Imagine that it is 2 in the morning. You're laying awake in bed and your stomach starts growling. You walk to the kitchen and look through the refrigerator and can't seem to find anything that will fulfill your hunger. You look over and sitting on the counter is a chocolate bar. It seems like there is a spotlight on it, everything is drawing you to it. You walk over and grab it, and eat it. It tastes so good, but now you're going back to sleep with a full chocolate bar sitting in you're stomach with no way of burning off. We have all done it, it may not have been a chocolate bar but any high fat junk food. The objective by the end of this post is for you to grab an apple instead of the highest fat snack you have sitting around.
I want everyone to try something. Go one week and record every high fat junk food you eat on a log. Also, record what time you consume it and if anything major happened just prior to the consumption. If you want to go even further you can record the calories off the labels and add those up too. The results will probably amaze you. If you don't think you eat too many junk foods during the week, then take this challenge. After you have done this, feel free to comment with your results.
The problem with junk food consumption is that too many of us don't realize how much we consume and the negative effects it has on us. We need to educate ourselves. I bet if you ask 10 people that consume junk food on a regular basis, if they can name 3 negative effects of consuming junk food. 9 out of 10 might get one or two but only the 1 would be able to name three. Junk food is so readily available and it is quick food which requires little to no preparation so it seems like the easy choice. With so much already going on in our lives and the fast paced lives that many of us lead, we don't have time to prepare snacks so we turn to junk food. Stress also leads to many of us eating consumption. It is reaction to eat when we get stressed.
I will provide you with some tips on how to eliminate junk food from your diet:
1) Get rid of all junk foods in your house: The reason for this is because if it is not readily available then you won't be able to grab it when you have the craving. If it is not available then you will have to substitute something more healthy for it. You may think that you wouldn't be able to get by without them but once you remove them you will find the craving will go away.
2) Go back and read my last post on "Why you should eat breakfast": If you start your day with a good filling breakfast then you won't have the urge to snack all through the day. People tend to snack when their hungry and try to bridge the gap between meals, but if you fill yourself with a good breakfast then you won't want your sugary snacks.
3) Find out your peak time and be prepared: We all have a peak time when we snack more often. Reports say that men are more likely to consume junk food at night, while women are more likely to consume junk food in the late afternoon. If you take our weekly challenge then you can find out your peak time. Once you have determined your peak time, then you can have healthier snacks prepared so you won't be searching for junk food.
4) Keep your meals creative: If you are constantly eating the same boring meals over and over then you are going to turn to junk foods to keep your life exciting. This is the worst thing that can happen because junk food tastes great but is terrible for your body.
Negative effects of eating junk food:
1) If you regularly consume junk food then there is a greater chance of obesity and excess weight gain
2) Consuming junk food is a major cause of heart disease
3) High cholesterol
4) Your energy levels are affected because you get a high when you consume the junk food, but you crash soon after
That concludes today's post, hope you enjoyed it! I hope you learned some new things and if you have the will power you should definitely try to at least cut down your junk food consumption, if you can completely eliminate it then that is even better. Please take the weekly challenge, and let us know your results. You can follow us on Twitter @budgetsnacks and you can also like our Facebook page Healthy Students on a Budget ! Stay tuned for Matt's post tomorrow. Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!
- Kurtis
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