Why give up eating fast-food?
Remote living and working has completely shifted the game. Studies have shown that remote employees are working longer and spending more time in meetings and on communication channels. Research from 2,800 workers by a Los Angeles-based staffing firm shows that nearly 70 percent of professionals who transitioned to remote work because they now need to work on weekends and 45 percent indicated that they work longer days during the week. Not only are we working more, but we are also often feeling more fatigued. Dr. Nestadt of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine refers to this as “pandemic fatigue” – the exhaustion we feel after months of spending extra time and energy on coping with and adjusting to the pandemic.
Pandemic fatigue threatens to break our minds and our lives through many different avenues, one of which is our increased dependence on fast-food. “Fast-food” typically refers to the food we consume quickly, be it in a restaurant or on the go. The pandemic has increased our consumption of processed, fast-foods with research showing that 20% of US parents indicated that their kids are eating more fast food now than before the pandemic.
Take-away services such as Deliveroo and Just Eat, have indicated that not only are people eating more takeaways, but that the food is often unhealthy. A spokesperson for Deliveroo stated that the favorite takeaway for Brits during the lockdown was “the classic burger.” As these services are constantly taking on more riders to cope with rising demand, the presence of fast-food only increases. Moreover, despite the return of eating-out, takeaway and delivery services continue to outperform pre-pandemic levels in many places. But how is this affecting our bodies, physically and mentally?
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How Much Fast-Food Should I be Consuming?
Is Giving Up Fast-Food Good For My Health?
Will Quitting Fast-Food Help Me Lose Weight?
How Does Fast-Food Affect Your Mental Health?
How Will Quitting Fast-Food Impact My Finances?
How Will Giving Up Fast-Food Impact My Relationships?
How Does Fast-Food Affect the Environment?
How Much Fast-Food Should I be Consuming?
The best answer is that you really shouldn’t be consuming fast-food. Fast-food consists of various bad fats and high levels of sodium and sugar. A diet high in such foods has inevitable effects on your brain, bones, and your mood. Eating fast-food more than twice a week, as shown by the academic journal Circulation, makes you 1.5 times more likely to develop heart disease than those who infrequently or never consume it. This is a direct result of the high fat and sodium content of most fast-foods. Therefore, limiting your fast-food content, bringing it down slowly, and aiming for zero consumption is the best choice for your health.
Is Giving Up Fast-Food Good For My Health?
Fast-food is full of high fat and sodium contents, countless processed chemicals, and large amounts of sugar, sweeteners, and flavourings. Giving up these ready-to-eat meals, often fried, meals will positively impact your health. You’ll be at lower risk for both heart diseases and diabetes, as your cholesterol and blood sugar levels will be more regular and remain closer to the healthy range, without any fast-food induced spikes. Not only that, but you’ll be at lower risk for Alzheimer’s as studies show that the hallmark Alzheimer’s protein, beta-amyloid, is higher in individuals consistently consuming fast-food. Additionally, as you turn to healthier alternatives, the gut microbes within your body will change and you’ll start to desire more natural, whole foods, leading to a more balanced overall diet and lifestyle.
Will Quitting Fast-Food Help Me Lose Weight?
Especially if replaced with healthier alternatives and a balanced diet, giving up fast-food once and for all will lead to weight loss. When you consume fast-food, the majority of which is high in sodium, your body tends to hold on to water to maintain the proper sodium balance. This is what is often referred to as “bloating.” As you quit consuming fast-food, your body will be able to regulate different balances more easily, leading to a decrease in swelling and bloating. In addition to decreased bloating and discomfort, the break from high-sugar, high-calorie meals will decrease your overall daily caloric consumption, which leads to weight loss.
How Does Fast-Food Affect Your Mental Health?
Although we often discuss the effects of fast-food on the body, the effects on your mind are just as severe. Research shows that a fast-food diet can damage the neurons in your brain and place you at risk of depression. The Oregon Health and Science University compared people’s blood level of trans fat, found in fast-food, to their brain volume and found that trans fat affects the membranes, ultimately affecting your ability to function. We often perceive fast-food to be comfort food; yet, studies indicate that high fast-food diets are associated with higher rates of depression and increased risk with increased consumption. In research from the Harvard School of Public Health, women who are diets high in inflammatory foods, such as soft drinks, refined carbs, red meat, and margarine, were at 41% higher risk of developing depression than those eating anti-inflammatory foods such as healthy fats, vegetables, and coffee. Limiting your intake of fast-foods will lead to improved mood and stronger mental health in the long-run.
How Will Quitting Fast-Food Impact My Finances?
Choosing a healthier diet, one free of fast-food, will positively impact your finances both in the short and long-run. In the short-run, ordering fewer takeaways will save your hard-earned cash. Research from consumer organisation Which? found that ordering a takeaway via a food delivery app can be up to 44% more expensive than dealing directly with a restaurant. Additionally, research from Forbes finds that on average, it can be almost five times more expensive to order from a restaurant than to cook at home. Looking now at the long-run, not only do these individual meals add up, but you will also have to pay for the health costs that come with high fast-food consumption. Heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and stroke are all common long-term effects of fast-food consumption. Quitting the consumption of such foods will not only benefit your finances in the long run, but grant you greater security for the future.
How Will Giving Up Fast-Food Impact My Relationships?
When you give up fast-food, you will contribute to more than just your own body – you will contribute to your relationships. Excessive sugar consumption, frequent in fast-food diets, results in increased insulin secretion within the pancreas. This is your body trying to keep your blood sugar low and prevent the unnatural spikes that fast-food tries to induce. Fast-food lacks complex carbs, what gives you energy, and leaves you tired, craving more, and groggy. When you cut out the fast-food, and replace it with healthy, balanced alternatives, you will prevent such crashes and will inevitably have more energy. Your mood will improve and you’ll be more alert and present for those around you.
How Does Fast-Food Affect the Environment?
The issues of environmental damage and climate change are increasingly important in our world. It seems that our contributions extend beyond using plastic straws and recycling our milk cartons. One significant way we can do our part is in limiting our consumption of fast-food. The fast-food industry is a major contributor to the destruction of the planet with reports from Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) highlighting the impacts of the industry’s high dependence on many natural resources such as land and water, as well as the animal agriculture industry contribution to water pollution and methane production. Unless we shift our dependence on this industry, by decreasing our consumption of such products, it will only continue to grow in influence and impact on the environment.
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