Dr Hector PereraƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  London

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Any living person, animal or a plant needs food to live. The plants create food by the process of photosynthesis with the help of solar power.

Then the question is what food?

FoodƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is any substanceconsumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ plant orƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ animal origin, and contains essentialƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ nutrients, such asƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ carbohydrates,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ fats, proteins,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ vitamins, or minerals. The purpose of the food is for living or the continued life. When food is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism’s cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.

When we studied history, we came to know that the people secured food through: hunting,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and gathering, andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ agriculture. The ancient humans depended for food by hunting but as the civilisation grows, they started to farm the animals and plants for food. Even in Sri Lanka there was this ancient people called veddas who depended for food by hunting.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Things have changed with the time, today; most of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ food energyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ consumed by theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ world populationƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is supplied by theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ food industry, which is operated byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ multinational corporationsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that useƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ intensive farmingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ industrial agriculture to maximize systemƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ output.

The whole thing is hijacked by food industry for business to make a fast buck or cash and turned food into something nasty. Some of it has become junk food to make quick money from the people.

What is junk food?

Junk foodƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is an informal term for food that is of little nutritional value and often high in fat, sugar, and/or calories.

Junk foods typically contain high levels of calories from sugar or fat with littleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ proteins, vitamins or minerals. Common junk foods include salted snack foods, gum, candy, sweet desserts, fried fast food, and carbonated beverages.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Health effects

A study by Paul Johnson and Paul Kenny at theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Scripps Research Institute (2008) suggested that junk food consumption alters brain activity in a manner similar manner to addictive drugs likeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ cocaineƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ or heroin. After many weeks with unlimited access to junk food, the pleasure centres of rat brains became desensitized, requiring more food for pleasure. After the junk food was taken away and replaced with aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ healthy diet, the rats starved for two weeks instead of eating nutritious fare.A 2007ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ British Journal of NutritionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ study found that mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy increased the likelihood of unhealthy eating habits in their children.

A report published in the Journal of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Federation of America suggests that babies of mothers with a high-sugar and high-fat diet while pregnant are more prone to junk food themselves. The study was conducted on rats and suggests that “infants whose mothers eat excessive amounts of high-fat, high-sugar junk foods when pregnant or breastfeeding are likely to have a greater preference for these foods later in life.”

A 2008 report suggests that mothers who eat junk food while pregnant or breast-feeding have children who are more prone to obesity. The children are also more prone to diabetes, raised cholesterol, and high blood fat.

Some more junk food

Lollies, soft drinks, potato chips, hot chips, ice cream, hamburgers, pizza, fried chicken, fried fish, pork spare ribs, hot dogs and other kinds of take away food are called junk food.

If there was too much saturated fat, it will cause the people to put on weight too quickly and get too fat or obese (very fat). Obesity can cause many other health complications, including cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, heart diseases, heart attacks, strokes, sleep apnea and others. The doctors say most of these can be avoided or reduce the chance of having them by adjusting the diet but some people say, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Who wants to knowƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚? That may be because they are addicted to junk food.

What about too much salt? ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Junk foods often have too much salt. There’s a lot of salt already in foods such as bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits and cakes. So people are getting more salt than they need when they eat junk food such as potato crisps. Again far too much salt is unhealthy for the heart.

Home sweets

As a matter of fact, some Sri Lankans love home made bottled pickles such as lime, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-amberalla chutneyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, brinjol, Sinhalese pickles also called, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Ach charuƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, then salted dried fish like sprats, sheer and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-katta karawalaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. The doctors say far too much salt increases blood pressure causing high blood pressure again related to cardiovascular [CVD] diseases. I agree, it is nothing like something from, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-HomeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as mentioned above but the problem arises only if they consumed on regular basis in excess levels.

What about too much sugar!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Soft drinks such as verities of coke, cordials, biscuits, cakes and lollies all have loads of sugars and sweeteners. That’s what makes them taste so good! But too much sugar makes people fat, rots the teeth, is bad for the blood and may cause other diseases.

Some might think, the people in foreign countries do not get these ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Home made sweetsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ such as milk toffees, musket, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-dodolƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-bundiiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-kaewumƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and endless list of home made sweets. The businessmen know where the people are and bring them to you, of course at a price. Apart from that some Indian sweet shops have plenty of varieties of sugary, salty and fried food. In some small towns around London there are plenty of these shops just bordering the main road with huge sign boards so the people get attracted to both Sri Lankan and Indian shops, like ants to sugar or bees to flowers. I am sure they give lots of excuses to escape the guilty conscious of eating this junk food, am I correct, oh just only today, just for the weekend!

