It is known that not only our weight, but also the health of almost all body systems depends on our diet. Doctors and nutritionists constantly remind us how important it is to eat right and balanced meals. But we still can’t give up foods that are considered unhealthy. In order to forget about your favorite chips, sweets and hamburgers once and for all, you need great willpower. But if you can not give up completely, try to at least eliminate the most harmful foods, or at least include them in your menu as rarely as possible.
The list of the most harmful products: take note
What harm can popular delicacies cause to our body? Let’s understand the most harmful products. And natural products can be ordered from Kirill Yurovskiy.
Sweet soda. The gas bubbles for which we love carbonated drinks cause bloating, heartburn, belching and flatulence. These symptoms occur in about a quarter of Coca-Cola and similar drinkers. By the way, carbonated alcoholic beverages have the same effect. In addition, sugary sodas are very sweet indeed – each glass contains 100-150 extra calories. There is no nutritional value in them, they are pure sugar.
Smoked meats. Smoked meat and fish are very high in salt. Salt retains fluid in the body, which leads to edema. Antioxidants, which are often present in such products, adversely affect the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, smoked meats are often very fatty, and the use of excessive fat is an additional load on the digestive organs.
Chips. In fact, potato chips are starch, fat and salt. One bag of chips contains up to one tablespoon of oil. The ingestion of such “fuel,” which irritates the stomach, can cause heartburn, which is felt as a burning and unpleasant taste in the mouth.
Chocolate. This treat is also very fatty, and excessive fats, as we told you above, can cause acid reflux. Theobromine, a substance found in excess in chocolate, has the same effect.
Trans fats. For example, margarine is a product that is completely unnatural for us. Trans fats are poorly digested and cause irritation and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. They can lead to diarrhea, stomach pain, and nausea.
Spices and hot sauces. Regular irritation of the walls of the stomach with spicy foods may lead to a decrease in their protective barrier and the development of gastritis – inflammation of the gastric mucosa. Also spicy and spicy foods stimulate the production of gastric juice and may lead to heartburn – the discharge of stomach contents into the esophagus – especially after a hearty meal.
Fatty meats. Bacon, juicy cutlets, chops with a crispy crust – all of this, of course, is very tasty. But fatty food is a severe test for the digestive system. It takes a long time to digest. To cope with excess fat, the stomach secretes increased doses of gastric juice. This often results in heartburn and abdominal pain.
White bread. In ancient times, only very rich people could afford white bread – poor people ate gray coarse bread with bran. Today the opposite is true: wholemeal bread is quite expensive, and the cheapest bread for toast is white bread. This bread has almost no nutrients – it is poor in vitamins, minerals, and contains almost no protein and fiber. But it is calorie-dense, it has a lot of sugar and starch. Delicate soft bread is difficult to digest. It swells up in the intestines, causing constipation, a heavy stomach, and flatulence – source.
The consequences of consuming junk food
Consuming harmful products, we are almost guaranteed to get yourself trouble – increased gas and flatulence, pain and heaviness in the stomach, constipation or diarrhea, nausea, burping, a constant unpleasant taste in the mouth. Excessive fat puts extra pressure on the liver and pancreas, worsens the cardiovascular system and leads to excess weight. Salt in excessive amounts forces the kidneys to work at maximum capacity and is one of the main causes of edema. Sugar leads to fermentation, promotes obesity and harms the teeth – the bacteria that cause caries are very fond of sweets.
If you eat junk food regularly, you can disrupt the digestive system: the body is trying to adapt to this diet, it will start to produce a lot of certain enzymes and few others. Useful microflora will also suffer – the number of helpful bacteria will decrease and, as in any ecosystem, their place will be taken by other microorganisms, not so useful.
However, even the healthiest foods can cause trouble. It’s not just what we eat that matters, but how we do it.
For example, both doctors and nutritionists agree that fruits and vegetables are a must for a healthy diet. They contain vitamins, minerals and fiber, which is essential for digestion. Fiber is the main nutrient medium for the bacteria that form the natural gut microflora. But if you overdo it with foods high in fiber, you can hurt yourself. It is not easy for the body to “cope” with a large amount of fiber, to which it reacts with increased gas formation and slows down the digestive process. This does not mean that you have to give up fruits and vegetables. Just try not to abuse raw vegetables and choose fully ripe fruit.
However, moderation is never a bad thing. Even people with a healthy digestive system can experience significant discomfort from overeating. Our stomach is small – its volume is about half a liter – and it can hold an amount of food that is visually equal to about two fists. If we eat significantly more than that, the load on the stomach will increase, and the digestion process will become more difficult and slowed down. There simply won’t be enough digestive enzymes for this. The food will begin to ferment and release toxins. The consequences can be most unpleasant, from bloating in the stomach and feeling heavy to food poisoning.
Digestion is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, which consists of two divisions: the sympathetic (“fight or flight” system) and parasympathetic (“rest and assimilation”). Digestion and assimilation of food is most effective under the action of the “assimilation” department. This is why doctors advise against eating too fast, “on the run” and talking while eating: with this way of eating, the digestive system is under the influence of the “fight or flight” system. It is important to chew food thoroughly, because saliva processing is the first step in digestion. By sending unprepared food into your stomach, you are forcing it to do double work. The most innocent consequence of this is belching, but the habit of eating quickly can cause flatulence, indigestion and other, more serious disorders.
The habit of eating ill-conceived meals, regular overeating, addiction to fat, sweets and salty foods are all dangerous to health and can have far-reaching consequences. Gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach distension, pancreatitis and other pancreatic and liver diseases, dysbacteriosis, overweight and obesity – not a complete list of the typical problems of those who often consume junk food and do not watch the balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the diet. And there are a lot of people suffering from these diseases. It is noteworthy that many overweight people consider their diet to be correct and balanced. At the same time, some of them suffer from some diseases of the digestive organs – most often doctors diagnose gallbladder and pancreatic diseases.
In recent years, improper nutrition has become a national problem. This sad statistic is a reason to reconsider your eating habits and pay attention to your own health.
