Friday, 22 February 2013

Fast Food- Desire or Disease???

We live in the 21st century. The life in this world and this world itself moves at a breakneck speed. Like in a race, if we can’t keep up and move with it at its pace, we’ll be left behind. To keep up with this pace, we have to and we do adapt and evolve with it.


     To keep up with this trend, we have changed our food habits.
 Today, for the majority of the office going population lunch consists of either pizza or burger along with a coke and fries. Breakfast for them consists of commercially baked food, things like muffins, danishes, croissants etc. These foods are called fast food, or junk food. They are consumed by majority of the people because, as the name suggests, these food items can be prepared and served very quickly, thus complimenting the current lifestyle.
     Ramen noodles, pizzas and burgers are the staple diet of college students and we have a rendezvous with them each night at ungodly hours.
     Depression. It’s basically a state of low mood where people may feel sad. It affects about 121 million people worldwide. It is one of the leading global causes of disability-adjusted life years and the main cause in middle and high-income countries. However, little is known about the role of diet in the development of depressive disorders. The only ill-effect that the mind registers is the weight gain, their consumption causes. Apparently, they are capable of much more than just expanding your waistline – they also affect your brain.  Regular consumption of fast food leads to depression. Fast food consumption is directly related the development of depression. Even eating small quantities is linked to significantly higher chance of developing depression.
    
Studies show that people who regularly indulge are likely to be single, less active, smoke, work more than 45 hours a week and their diet almost doesn’t contain any nutrients.


 Fast food has high Trans Fatty Acid (TFA) content. It increases concentration of Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL)- cholesterol, reduces High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)- cholesterol, endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance and displacement of essential fatty acids from membranes. Depression is associated with low-grade inflammatory status and endothelial dysfunction, which are caused by TFA. It also causes Cardio Vascular Diseases (CVD).
 Endothelial dysfunction is a condition in which the endothelium (inner lining) of blood vessels does not function normally. Endothelial dysfunction can contribute to several disease processes lie hypertension, hence causing depression.

     Contrary to this study and belief, Dr. David Katz of Yale University said, “We use the term ‘comfort food’ for a reason. It can help alleviate stress, anxiety and depression. So it may be that people with depression are turning to fast food for relief.”

Thus, one needs to cut down the consumption of fast food and bakery products to have a healthy lifestyle. Maria Robinson says, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
 So start today and create a healthy life.
Always Remember...
                                                                      EAT HEALTHY..
                                                                    FEEL HEALTHY....
      BE HEALTHY!!!!!!!!!!
- Ridhima  BPT (1)

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