the body becomes dependent on a particular food or eating behavior. It is a chronic and progressive disease that is characterized by seeking foods individuals are addicted to and eating. Overtime junk food has become very addictive and has been a huge concern especially in children, in the child’s early years of growth their brains have not developed impulse control yet. The common addictive behaviors are volume eating and bingeing (eating a lot of food within a short period of time). Individuals who are addicted to junk food have a difficulty in stopping because junk food is processed to a taste that will make the consumer have a deep craving for that food. (Mohiuddin, 2019). Consumption of junk make individuals to feel better, experience rewarding sensations, cope with stress, fatigue and satisfy hunger rather than look into the nutritional value. Over consumption of junk contributes to excessive weight gain that is very difficult to shed and different health disorders like diabetes and heart disease.
Healthy nutritious food has been highly replaced by junk food and has created a negative impact on human’s health. Balanced diet is very essential in the growth and development of children and it’s quite unfortunate that they are the most affected in the junk food addiction. For instance, in today’s era where there is a lifestyle change, most children are less physically active due to technology. A child will be glued to the television or play computer games will be snacking on junk food every moment. Junk food also has a lot of edible additives like color such that when highly consumed they can cause digestive complications whose effects emerge after a long while (Arya, 2013). Most of this food contains large amount of sugar, saturated fats and carbs and leads to ultimate obesity and weight gain. They contribute to high unhealthy choices in children and adolescents. Obesity can lead to long term health complications such as premature death and illness. It said that most parents to the school going children do not realize that obesity is a health problem until it’s too late and also do not know when it is time to limit their junk food consumption.
The highly processed junk food has negatively impacted health and has become a risk factor in nutrition Junk food can be processed, fast foods or premade snacks. Examples of junk food are, soft drinks, pizza, potato chips, French fries and burgers. There are no government policies in regards to junk foods for most parts of the world since there is no control pricing and even the growth of fast food chains therefore making it easier for the products to be in the market. Junk food consumption at least two or three times a week enhances increased insulin resistance and T2DM. Also accompanied with abdominal fat gain and impaired insulin and glucose homeostasis disorders and systematic inflammations. (Mohiuddin, 2019). Junk food has been found to be associated with diabetes in most of the developed countries and shorten life span. Obesity and overweight are risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the body does not use insulin properly over a prolonged period of time, resulting to high sugar blood levels.
Poor nutritional choices in diet affects the daily livelihood of an individual like in the task performances and how they perform. High consumption of junk food can permanently damage the nervous system or affect the brain negatively by damaging memory tasks and increases the chances of developing dementia later in life. It becomes difficult for an individual to handle and perform tasks normally. The symptoms are associated with mental distress, depression, anxiety and feelings of being unworthy. With the abnormal increased weight gain individuals will seem to develop self-esteem issues since they will be always being worried about their appearance, this makes them refrain from interacting with people, participating in physical activities and engaging in group talks or discussions for fear of judgement and critics. High junk food consumption lowers metabolism making it to work less affectively therefore affecting the physical, mental performance and lapses concentration.
Junk food generally comprises to any food that is quick to fix and acquire at any time. There various factors that have led to more people consuming junk food. Time factor is one, with the increased lifestyle demands, pressures and difficulties people have become very busy in making ends meet. Long working hours is basically the major time factor challenge. For instance, a consumer gets home very late after work and is fatigued, they will just grab fast food or premade snacks since it will save them time to cook a proper nutritional diet. Cost effectiveness is another factor; junk food is quite affordable to individual at any level. The cost depends on the different manufacturers, there high and low cost junk that are suitable for the targeted consumer. Taste factor also characterizes the junk food consumption, consumer like the great taste which is achieved with oils, sugar and salt. The taste also keeps being revised making the consumer want to consume more. Convenience is another factor, with the free and less charge home deliveries it is easier to order food at your place of choice without any hustle. Junk food advertisement creates an attraction to consumers such as they want to try it anytime (Bhaskar, 2012). Overtime individuals have become very social beings therefore they meet over at social joints to indulge in junk foods. Some even consume junk to prove their social status.
The increased junk food consumption is becoming a societal problem and need to be looked at seriously. They are a few measures that can be taken to control its consumption like creating awareness about fitness health and exercise, they will see the importance and help them to understand the bad effects of junk food. Home-school partnership in educating the children about junk food and training them to consume healthy foods instead. Substituting their pre snacks foods with healthier snacks and finding ways to make them take less junk foods instead. Stocking healthier foods instead of the junk foods, having good food nearby to avoid the temptation of consuming junk food. Like carrying packed home cooked meals to work this will reduce the junk food cravings (Wani, 2020). Exercising food portion control and eating at the right time, this is basically having food discipline and making it a daily habit.
To achieve this the government can play roles in regards to junk food procession. They can reach out to manufacturers to produce healthier foods that are less harmful to the consumer. Food industries need to come up with more food joints that serve healthier foods and make them affordable to the consumers. Just like we see junk foods by the roadside or in most shelves there needs to be healthier foods readily available. The cooking head in households need to instill the healthy eating culture more seriously and make sure that everyone follows the said plans, like ensuring that for every meal they take in it’s a balanced or has a nutritional value. Children need to keep being told about the bad effects of junk foods as they grow at every level, by even showing them what effects they can cause to them (Wani, 2020). They discuss in depth the diseases and costs of managing them. Just like the way junk foods are advertised, nutritionist need to widely advertise healthy foods and also give talks on the disadvantages and bad effects of high junk food consumption. And having more of them coming openly about the junk food. Fitness and exercise should also be offered at an affordable cost this will enable more consumers to join those programs without too much strain. If for example an individual is overweight and would like to join a gym but the cost is hindering them they will be able to enroll in one if it, its affordable or when one requires the services of a food nutritionist.
Children and teenagers are the most targeted in the junk food production therefore even when it comes to advertisements the messages are directed to them. It is very difficult to get rid the junk food since some of these foods are run by the institutions themselves and the lifestyle change in the world. What consumers ignore or fail to realize is that junk foods are as expensive as healthier foods just that the expense comes in different forms. For example, when you get a disease caused the high intake you will spend so much money treating the illness and in most cases it’s a life time expense. Over consumption of junk food also jeopardizes the male and female reproduction health (Mohuddin, 2019)
References
Bhaskar, R. (2012). Junk Food: Impact On Health. Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308384822_JUNK_FOOD_IMPACT_ON_HEALTH
Mohiuddin, A. (2019). Fast Food Addiction: A Major Public Health Concern. Indian Journal of Nutrition. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338117861_Fast_Food_Addiction_A_Major_Public_Health_Concern
Wani, P. (2020). Impact of Fast Food Consumption On Health. International Journal on Recent Trends in Business and Tourism https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341042503_IJRTBT_IMPACT_OF_FAST_FOOD_CONSUMPTION_ON_HEALTH