Most people find eating healthy food boring, but it isn’t. There are several alternatives to junk foods. Junk food as its name implies needs to be trashed and replaced with healthier and better foods.
What are junk foods?
Junk foods are generally known as foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients. They tend to contain a large amount of fat, sugar, and salt. They are deceptively inexpensive to buy and unhealthy to eat. These items are processed, manufactured, have added chemicals, sugars, and other unhealthy ingredients that can adversely affect human health. These effects could either surface immediately or in the long run.
One problem with junk food is that they are low in satiation value. That is, people don’t get satisfied when they eat them, and this can lead to overeating. Just like it is said,
“Too much of everything is bad”. Eating too much junk food can be detrimental to one’s health.
Most junk foods fall into the category of either snack food or fast food. We have cereals that can also be considered junk food. This is because most of them contain sugar and high-fructose syrup and white flour. It contains carbohydrates and processed sugar which may lead to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and other chronic diseases. Obesity could lead to clogging of the arteries and this could lead to heart attacks. You could get addicted when you eat a lot of junk foods, this could make you abandon healthier foods like vegetables, fruits, etc.
Foods mostly considered as junk foods are fried fast food, gum, candy, salted snack food, sweet desserts, and sugary carbonated beverages. Other foods like pizza, hamburgers can be considered junk food or healthy food, it just depends on the ingredients and method of preparation. Junk foods should be eaten occasionally.
Avoid foods that say corn sweetener, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, partially hydrogenated, fractionated, or hydrogenated on their label.
How can junk foods be eliminated from your diet?
Here are a few tips on how to do away with junk food
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Always stay hydrated:
Water is needed for our bodily functions. Most times, we mistake being thirsty for being hungry. It should be noted that whenever you feel hungry a few minutes after just eating a meal, you should take water first. Most times the thirst signals in the brain are usually very weak so it can be mistaken for hunger. Don’t be in a haste to take junk food. Drink water to stay hydrated and stay fit.
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Have a good rest:
The body needs at least 8 hours of sleep each day, depriving yourself of sleep or staying up at night to work, read, watch movies, etc. could give rise to the urge of taking junk and sugary food. Having a good rest could lead to a healthy and balanced lifestyle, which also reduces the urge to take junk foods. A good night’s rest could help reduce stress, which is another factor of eating disorders. Loading yourself with junk foods decreases the serotonin production in your body which often increases cravings.
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Read labels:
It is advisable to read the ingredients of whatever you want to buy in order to know what it is made of. If any ingredient looks unhealthy, it is advisable not to buy that product.
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Do fast occasionally:
It is advisable to fast a few times a week as it gives our digestive system a healthy break. Try attempting 14 hours of intermittent fasting. It is a great way to improve focus, our body’s digestive system most times needs rest. It actually disciplines us to eat mindfully. Intermittent fasting helps to regulate blood sugar levels and also improves brain function.
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Have a healthy meal routine:
Before heading out you could plan your meal for that day, this will actually help you in eliminating junk since they are everywhere which makes them easy for us to access and does not require planning. Having a meal timetable will actually help a healthy eating routine; saving you big time from those junk.
Food is just like medicine our body needs for nourishment hence we should fill our bodies with healthy foods. The easiest way to get enough vitamins and minerals is to eat vegetables, fruits, carrots, eggplants, berries, and many more.
You should reduce your sugar cravings, and replace them with nutritious and healthy foods. You could get dates, soak them in water and blend them, this is a very nutritious drink to take and trust me, it is very delicious. Also, they (junk foods) could be replaced with homemade yogurt which is very easy to make. It can be made by getting milk from the market, mix it with hot water, add culture and cover it in a flask for some time. You could also make smoothies by blending varieties of fruits.
Junk food is not entirely bad, however, too much of it is bad. Try reducing the number of junk foods that you consume if you can’t cut them out completely. Conversely, if you cannot control the volume which you eat per time, then it is advised that you replace junk foods with healthy foods as quickly as possible.