More research studies about junk food

Some research data identifies junk food addiction as being just as serious as drug addiction. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrogenated oils, refined salt, and various other chemical preservatives found in processed junk food doing the same thing to a person’s brain as cocaine does.
Another study conducted by researchers at both the University of Texas in Austin (UT) and the Oregon Research Institute found that prolonged consumption of junk foods results in reduced activity in the striatum, a section of the forebrain that registers reward. In other words, just like with illicit drugs, those addicted to junk food require ever-increasing amounts of it to get the same “high.” “The data is so overwhelming the field has to accept it,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) concerning the findings. “We are finding tremendous overlap between drugs in the brain and food in the brain.” Some people might not agree with these scientific findings but these facts are backed up by extensive research evidences from reputed organisations.

In a correlative study, researchers identified a similarity in dopamine production levels between drug addicts and junk food addicts. Addiction to either one essentially causes the brain receptors that receive dopamine signals to lose their responsiveness. As a result, addicts require increasing amounts of the addictive substance to receive the same level of satisfaction.
Since processed foods are loaded with synthetic chemical additives, they are technically drugs themselves. So it is no wonder that millions of people around the world are addicted to them.
Many parents feed their children with a large amount of sugary breakfast food, causing them to become extremely hyperactive. They then take their children to doctors, whose solution is to simply prescribe medication to control their behaviour, merely treating theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ effect, not theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ CAUSE. These parents are totally unaware that a change in diet would rectify the situation.

In an article in theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Daily Telegraph, one paediatrician at the Royal London Hospital stated, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Some children were being treated for apnea, a sleep disorder caused when airways are blocked by folds of fat.

DonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t care attitude

What happened to healthy breakfasts such as the kadala, green grams, yams such as sweet potatoes? I am sure they are in the market at a reasonable price but not quite interested by present generation. The reasons are, not in convenient packages, not ready to eat, take about an hour to cook, so who got the time to cook? All they need is something from a packet or a can.

It says, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-You Are What You EatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ However, it is not necessarily harmful to eat these foods IF, note the word IF done occasionally and inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ moderation. Perera6@hotmail.co.uk

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Junk Food

Lollies, chips and fast food are called ‘junk food’.
This kind of food has too much fat in it.
It has too much salt in it too.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And it has too much sugar.
It’s OK to eat a little bit, but too much is not good.

What is junk food?
Lollies, soft drink, potato chips, hot chips, ice cream, and hamburgers, hot dogs and other kinds of take away food are called junk food.

Too much fat!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Junk foods such as hamburgers, pizza, fried chicken and chips usually contain loads of saturated fats. Too much saturated fat in the diet will cause people to put on weight and get fat or obese (very fat). Being overweight is a risk to the health of the heart and can cause other diseases.

Too much salt!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Junk foods often have too much salt. There’s a lot of salt already in foods such as bread, breakfast cereals and biscuits and cakes. So people are getting more salt than they need when they eat junk food. Too much salt is unhealthy for the heart.

Too much sugar!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Soft drinks, cordials, biscuits, cakes and lollies all have loads of sugar. That’s what makes them taste so good! But too much sugar makes people fat, rots the teeth, is bad for the blood and may cause other diseases.

Should people eat junk food?
Junk food does have some of the good things that the body needs for good health. And the body needs some salt, fat and sugar for energy to burn while we work and play. However too much fat, sugar and salt is bad for our health and eating lots of junk food will overload your body with these things.

It is probably OK to eat junk food sometimes!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But people should look for foods that are low in fats and salt and sugar. Choose grilled fish and chicken rather than fried, fish burgers instead of beef, grilled lean beef burgers, and vegetarian pizza and pizza with seafood instead of fatty meat type pizza.

Eat lots of fresh foods, healthy foods most of the time.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Choose to eat junk food only now and again.

Bloomberg Businessweekreports on a plethora of recent data that identifies junk food addiction as being just as serious as drug addiction. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrogenated oils, refined salt, and various other chemical preservatives found in processed junk food does the same thing to a person’s brain as cocaine does.

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/034478_junk_foods_addictive_brain_chemistry.html#ixzz1nu2StR4a

A 2010 study conducted by scientists at Scripps Research Institute (SRI) in Florida found that rats given free access to Hormel Foods Corp. bacon, Sara Lee Corp. pound cake, The Cheesecake Factory Inc. cheesecake, and Pillsbury Co. Creamy Supreme cake frosting, experienced significant changes in brain activity and function — and these changes mirrored those that occur in the brains of drug addicts.

