Side Effects of Consuming Fast Food on Regular basis

1. Let’s see how fast food become worse to our health in the past 3 decades? Filled with empty calories and ultra-processed, fast food may increase the risk of obesity and cancer. While fast-food chains have ostensibly been trying to offer more healthful options, a new study finds that the health impact of their menus has not improved — to the contrary, in fact. Do visit:https://popcornwiki.com/ Fast food may now be worse for our health, a new study warns. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that, between 2013 and 2016, 36.6 percent of adults in the United States ate fast food on any given day.

2. Moreover, according to a study conducted by University of Connecticut researchers in 2018, around 74 percent of parents purchase unhealthful foods for their children in fast-food restaurants. This, the investigators noted, is despite the fact that, from 2013 onward, some of the most popular fast-food chains committed to offering more healthful options in their children’s menus. Now, a new study suggests that most fast-food restaurant menus have not, in fact, become more healthful overall, despite the addition of some arguably more wholesome choices. The researchers analyzed the variety, portion size, and nutrition of entrées, sides, and desserts offered by 10 of the most popular fast-food chains in the U.S. over a period of roughly 3 decades, based on the menus they made available at three points in time: in 1986, 1991, and 2016. The team analyzed menus from: Arby’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Dairy Queen, Hardee’s, Jack in the Box, KFC, Long John Silver’s, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s. In the study paper — which appears in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics — the investigators

3. explain their focus, noting that, “These restaurants were chosen because the nutritional information on the key nutritional variables of portion size, energy, and sodium were available for each of the 3 years being analyzed.” “Given the popularity of fast food, our study highlights one of the changes in our food environment that is likely part of the reason for the increase in obesity and related chronic conditions over the past several decades, which are now among the main causes of death in the U.S.,” says lead investigator Megan McCrory, Ph.D. Expect in-depth, science-backed toplines of our best stories every day. Tap in and keep your curiosity satisfied. Fast food still fuels chronic conditions The researchers looked at how entrées, sides, and desserts changed on these fast-food restaurants’ menus over the 30- year span. More specifically, they paid attention to changes in caloric content, portion size, energy density, and sodium, iron, and calcium contents. McCrory, an associate professor at Boston University in Massachusetts, and the team accessed the relevant data through The Fast-Food Guide, which was published in 1986

4. and 1991, and via resources available online for the year 2016. First, the researchers observed that the variety of foods that these restaurants offered increased at a high rate of 22.9 items, or 226 percent, per year. However, as the variety increased, so did the caloric content of the food items on offer, as did portion size. Thus, among entrées, sides, and desserts, calories saw a sharp increase. The largest such rise was in the dessert category, with an increase of 62 kilocalories every 10 years. Next came entrées, which saw an increase of 30 kilocalories per decade. The team found a link between higher caloric content and larger portion sizes. These increased by 13 grams per decade for entrées and 24 grams per decade for desserts. At the same time, sodium (salt) content also went up among each food type. “Our study offers some insights on how fast food may be helping to fuel the continuing problem of obesity and related chronic conditions,” the lead researcher concludes, adding: “Despite the vast number of choices offered at fast-food restaurants, some of which are healthier than others, the

5. calories, portion sizes, and sodium content overall have worsened (increased) over time and remain high.” Megan McCrory, Ph.D. A long way to go for fast-food chains McCrory and the team also note that four of the 10 fast-food chains also provided information on the calcium and iron contents of items on their menus over the past 3 decades. The researchers acknowledge that the two essential nutrients — which play key roles in bone and blood health — are much more present in fast food now than they were 30 years ago. Specifically, entrées and desserts now have significantly higher calcium contents, and iron is more abundant in desserts. However, McCrory stresses that fast food should not be the first port of call for people looking to increase their calcium and iron levels, since these nutrients are available in unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as seeds, dairy products, and fish.

