Most of us, at one point in our lives, have eaten at a fast-food restaurant. There are many different fast-food restaurants just in this area. We even have some up the road from our school! While fast food is always convenient, it isn’t always the best for us. What are some of the negative effects of fast food on the human body? Why should we not eat fast food every day, and what could it do to us if we do?

One negative effect of fast food is bloating. Bloating can come from the high sodium, fat, or carbohydrates in one meal. The sodium in fast food can make you have high blood pressure, which increases your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or even heart failure. Most fast food has lots of salt. The most salt you can have in one day for adults is 1,500 milligrams per day. When you eat one big mac meal, you are taking in about 1,225 milligrams of salt. That is close to all your salt for the day! Fast food has lot of fat in it. Human should have about 97 grams of fat per day. In a Big Mac meal has about 44 grams of fat which is very close for your fat for the day. Really fun fact is that Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are the “Good Fats” they can help with lowering the risk heart disease and stroke. The ‘Good fats” come from the. What!?. The good fat on a big mac meal is the sesame oils or sesame seeds that are on some of your burger. Sesame oil/seeds are polyunsaturated fats or the “Good Fats” in your meal that can lower the risk on hear disease and/or strokes.

Another negative effect of fast food is it can lead to weight gain or digestive problems. When you grab something to eat from a fast food restaurant, you are likely going to get more than one serving. The extra servings give you extra calories to burn or make it more likely for you to have calories you don’t burn off. These calories turn into fate because they have nowhere else to go. Furthermore, consuming too many carbohydrates, salt, and sodium can make you have digestive problems. If you eat too much of anything that is bread (gluten) at one time, it can mess up your digestive system.

Fast food places may be very good and convenient, but they are not the best for your body. Has your opinion changed about eating fast food every day after seeing how it can negatively impact your health? If you want to take care of your body and keep yourself as healthy as possible, you should avoid over consumption of fast food.

SOURCES

Pogored. (2022, December 9). Here’s how fast food can affect your body. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/heres-how-fast-food-can-affect-your-body/ 

Norris, R. (2019). McDonald’s Big Mac Meal Calories | Livestrong. LIVESTRONG.COM.

https://www.livestrong.com/article/312522-how-many-calories-are-in-a-big-mac-meal/?scrlybrkr  

Spritzler, F. (2016, September 21). Fat grams: How much fat should you eat per day? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-fat-to-eat?scrlybrkr#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5

Robinson, L. (2022). Choosing healthy fats. HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/choosing-healthy-fats.htm?scrlybrkr 

PHOTO

Joseph, B., Joseph, I., & Frese, D. (2014). Pexels.

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