Another study conducted by researchers at both the University of Texas in Austin (UT) and the Oregon Research Institute found that prolonged consumption of junk foods results in reduced activity in the striatum, a section of the forebrain that registers reward. In other words, just like with illicit drugs, those addicted to junk food require ever-increasing amounts of it to get the same “high.”

“The data is so overwhelming the field has to accept it,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) concerning the findings. “We are finding tremendous overlap between drugs in the brain and food in the brain.”

In a correlative study, researchers identified a similarity in dopamine production levels between drug addicts and junk food addicts. Addiction to either one essentially causes the brain receptors that receive dopamine signals to lose their responsiveness. As a result, addicts require increasing amounts of the addictive substance to receive the same level of satisfaction.

Since processed foods are loaded with synthetic chemical additives, they are technically drugs themselves. So it is no wonder that millions of people around the world are addicted to them.

Editor’s Note: Natural News is strongly against the use of all forms of animal testing. We fully support the implementation of humane medical experimentation that promotes the health and well-being of all living creatures.

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/034478_junk_foods_addictive_brain_chemistry.html#ixzz1nu2jbyM4

You Are What You Eat

But, what is junk food, and how can you tell if you are consuming a junk food diet?

Junk food is a term used for foods that taste good, are high in calories and quick to prepare, and have little nutritional value. While most people have their own list of foods that they would consider junk food, it generally refers to foods that are high in sugar (such as soda pop, candy, ice cream and most pastries), high in fat (particularly, saturated fatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚such as burgers, pizza, hot dogs, french fries and most fried foods) and high in salt.

But the above list is not all-inclusive. For example, most would consider the imitation juice on the market today as healthy. However, these products are loaded with sugar, artificially flavored, and contain very littleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ pureƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ juice. Many foods that we consider healthy could in fact be considered junk food. One must study and investigate in order to expand on the above list.

However, it is not necessarily harmful to eat these foods IF done occasionally and inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ moderation(Phil. 4:5). But as soon as the majority of the food consumed comes from junk food, it could be said that one has a junk food dietƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚of which, the effects are devastating.

The Health Implications?

Eating an abundance of junk seems normal to todayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s generation. Many parents feed their children a large amount of sugary breakfast food, causing them to become extremely hyperactive. They then take their children to doctors, whose solution is to simply prescribe medication to control their behaviorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚merely treating theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ effect, not theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ CAUSE. These parents are totally unaware that a change in diet would rectify the situation.

Eating junk food is also one of the main contributing factors to the development of cancer. The body desires and needs certain vitamins and minerals to function properly. But, when you eat a poor diet, you severely impair the bodyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s abilityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚its immune systemƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚to fight off toxins and diseased cells. As a result, those cells can become cancerous.

Another devastating effect of a junk food diet is the obesity epidemic. Eating a regular diet of junk makes one quickly gain weight. Currently, 31 percent of adults and 17 percent of children in this nation are obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is fast approaching the number one preventable cause of deathƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚a close second behind tobacco. Obesity can cause many other health complications, including cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, sleep apnea and others.

In an article in theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Daily Telegraph,< one pediatrician at theRoyalLondonHospital stated, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-FourƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦children were being treated for apnea, a sleep disorder caused when airways are blocked by folds of fat.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-In other words, they are being choked by their fat,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ she said. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Were we able to study all severely obese children, I am confident we would identify many more with obstructive sleep apnea.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

What are the Negative Effects of Fast Food

Fast Food

We are in a habit of eating or munching food while performing routine tasks. Most of us are careless about the type of food, timing, size and the portion of it we are consuming. In this way we keep on eating things that are not healthy. According to a recent survey eating between the meals have been increased among people of all ages. Chips, pretzels, crackers, fries and bread are some of the very common between the meals snacks(especially while people are at work). These savory, flavorful and tangy food have one thing in common they have their unique taste which is quite enough to make you addict to them. Fast food as they are they have zero caloric value: no vitamins, minerals, protein or fiber. This makes them poor for every organ of our body. Regardless of their nutritional value we enjoy them. people generally have a belief thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ snacks meansƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ only that food which is good on their taste buds. Snacks means much more than that. Having a healthy snack that is less in carbohydrates and more in other nutrients can fulfill your appetite making you feel less hungry and you will be able to cut down the regular meals in quantity. For this purpose you have to adapt healthy eating habits and their are several possible solutions for this.