6. “We need to find better ways to help people consume fewer calories and sodium at fast-food restaurants,” says McCrory. “The requirement that chain restaurants display calories on their menus is a start. We would like to see more changes, such as restaurants offering smaller portions at proportional prices,” she adds. 7 Interesting Food Facts Despite checking out food packets and really keeping a close eye on what you consume, there is a large chance that you may not know abouts these interesting food facts. Here are 7 facts about food that you may find hard to swallow. Bird’s Saliva Is Actually An Expensive Delicacy Forget caviar and expensive truffles, bird’s saliva is the food of the well-heeled, at least in China anyway. Bird’s nest soup, is an expensive delicacy made from rare bird’s nests created from the saliva of small swiftlets. The nests, which have been used in Chinese cooking for over four centuries, are dissolved in water to make a soup which is believed to have exquisite flavour and be of benefit to health. These bird nests are considered to be one of the most expensive animal food products consumed by humans. Your Food Is Allowed To Contain Trace Of Insects

7. You could be forgiven for thinking that when you buy your food that it will be bug-free and that the law would ensure that it stays that way. Well, unfortunately not. It seems that some of these elements are allowable (and often unavoidable) in small quantities. In the US, for example, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows for “natural defects” in food products, meaning your food can legally contain traces of stuff that you probably don’t want to be swallowing. The FDA will only begin an investigation into foods once they go over the allowable levels they set. For example, chocolate would only every be investigated once it reaches 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams - anything below this level is considered ok. For peanut butter the level is set lower at 30 insect fragments per 100 grams. Fruit & Veg Are Less Nutritious Than They Used To Be You may well be eating the recommended levels of fruit and vegetables but it’s possible it mightn’t be doing you the same amount of good that it used to do. Finding published in the journal HortScience suggest that due to modern agricultural practices fruit and vegetables are less nutritious than they were around half a century ago. It was suggested that you would have to eat eight times the amount of oranges now to get the same amount of vitamin A as your grandparents would have years before. To try and max your benefits from eating fruit and veg, consume more of it and where possible eat organic produce.

8. Pre-Packaged Salads And Greens May Not Be Clean When you buy your salad and other fresh green produce pre- packed it will have gone through a washing process, but just how clean is it? A Consumer Reports look at pre-washed salads found that 39 per cent of the 200+ samples tested contained bacteria, the type of which would indicate contamination. Similarly, a study from the University of California, Riverside found that certain leaves - in this case spinach leaves - have numerous nooks and crannies where bacteria can remain despite washing. The best advice is to thoroughly wash all greens regardless of the packaging or otherwise they come out of. Chewing Coffee Beans Can Help Eliminate Bad Breath Been overdoing it on the garlic and needing to rid yourself of the smell on your breath? Those of you who choose to chew on some gum or even some extra strong mints are doing it wrong as the answer apparently lies in the coffee bean. Yes, chewing on the roasted coffee beans can go some way to ridding you of your garlic or onion breath. Other good options to freshen your breath include parsley or mint leaves. If you prefer to drink your coffee rather than chew it then Israeli scientists have found that coffee can inhibit the bacteria that leads to bad breath, but best to drink it black. Chocolate Is As Healthy As Fruit While we were telling you earlier to eat more fruit, perhaps we should also be telling you to eat more chocolate. Research

9. has suggested that chocolate can be just as good for you as fruit. In tests that compared dark chocolate with fruit juices made from from blueberries and pomegranate, dark chocolate was found to be higher in disease-fighting antioxidants. For maximum benefit it is best to choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate, as the the dairy variety contains additional sugar and is much more processed which reduces the health benefits. Kindly check the source here Chocolate Supplies May Run Out Bad news for those of you wanting to take advantage of the chocolate benefits mentioned above as the popular treat is in real danger of going into shortage. For starters, prices of your favourite chocolate bars have in recent years been on the rise (or the bars have been shrinking in size) due to the growing global demand for cocoa. In addition, the additional demand from emerging mass markets such as China, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Russia mean there aren’t enough cacao trees to meet demand and the possibility of a supply shortfall could be on the way.