Fast Food Lead to Obesity!

Let’s examine the problem more closely. 

High caloric content. Fast food has about 50 percent more calories than a Mediterranean diet and 150 percent more calories than the traditional African diet. At the same time, fast food tends to be low in weight and volume. Thus the stomach tends to feel less satisfied with fast food than it would with a larger weight and volume of food, and it delays sending out the signal that it’s had enough. As a result, by the time a person feels satisfied, he’s eaten too many calories.

Studies has shown that the energy density of food (the proportion of calories in relation to weight) is an important factor in regulating the amount people eat. Food with a high energy density causes people to eat more calories than they need without being aware of it. Yet the higher the caloric intake, the higher the risk of obesity, especially when combined with a sedentary lifestyle.

High fat content. Fast food generally has a higher fat content than home-cooked food. The high fat content makes this food more tasty, but It’s also much more fattening. Furthermore, because of its non-vegetarian courses (especially meat and cheese), fast food tends to have a higher proportion of saturated fats. Saturated fats serve as an energy reserve in the body for times of hunger and scarcity of food. But if those times never come, the reserve of saturated fat grows, causing obesity.

High sugar content. Many nutrition experts insist that, to avoid obesity, we must reduce that amount of sugar we eat each day, especially white and refined sugars. In a healthful diet, the proportion of calories coming from sugar should not exceed 10 percent of the total calories for the day, which would be 50 grams of sugar. Yet the typical soft drink. Which is often part of a fast-food meal, can exceed that amount.

Sucrose, or table sugar, is a simple carbohydrate that in the small intestine quickly changes to glucose and fructose. In the non-vegetarian diet, which is typical of fast food, these sugars pass rapidly from the small intestine into the blood stream, causing a rapid rise in glucose (some fructose also changes to glucose).

This increased level of glucose causes the pancreas to release more insulin, which contributes to the storage of fat, especially in the absence of physical exercise.

The more sugar we eat and the less exercise we get, the more weight we gain.

In addition to promoting obesity, fast food increases the intake of the four great enemies of the heart and arteries:

1. Saturated fat
2. Excess salt
3. Refined sugar
4. Meat

The risk of heart disease seems to increase in direct proportion to the amount of fast food that one eats. One can say, in other words, “Fast food, fast disease.”

How to eat well without gaining weight.

The following suggestions will help you to eat well without putting on those pounds:

What to eat.

·        Eat at least five servings of fresh fruit a day. Fresh fruit does not lead to obesity, as some people erroneously believe. The the contrary, in addition to having a very low energy density (few calories in a lot of weight), it provides vitamins and fiber that inhibit obesity.

·        Eat a plate of fresh vegetable salad each day.

·        Reduce or eliminate the typical fast foods: hamburgers, hot dogs and other sausages, snacks, sauces, pastries, and sweets.

·        Drink enough water each day so that your urine is clear, colorless, and odorless. It’s been shown that a high intake of water and a low intake of salt is a simple way to avoid gaining weight.

Where to eat.

·        As much as possible, practice the traditional custom of the entire family sitting down for a meal together.

·        Do not eat in the bus, the car, as you walk, or as you talk on the telephone. These activities will distract your mind, causing you to eat more without feeling satisfied.

How  to eat.

·        Eat slowly, savoring and chewing each mouthful well. This will improve your digestion and help you to eat less than if you ate rapiodly.

When to eat.

·        Eat at regular times, and avoid snacking between meals.

·        Set aside enough time for your meals, especially breakfast, which should be your most important meal of the day.

Conclusion

Solomon, the wise man, gave good advice when he said, “Put a knife to your throat. (Proverbs 23:2)” This means exercising self-control over our appetite when it tells us to eat a lot in a short time. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned by Paul (Galatians 5:23) that is ours by simply asking our heavenly Father for it. With His help it will be easier to control the what, the where, the how, and the when to eat, making it easier to avoid putting on excess weight. – Jorge Pamplona, Madrid, Spain