Throughout history, from civilizations to civilizations, food has been sustenance to our species. Food is the fuel that powers the human body. Think of it as a simple case of getting gas for your automobiles.

There are some fuels that are low standard or counterfeit and by putting them in your cars, the engine might start developing unusual faults. On the other hand, premium gasoline makes the engine more efficient and durable.

It’s a pity nowadays that a lot of people do not pay attention to the kind of food they put into their body. Most people are not privy to the health problems caused by fast foods.

Fast foods which are sometimes referred to as junk foods are everything that represents the bad kind of fuel for the body.
Fast World, Fast Lives, Fast Foods

Over the years, the world has gotten LITERALLY fast. We are always in a hurry to get from something to something else.

In between our nine to fivers, family obligations, the time we spend entertaining ourselves, there isn’t much time left for much else. In some regions of the world, home cooking from scratch is actually getting extinct.

The fast-food industry has picked up on this need for people to “eat conveniently”, “eat deliciously” and “eat fast” at the same time. They are using the age-old, ever so effective economic rule of filling the supply of a very demanding society.

The convenience-on-demand can range from driving through your favorite fast food place and having your order ready within minutes to placing a call order from your home and having a pizza delivered.

What makes fast foods dangerous for your health?

In order to compensate for the deliciousness of the menu served at fast food joints, the ingredient compositions of most fast foods are devastating to health.

On top of that, these fast food companies would want to turn a profit at the end of the year, so, over the years, they have learned to cut cost and compromise in production at the risk of the health of the consumers.

These fast foods are processed, they contain artificial sweeteners, ridiculously high sodium content, trans-fat, and to top it all, dangerous preservatives are used to prevent the foods from going bad.

The adverse health conditions caused by these processes are dramatic and alarming and serious attention needs to be paid to them.

The effects are not only limited to the physical, they also spill over to mental health issues and even emotional health issues.
What qualifies as fast/junk foods?

Before we go on to list those health problems, let’s take a quick detour to quickly access what qualifies as junk/fast foods.

According to Dr. Fuhrman in his book Fast Food Genocide, fast foods are anything wrapped in bags, box, or a wrapper.

Examples of fast foods are fries, soda (Coca-cola, Pepsi), energy bars, energy drinks, cookies, cakes, candy, processed snack foods, foods made with white flour, cheese, bagels and the list goes on.

With this list, it is pretty clear that it is not only foods bought at fast food joints that are junk. Fast foods, processed foods, and snacks are all in the junk category. Over the counter indulgences like sweets, lunching snacks, biscuits also fall into this category.

After a long look at the menu at fast food joints, foods that can be “remotely” classified as “healthy” are salads and chickens. But before you start adding those to your purchase list, I want you to know that those “chickens” are actually about 50% chicken.

A recent DNA testing of the meat from fast food places found that fast-food chickens contain “a quarter less protein” than chicken cooked in homes. Also, fast-food chickens have sodium levels that are between seven to ten times more than what was found in conventional chickens.

The vegetables that fast-food chains often serve are not close to being totally organic. These are GMO, pesticide, and insecticide laden vegetables that are grown in a not so ideal condition. Also, preservatives would have been used on these products which would make it more devastating.

Below are 8 health problems associated with fast foods you should know:
1. Fast foods account for one-third of heart diseases in people globally
“Diets comprising mostly of fried foods, salty snacks and meat account for 35 percent of global heart attacks” – Researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada

A study conducted in Canada spreading over 52 countries, took blood samples of over 16,000 patients, with 5,700 of those being heart attack patients. The research came to a conclusion that junk food and animal fats result in heart diseases with heart attacks being paramount.

Why frequent fast-food consumption is a highway to heart disease is because of the high SODIUM content of most fast-foods. Fast-food products are associated with high sodium levels.

This is so that the food can have a lasting delicious taste that will appeal to customers.

Although the recommendation of sodium consumption per day for a normal adult is 2,300mg which is almost the same as taking a tablespoon of salt, it has been found that the average person takes in about 3,400mg of sodium per day.

High sodium content in the body raises the blood pressure while at the same time making the kidney work overtime. High blood pressure often results in heart attacks, kidney disease, heart failure and the list goes on.
2. It is the major source of child and adult obesity

Fast foods are known to be packed with a large number of calories. These calories are also known to be empty, that is, it lacks nutritional values. These foods also come in large portions and they are usually not very filling (satisfying).

According to researchers, obesity increase all over the world has been linked to calorie intake increase. Another problem we are facing is that the type of lives we live nowadays is of the sedentary type.

Those big calories we consume from fast foods are not being burned. Lacking adequate movement in our present way of life combined with constant fast food consumption is why obesity is currently an epidemic that is spreading rapidly amongst citizens of the world.

Obesity in itself is the perpetrator of different kinds of diseases. The diseases that obese people are prone to include heart disease, diabetes, some certain types of cancer, high blood pressure, gout, sleep apnea and so on.

“Obesity accounts for more than 60% of Type 2 diabetes in middle-aged people” – a study conducted at the University of Glasgow using Body Mass Index (BMI)

3. It raises sugar levels in the body and increases the risk.....

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