Why People Prefer to EAT Fast Food:

• Fast food is ready-to-cook and we are so busy that we cannot make something rather we prefer to eat ready-made food.
• Fast food is tasty to eat and our taste buds like them because either they have loads of salt and spice or else sugar.
• They are usually presented in colorful and presentable packaging which increase the appetite.
• They are easy to carry along because of the packaging.
• Eating fast food is still regarded as fashion in some societies.
• Some people do not have knowledge of the negative effects of fastƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ foodƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on our health.
• Fast food is marketed everywhere and fast food restaurants are readily available in every locality that is why people go for it.

Types of Junk Food:

• Fast Food:

Fast food includes burgers, pizzas, fries, chips, noodles and pasta, and fish. These food have been processed and refined in such a way that they loss most of the key nutrients and they are zero in fiber as well as they have poor water content.

• Problems caused by Fast Food:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Fast food are poor on digestive tract because to digest food in mouth and stomach we need enzymes and fast food does not have them when food is absorbed by the intestine it again needs enzymatic activity and lastly when it is in large intestine it needs fiber and water to excrete but they don’t have such nutrients.
• Snacks:

Snacks are another type of fast food which include chips, pretzels, chocolates, sweets, ice creams, sweets, biscuits and crisps. These are also highly processed but along with that they contain alot of additives, preservatives and artificial colors. Most of the people do not have knowledge about either there presence or else their harmful effects.

• Problems caused by Snacks:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Due to the presence of wide variety of additives and preservatives, there are chances of many health related risks by eating unhealthy snacks too often. These additives are synthetic product which body can not digest and in poor quality biscuits and chips one can not be sure the origin of those additives etc. Artificial colors are another very dangerous ingredients of these foods.
• Soft Drinks:

Soft drinksƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ include coke, Pepsi, sprite, fanta, lemonade and other these type of cold drinks with different brand names. They contain high content of sugar, and color too.

• Problems caused by Soft Drinks:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Soft drinks contain sugar and color. Presence of sugar in high quantity means that they are not healthy for diabetic patients and frequently drinking soft drinks can also become a cause of diabetes too. Presence of color is another big problem except sprite and 7up all other soft drink contain color which is not healthy for us.
• Margarine:

Some people say that margarine is also junk food as it is hydrogenated and during this process the natural oil changes from its natural state to an artificial one and they prefer butter on margarine. Butter though rich in saturated fats is low in trans-fat and has many other nutrients too.

• Problems Caused by Margarine:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Moderate use of margarine should be done if not possible to avoid it all together. Margarine contains many trans-fat and hence it causes coronary diseases as well as increases risk of cancer and many other diseases.

Marketing of Junk Food:

Junk food is marketed in such a way that people could not easily avoid eating it. In general 60 % of the ads on the media is about junk food. If you watch TV for one or two hours with an intent to see how much ads are of junk food you will find that most of the ads are of fast food chains (Pizza Hut, Mc Donald and KFC), children cereals, processed frozen food, soft drinks, processed juices and cans, candies and many more. As we see more and more ads related to junk food daily we get more attracted towards it. There are very few programs on media regarding the negative effects of junk food on health. A kid who grows watching stuff related to unhealthy food here and there would always think positive for it and the result is in front of us. More than 50 % of American children are obese and the rate of obesity is increasing in other countries too.

What Does Junk Food Contain:

Junk food does not have nutritional benefits. The reason is that it is aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ processed foodƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the processing has been done in such a way that all nutrients have been lost. So what else junk food contains? It contains sugar and the sugar is not fructose which is found in vegetables and fruits and which is readily digested in body. This sugar is of inferior quality and can increase risks of heart diseases and obesity. It contains fats especially LDL (Low Density Lipo-protein) which is bad cholesterol. Many drinks contain caffeine and cola which also have adverse effects on health. It is low in fiber and water so there is nothing beneficial in it.

General Effects of Junk Food on Health:

Obesity:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Obesity is associated with every type of junk food. The main reason is the absence of fiber, high amount of high-fat calories and low quality cholesterol. Which may cause obesity as well as increase risks of heart diseases. Many studies suggest that frequent consumption of soft drinks and other junk food is strongly related with children obesity. Soda drinks which are high in sugar and other calories is low in nutrition and this has been a proved fact that it causes obesity. Though soft drinks companies do not agree with it and say that their are multitude of facts that cause obesity and drinking soda is not the only reason behind it but comparative studies between kids who drink soda in schools and those who do not drink proved that soft drink consumption is increasing obesity in young boys and girls.

Tooth Decay:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tooth decay is also caused by the extreme use of junk food in diet. Most of the fast food chains and sweetened juices, soft drinks and other processed food companies use low quality fats, sugar and high amount of salt in the processing of food. This can cause problems with teeth. Tooth decay has become very common in young children and the possible reason could be the use of these type of foods.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