One bad meal can mess with your heart.

 

The danger of the effects of junk food are underestimated. You can't even imagine what will happen to your body after only one meal.

 

Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology show this fact

 

“It doesn't take a virtual month to experience the health effects of a poor diet. In fact, the changes happen after just one meal”

 

Junk foods have been identified as a major cause of heart diseases, including myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, and atherosclerosis.

 

Learning more about what junk food can do to your heart may inspire you to make unhealthy eating an exception,
rather than a rule in your life.

 

1. Junk food increases triglyceride and bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. Its content may sound delicious but they are packed with a lot of unhealthy amounts of fat and sodium that directly increase the bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood and raise your risk for heart attack, stroke and sudden cardiac arrest.
   
   Read more about the bad cholesterol and how can it damage your heart in the article titled: “The Silent Killer”.
   
   
2. Junk food leads to high blood pressure, which is one of the most important risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest.
   
   
3. It can lead to diabetes. Junk food items contain high level of sugar and don’t contain the protein and carbohydrates that your body needs to burn this Sugar.
   
   This puts your metabolism under stress that can damage the ability of the pancreas to produce the insulin.
   
   
4. Fast food causes obesity that is linked to several long-term health conditions and definitely raises the risks of heart disease.
5. The more weight you put on, the higher your risk of suffering from sudden cardiac arrest.
6. Fast food weakens the heart muscle because it forms the fatty buildups in the arteries and makes it narrow, which makes the heart
      pump harder to move the blood through the arteries and to the organs.
7. It can lower your energy levels to an extent that it may become difficult for you to even perform your regular daily tasks.

 

The good news is that eating a healthy meal helps your body return to its normal state. The right food send a message
to your brain to shut down hunger, so your body can burn fat and feel great. Sugary, processed foods send the opposite message.

 

Your junk food addiction isn’t your fault.

 

We usually talk about alcohol and cigarettes when we refer to physical addictions. The ingredients in fast food can have a similar addictive effect that makes your mind becomes unable to resist the refined salt and sugar.

 

Here’s how to kick the habit.

 

1. Identify your triggers
      - Awareness is an important first step. Pay attention to those moments when your cravings start, so you can figure
        out what unleashed them.
   
   
2. Replace addictive food with food you like. 
      - Keeping a balanced diet doesn’t mean depriving yourself from the food you love.
   
   
3. Eat right. Your healthy prepared meal will help you avoid unhealthy choices.
   
   The meal must consist of:
   
   

• Protein: It is found in fish, meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, nuts, and beans.
• Fat: It is found in animal and dairy products, nuts, and oils.
• Carbohydrates: They are found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other legumes.
• Low-fat and fat-free dairy products.
• Minerals: Such as calcium, potassium, and iron.
  
  Read more about the healthy food choices that can give you a way to control your risk of cardiac arrest 
  in the article titled “Love your Heart and Eat right”.

4. Eliminate sodas, sugar-enhanced drinks and artificial sweeteners from your diet. They are the drugs that fuel your sugar addiction.
 

5. Reduce stress: 

• Try to find a better way to deal with stress.
   

6. Implement crave-cutting supplements such as vitamin D and omega-3s. You can also take natural supplements for craving control.

 

Food has the potential to heal and hurt. Choose your health and avoid poisoning yourself with Junk food, not just to lose weight but also to gain life.

 

References:

https://www.medicinenet.com/fitness_exercise_for_a_healthy_heart/article.htm#what_type_of_exercise_is_best

https://www.webmd.com/women/guide/nutrition-101-how-to-eat-healthy

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-break-junk-food-habit