FAST FOOD AND THE BRAIN

We all know that processed foods are bad for your physical health. However are you aware of how profoundly it affects your mental health?

According to statistics young people spend at least 45% of the budget on eating out. For the average North American family, at least half their budget is spent on takeouts. This expensive habit eats away at the pocketbook (pardon the pun) and is silently eating away at your health. The convenience of grabbing a snack here and a quick bite there, however, can have long term health consequences.

Fast food is designed to get you hooked. It contains large amount of refined sugars, salts, trans fats, saturated fats, artificial flavorings, colour and preservatives. Food manufacturers spend millions on research to create food that tastes delicious and will get you coming back to buy more.  Even the beautiful bright coloured packaging are designed to draw you in.

DEPRESSION
Could what you are eating be contributing to your mood? All age groups go through varying degrees of depression. 57% of all young people say they eat junk food at least once per week. At least 20% of young people are diagnosed with clinical depression.  Nowadays there is a also substantial increase in mental health issues such as ADD (attention deficit disorder).

 Fast food is called junk food for a reason, as it has very little nutritional value. Artificial and overly refined ingredients accumulate in the body over time. Eating junk food results in health problems down the road. What is in junk food, as well as what is lacking in it, could be making you physically and mentally sick.

UNHEALTHY FATS
Your brain is the largest fat organ in your body. Healthy fats are essential for good brain health. Omega fatty acid 6 and the omega fatty acid 3 are the two essential fats we get from healthy foods. They are essential for preventing degenerative brain disease.

Junk food contains mainly trans and saturated fats. These over processed fats are virtually indigestible. Trans fat and saturated fat in large amounts negatively affects the brain, resulting in mood swings, irritability and depression. These fats build up in the body contributing to brain disease,  heart disease, diabetes and obesity to name a few.

LACK OF NUTRIENTS AND ANTIOXIDANTS
Antioxidants are nutrients found in fruits and vegetables and are essential to both brain and body health. Antioxidants help us to fight off free radicals that try to destroy the brain cells. Antioxidants nourish the brain enabling it to respond and work well for long periods of time. Most convenience foods lack the B vitamins and folic acids found in fruits and vegetables. Without them a brain health will deteriorate and make you susceptible to brain decline poor mental health.

So the saying eat an apple a day is not far from the truth. Unfortunately many young people skip the fresh fruits and vegetables opt for fast food instead.

LACK OF ESSENTIAL MINERALS
Most Junk foods are lacking in essential minerals such as copper zinc. These essential minerals are essential for cognitive brain development.

BAD CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are also essential for brain health. There are three forms of carbohydrates: starch sugar and fiber. For healthy body metabolism all three need to be in balance. Our bodies digest carbohydrates and turn it into glucose or blood sugar. The lack of fiber in processed food plays havoc with our body metabolism and nutrient intake. The absence of fiber causes your insulin levels to rise drastically disrupting the body organs. The results are diabetes, heart ailments and other autoimmune diseases. The lack of balanced intake of carbohydrates affects the nervous system. This contributes to depression in many people.

TOO MUCH SALT
Salt a major culprit in fast food. Salt raises the blood pressure and puts strain on your heart, arteries kidneys and brain.

CONCLUSION 
Research has shown that eating junk food can affect your brain in as little as just one week. Prolonged eating of overly processed food will, in later life and contributes to a whole series of autoimmune diseases as well as obesity.

When you eat food closer to its original origin you’ll see a big difference in your physical and mental health. Fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and fatty fish are important to maintaining optimum brain health.

Your body can get back to normal over time with the occasional eating of fast foods. However, constantly eating such foods are a recipe for major health problems. Many health problems come down to diet. The effect of junk food on the brain is like taking illicit drugs. You crave it, it tastes good and you feel good eating it. You are high off the food. However check your mood over a period of time. Do you feel depressed? …mmm.  You are what you eat. It’s as simple as that.