Why We Consider Junk Food an Unhealthy Food

“Why we consider junk food an unhealthy food and why it is called junk Aunt Midas?” my niece asked me yesterday afternoon while we are buying some stuff at the supermarket. I simply answered her that junk foods are bad foods especially those that are preserved, they are not good for the body. Junk food is an unhealthy food, not fit for eating. But she insisted that there are healthy junk foods too because of some nutritional value you could find on its packs that is why eating junk foods is fine. She made me smile that time, yes, all foods have some value but it does not mean that it has a little nutritional value you could categorize it as healthy or nutritious food. I explained to her that junk foods effects, could not be seen immediately, that it takes time before she could see its bad effects.

Why we categorize junk foods as unhealthy foods? Not just because of its low nutritional value that it was called unhealthy food but because of junk foods effects, the hazards it could cause to one’s health. Junk foods are usually high in fats. As we could see on the back label of a junk food, the fats they mostly use are hydrogenated oils, the common term for trans fatty acids or trans fats (could cause cancer). Manufacturers hydrogenate the healthy unsaturated fats so that it will last long. Unfortunately, hydrogenation causes the healthy unsaturated fats to become unhealthy saturated fats which could result to clogged arteries and heart problems. That is just one reason why eating junk foods is not advisable.

And what are some of the junk food effects why junk foods were called an unhealthy foods? High level of salt in a junk food could cause hypertension and, or kidney problems because of its sodium content. If it is a sweet junk food, too much sugar could not only ruin the teeth but could cause obesity and diabetes in the long run. Other junk foods uses aspartame or saccharin as sweetener. These  sweeteners has been linked with other health problems including certain cancers in laboratory animals. Have you seen monosodium glutamate (MSG) listed on the junk food content? This additive is flavor enhancer, as we all know it has bad reputation and been controversial that it could cause cancer. Antioxidants such as Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and  Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) that are widely use in oils of junk food has been linked with certain cancers in laboratory animals too. Now, tell me, is eating junk foods good for the health? Is there such thing as healthy junk foods or you will consider junk foods now as a group of bad foods? Yes, junk food may contain low nutritional value but junk foods effects are so hazardous to ones health.

Television advertising, greatly affects child’s desire for food, especially on unhealthy foods like junk food. Relatives and friends that gives food to the children is another great factor that influences the child’s choice of food. Parents, just bear in mind that your influence in choosing the right food for your kids is still the greatest influence of all. Though it is a little bit difficult to have complete control over what your children are taking in (especially when they are with friends or relatives) but you can and should control the foods that are available at your home. If junk food or any high sugar, high fat, high salt, low nutrient and preserved foods are not available at your home, the child would be force to eat the nutritious food available. So, the best thing is do not keep foods that you do not want your child to consume, those you consider unhealthy foods for your family like junk food.

The Importance of Choosing The Right Food

In this world we have lot of choices to choose from especially when we talk about the food to it. Either we will choose what is ‘hot’ on the market or its healthy option.

For carbohydrates you have two choices, either you will choose PROCESSED FOODS such as polished rice, white bread and some products made from white flour, canned foods and precooked meals or you will choose the NATURAL FOODS such as brown rice, whole grain breads, whole grain cereals, food products made up from whole wheat flour, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Our body needs fats to function properly. We are given a choice whether to take in the harmful fat or the good one. If you love to consume red meats, pork, sausage, butter, lard, high fat cheese and whole milk you are consuming SATURATED FATS. UNSATURATED FATS are good fats, you can get it from taking in soy products and using vegetable oils for cooking. Fresh cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt are rich in unsaturated fats too.

If you really cannot resist from sweets, better choose raisins, prunes, dried figs, dates, honey and carob chocolate than white sugar, cakes,  pastries,  ice cream, jellies, jams and chocolates.

For drinks, why not choose water, natural fruit juices with no sugar or colorant added, medicinal herbs, cereal extracts and malt  than soft drinks, coffee, tea, beer, wine and liquor?

If you love snacking better choose nuts, sunflower seeds, fresh fruits and some raw vegetables rather than salted potato chips, salted nuts, corn chips, and processed foods.

Our choices determines our health status so, better choose the right food to eat.

Cholesterol and The Hardening of The Arteries

Cholesterol and The Hardening of The Arteries

There is a truth in a saying “You are as old as your blood vessels” because blood vessels are the lifelines to all of the tissues in our body. Any defect in our blood vessels or in the heart has great effect on the body.

Hardening of the arteries is commonly known as atherosclerosis, this is a condition behind high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks and circulatory problems. Hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure usually exist as team, they go hand in hand.

The development typically starts with building up of cholesterol on the inner wall of the arteries thus, narrowing the channel through which the blood flows. What happened now is there is a reduction of blood flow to the tissues, to resolve the problem the heart pumps more often to raise the blood pressure for an adequate supply of blood to the tissues. The muscle layer of the narrowed arteries due to cholesterol build up usually hardens preventing the wall to  move or function properly thus, raising the blood pressure more.

Hardening of coronary arteries reduces the blood supply to the heart muscles resulting to the condition called coronary heart disease. Stroke is usually caused either by hardening of the arteries supplying the brain or hypertension or both. Reduction of blood supply to the limbs, especially the legs and feet due to hardening of arteries or atherosclerosis may result to death of tissues, this circulatory problem is called gangrene.

