The Effects Eating Junk Food have on Health

Did you know eating just about anything you want can destroy you physically and mentally? Many don’t stop to think and realize that whatever they put in their body has many effects on them. I understand, it can be hard in the beginning or even through the whole process, but they have to decide what’s best for them. I mean yes, it’s okay to have unhealthy choices once in a while, but It’s also even more okay to eat what makes you and your health feel amazing.

I personally am guilty of not being the greatest at eating healthy and taking care of myself. Including my 10-year-old brother. And because poor nutrition leads to disease, obesity, and even premature death, children should be better educated about eating choices that can affect their entire lives.

Poor nutrition is any food that you consume that isn’t vegetables or fruits. It’s anything that affects your body and health. According to the article “The effects of Poor Nutrition on Your Health,” Ripa Ajmera states “A bad diet results in lower core strength, slower problem solving ability and muscle response time, and less alertness” (Ajmera). I agree. As we get older, we’d realize the certain food we consume, isn’t any good for your body. You tend to react differently and move differently than others who actually eat healthy. My younger brother for an example… He used to eat junk food every day until my mother decided it was time to put a stop to it. After a couple healthy meals and drinking water daily, we noticed he was much more active, less, tired, and slimmer.

Poor nutrition is caused by unhealthy food choices. In the article “Changing Habits, Not Just Diets,” Jane Black, explains that most Americans eat fast food for its convenience and taste. Black, a food writer who covers food politics, argues that Americans do have access to healthy and affordable food. Black states, “Or rather, they chose not to take the time to shop for it, to plan and cook their meals, when they can hit the drive-through or have a pizza delivered or pop a Stouffer’s into the microwave” (2). We tend to often come up with excuses to take the easy way out. But is it healthy? No. It leads you to the next step… obesity.

As many will know, obesity is one of the world’s biggest concerns. I’m pretty sure as you walk out your home on a daily basis, you will come across people who happen to be overweight; specially children today. In the article, “Obesity cannot be controlled through personal responsibility alone” Ben Brooks mentions “The only people who are responsible for what goes into kids’ mouths are the parents” (2). I agree with Brooks. Kid s aren’t born wanting candy or McDonald’s. It’s all the parent’s fault for giving it to them so they can “try.” As the kid gets older and is able to make their own decisions, it’s practically up to them. But when you’re about 8 years old and younger, the mother has all the responsibilities and decisions to make for their own kid.

The obligation parents have on feeding their children healthy fruits and vegetables, companies should also take the time to properly label food and limit advertising. According to the article, “We Need Better Food Choices” Raj Patel blames fast food restaurants and companies who don’t label their products with everything that we need to know. Patel states “You might think that in this fantasy, we’d be free to make informed, rational choices about our food. Yet many of us would continue to eat poorly, because education is only one of many factors that shape what we eat” (3). I disagree with Patel. If parents are actually concerned about their child’s health and appearance, they’d look at the products label. Of course, we unquestionably require and desire “better education.” However, “only” the “food industry fixates” on this “aspects” (Patel).

If no change, obesity will plague children into adulthood – worse diseased and premature death. Marion Nestle states “People are bombarded with conflicting advice, much of it from sources with a vested interest in selling particular foods, supplements or diet plans. Nutrition studies tend to focus on single nutrients, making their results difficult to apply to real diets” (2). I agree with Nestle. We are all desperately trying to find out what is actually good for us and what is not. Even the “healthy” choices today, turn out to be unhealthy after all. Children grow up eating this stuff thinking it’s healthy when it’s actually harming them and killing them slowly.

We all know that not taking care of ourselves can lead to major disease. For an example, diabetes. I have a childhood friend who developed diabetes at the age of 13, and a friend who I used to work with developed diabetes about 3-4 months ago. Brooks states “Both obesity and type 2 diabetes are deeply human tragedies” (6). I agree. These two health problems are scary and easily developed to happen to anyone in just a blink of an eye. They’re both dangerous and likely to kill anyone if they aren’t taking good care of themselves.

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