Discovering the
Negative Effects of Unhealthy Eating
(Sizer &
Whitney, 2007, p. 56).
Last year, 2011
bought about for me, many reasons that made me realize that it was time for me
to adopt a healthier lifestyle. The first event that leads to my decision was
my mother being diagnosed with hypertension. And then exactly one week later,
not even giving me a chance to fully accept my mother’s diagnosis of
hypertension, she was then diagnosed with diabetes. At that very moment I knew
it was time for me to become more proactive in helping my family to change
their unhealthy eating habits.
I sat my mother
down and explained to her how imperative it was that she changed her eating
habits in order to get her hypertension and diabetes under control and to
prevent further complications known to be caused by these two chronic diseases
being uncontrolled. Since I am the one who does the food shopping in my house,
I opted for more fresh fruits and vegetables and left the cookie and chips in
the store on the shelf. Also, instead of buying cases of soda, I brought cases
of water and low-sugar juices to drink. I dusted off the George Foreman grill
and brought meats that would be more suitable for baking and grilling instead
of frying.
I taught my
mother how to read food labels, so she could ensure not to consume excessive
amounts of sodium, fats, and carbohydrates. I also helped her to understand her
medication regimen and the importance of taking her medication on time and
taking them daily, and to be sure not to run out of medication. Once my
mother’s doctor was able to get her on the proper medication for her
hypertension, her blood pressure has been in an acceptable range. Even though
her blood sugars fluctuate up and down, they have not gone over 190 in the last
few months, with them being close to the normal range in the last two weeks. I
have learned that eating healthy is a hard habit to learn the older you are,
whether it is learning to eat healthy in the event of a diagnosis of a chronic
disease or in hopes of preventing a chronic disease, it can be difficult to do.
But I have noticed that once many people learn how unhealthy eating really
affects your body, and that many chronic diseases are preventable it is easier
for them to get into the habit of healthy eating.
Unhealthy
eating habits have a lot of negative effects on the human body. These include,
but are not limited to, obesity, chronic disease and accelerated aging. Most
people are aware of the fact that unhealthy eating has negative effects. But
many people are unaware of exactly what these negative effects are doing to
their body.
Obesity
The most
obvious, visible, and common result of unhealthy eating is obesity. According
to the Journal of the American Medical Association, “about 65 percent of North
Americans are overweight” (McGregor, 2005, p.70). Even though the effects of
obesity are most visibly seen on the outside, the most damaging effects are
happening on the inside of the body. “When you eat excess amounts of
high-glycemic carbohydrates (such as fried foods, cookies, chips, and breads),
your body begins to produce excess amounts of insulin,” (Sizer & Whitney,
2007, p. 918). This excess insulin production causes the body to store fat,
speeds up the aging process and is the precursor to insulin resistance in the
body. The excess insulin also inhibits the release of stored fat back into the
body to be used for energy.
Chronic
Disease
As a result of unhealthy eating,
habits, the body develops silent inflammation. Unlike inflammation, which
causes aches and pains, silent inflammation goes unnoticed in the body until it
develops into chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
arthritis, and cancer (McGregor, 2005, p.84).
Accelerating
Aging
So
as you can see, unhealthy habits can do more than just ruin your outward
appearance. It takes a toll on your body and causes you to have serious health
problems that you may have to live with for the rest of your life. It is
important to remember that indulging in an unhealthy treat occasionally is
acceptable, but constantly eating fried food and sweets can lead to a lifelong
medication regimen and numerous trips back and forth to the doctors. In the
next posting I will take an in-depth look into the most commonly seen chronic
disease: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. I believe to fully understand
the importance of healthy eating, it is important to know exactly what it is
doing to your body.
Works Cited
McGregor, T.
(2005). Exactly how is unhealthy eating affecting you? Journal of the American Medical Association, 150(6), 69-72, 84. Retrieved
January 30, 2012, from EBSCO Host database.
Sizer, F.,
Whitney, E., (2007). Nutrition Concepts
and Controversies. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, pp. 56, 103, 918.
