A new study has revealed that a diet of fast food–namely, from fast food restaurants and pizza shops–are rapidly conquering the hearts and mouths of everyone the world over.
If the saying “you are what you eat” is true, well, we are in trouble.
David Tilman, study co-author and professor of Ecology at the University of Minnesota, said that there’s a “nutrition transition occurring around the world”. You’ve probably heard this already: our eating habits are changing for the worst, not the better.
Fast food diet now everywhere
The consumption of Western diet is on the rise in developing nations too, with “empty calories” affecting their health the most.
Researchers found that as urbanisation and income levels rise, people in developing countries are more and more addicted to Western diet menus – typical fast food products, which are high in calories but low in nutrients. “We have a whole new group of people who are malnourished because they eat foods that are no good for them, that have no nutritional benefit,” Tilman said.
Western diet and malnutrition go hand in hand
Ian Myles, from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that western diet is nothing but overconsumption of over-refined sugars, saturated fats, animal protein and low intake of plant-based fibers.
The result: malnutrition or simply put, bad nutrition.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), malnutrition comes in many forms – from hunger to obesity – because you are eating too much food, too little food, or just the wrong food.
“Hundreds of millions of people around the world are starving while half a billion are obese. They are side-by-side in the same countries, and in the same communities,” WHO said.
Processed food vs. traditional food
Diets, which include fast food with low or no nutritional value, are ubiquitous as processed food colonises our local markets, pushing away healthier food such as fruits and vegetables.
If you’ve ever traveled to a developing country you will certainly have noticed a worrying trend. In urban agglomerations, imported processed food is gradually replacing local food. Of course, you will still be able to find traditional dishes, but you will also notice school kids walking around with a packet of chips in their hands. If they stop you they’ll ask for candies, not for a good portion of healthy food.
It’s understandable, some may argue, fast food is cheap and delicious. Why should I buy and fill my stomach with a portion of broccoli if I can get a burger for one quarter of the price? But if over-refined sugars and processed fats have a say in your diet, the medical community warns of serious health conditions that could develop over time.
Health issues rise from unhealthy eating habits
According to the research, you’re more likely to develop inflammatory conditions mainly at the hands of fructose and palmitic acid. Unhealthy food also transforms and replaces the bacteria in your gut from beneficial ones to bad ones, increasing the risk of cancer.
It’s no news that fast food diets also increase the risk of obesity which has more than doubled since 1980 and of diabetes which already affects 347 million people worldwide, of which more than 80% live in low- and middle income countries.
Researchers prompt people to replace their fast food diet with a healthier one if they don’t want to live with the consequences of their eating habits in the future. Remember, you are what you eat.
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Malnutrition on the Rise as Fast Food Diet Goes Global
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