Junk Food Junkies

Rapid Reading Exercise

• So … thinking about another potato chip or piece of candy? Before you reach for more junk food – those snacks high in sugar fat and, consequently, calories – think a moment about the effects. Junk food consumption is a major health problem in modern society. Junkies, those people who are addicted to such empty calories, frequently are overweight and malnourished and have a tendency toward diabetes – all serious problems which could be prevented by sensible eating.

• The most obvious problem arising from eating candy, cakes, chips and other sugary or high fat foods is the large amount of empty calories – those with no nutritional value – that the body does not need. Every time you reach for a candy bar or a bag of chips instead of an apple, you are adding several hundred calories to your daily intake. Drinking sugary soft drinks will add even more. Continued day after day, year after year, the body simply stores all of these extra calories in the form of fat, and the individual gradually becomes overweight.

• Not only does junk food contribute to weight problems, but it may also lead to malnutrition. Consumption of large amounts of empty calories means that the individual is simply not getting the proper nutrition. Sugar replaces potassium; fat replaces calcium; sugar and fat replace what was a healthy diet. Anemia, fatigue, poor muscle tone and dermatitis are only some of the symptoms. However, obesity and malnutrition are probably not the most serious of consequences.

• Addiction to junk food may be a near factor in causing diabetes mellitus in those who have a genetic predisposition or a deficiency of beta cells caused by inflammation, malignant invasion or surgery of the pancreas. There is an imbalance in the body’s metabolism or hyperglycemia – excessive sugar in the blood – and if allowed to progress, it may lead to a deep coma resulting in death. The junk food junkie is hooked. It is an easy habit to start but a hard one to stop.

• Junk food – seemingly harmless but really a curse of modern life – can lead to obesity, malnutrition, and even diabetes – a life-threatening illness. At best, this means poor health and appearance, at worst serious illness or death. A well-balanced diet adequate in all basic essentials – carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and fluids – is all that is required for sound nutrition. Reach for a banana, not a candy bar; have an afandi, not potato chips. You’ll look better, feel better, run faster – if you run – and live longer.