Since we now know what started it all– our wrong choices of food particularly cholesterol rich, saturated  fat rich and, or trans fats rich foods, we should now cut down and if possible eliminate those fat sources of food for us to stay healthy and young. Remember you have much better sources of fats—the polyunsaturated fats and the unsaturated fats. But, we must bear in mind that though they are good sources of fats still, we should take in polyunsaturated and unsaturated fat food in moderation. Five or more servings of fruits and variety of vegetables in your diet everyday help lower bad cholesterol level. Moderate exercise and exposure to sunlight, and water therapy has an impact also in lowering the blood cholesterol level.

Know Something About Triglycerides

structure of triglyceride

Let us talk something about triglycerides because it has a good connection to my cholesterol post yesterday and research showed that children with high triglyceride level are high risk of heart and arterial diseases on their 40′s to 50′s.

Fatty acids may be saturated, unsaturated, polyunsaturated or trans-fatty acids. Fatty acids that are obtained from plants or fish lipids are more unsaturated and contain much more of the essential fatty acids that are necessary to humans but cannot synthesize, while saturated and trans fatty acids or trans fats are the unwanted ones.

Saturated fats and trans fats are unwanted because they become solid in room temperature and they does not just increase the triglyceride level but the cholesterol level in the blood as well. On the other hand the unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. Polyunsaturated fats has cholesterol-lowering effect while unsaturated fats do not. We consider unsaturated fatty acids as good source of fats, second to polyunsaturated fatty acids, because like polyunsaturated fats – it comes from plants. And, as we all know plants has no cholesterol.

To know more about fatty acids, kindly check Know Your Fat Intake, Things You Need to Know About Trans-fatty Acids and Fats and its Connection to Cancer. Fatty acids are synthesized from acetyl CoA (acetyl CoA plays a central role in intermediary metabolism between carbohydrate metabolism and fat metabolism – in synthesis, catabolism, or use of nutrients for energy production and growth).

Most of the fatty acids in the body are components of triglycerides and are deposited in the adipose tissue as FAT. Adipose cells convert fatty acids into triglycerides by esterification. Cells need glucose for triglyceride formation.  Three fatty acids plus a glycerol forms a triglyceride. Excess carbohydrate taken during a meal may be deposited temporarily as triglycerides after conversion of glucose to fatty acids. Insulin boosts the synthesis of triglycerides by adipose cells, whereas deficiency speeds up triglyceride hydrolysis. Triglycerides constitute about 95 percent of adipose tissue by weight and are the main form of lipid storage in man.

In plasma, like cholesterol, triglycerides are suspended in solution by a shell proteins and phospholipids known as lipoprotein particles. It is transported in the plasma mostly in the form of chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), but is present also in minor amounts in low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). Chylomicrons transports bulk of dietary triglycerides from the intestine to muscle cells or adipose tissue as free fatty acid (FFA) for either energy use or for storage as triglycerides. While VLDL transports the endogenous triglycerides from the liver to tissues throughout the body for energy use or storage.

Usually, serum triglyceride concentration is requested either in combination with total cholesterol or as part of lipid panel examination (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL and VLDL determination) to estimate the degree of risk for hyperlipoproteinemia, coronary artery disease (CAD), heart disease and stroke.

As preparation for triglyceride examination, patient is instructed to fast (nothing by mouth) for at least 12 hours before the blood is drawn to make sure that all chylomicrons from the last source of food have been cleared.

Here is a general acceptable normal value of TRIGLYCERIDES for adults:
Desirable: Less than 150 mg/dL (1.70 mmol/L)
Borderline high: 150-199 mg/dL(1.7-2.2 mmol/L)
High: 200-499 mg/dL (2.3-5.6 mmol/L)
Severe high: Greater than 500 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L)

Note: Normal value range may vary slightly among different laboratories.

Know Your Fat Intake

fried chicken

Our body needs fat for it is essential for us to leave. The questions are: How much fat do we need? What kind of fat are we taking? You know what is the difference between saturated from unsaturated fats?

It is estimated that our body needs about 20-30 percent of our total calorie intake per day. Of the calories we take in everyday, we usually consume more than what our body needs for if you ate no visible fat meal, you would already get about 10-15 percent of fats that’s why we need to know which foods are high fat and which are not. Too low a fat diet produce a set of problems to us too, so it is important that we must know how much is much and how much is too little.

The more hydrogen molecules a fat gets, the harder that the fat becomes. The unsaturated fats are oils and the harder fats are called saturated fats. Too much of saturated fats is not good for us, it clogs our arteries. Where can we get it those fats? Saturated fats are typically animal-derived fats while unsaturated fats usually originate from plants.

The main sources of saturated fat are from animal products: red meat and whole-milk dairy products, including cheese, sour cream, ice cream and butter. However there are also plant-based sources of saturated fat, principally coconut oil and coconut milk, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter, and palm oil.

Unsaturated fat food sources include soybean, sunflower, fish and corn, olive, peanut, and canola oils. Unsaturated fatty acids are suggested to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

So, if you eat meat, discard the fat for it is saturated fats that may clog your arteries. As much as possible, get rid of it before cooking the meat. Speaking of meat, a study found a strong evidence that red meat and processed meats were a cause of bowel cancer. Thus, it was advised that people should only consume a maximum of less than 500 grams, or 18 ounces, of cooked red meat per week. And if possible, we should avoid processed meat altogether. Processed meat was defined as meat preserved by smoking, curing, salting or the addition of preservatives that includes ham, bacon, pastrami, salami, frankfurters,etc. Processed meat do not just contain saturated fats but also too much of salt and other harmful ingredients from preservatives.

It is our aim not just to get rid of animal fat but to lower our total fat intake.