Within the food industry, this combination created a wave of craveable and addicting foods. Eating those tasty McDonald's fries even releases dopamine in your brain, the neurotransmitter that triggers feelings of pleasure.
Junk Food Can Affect the Brain
Junk food is delicious. Humans crave salty, sugary, and fatty foods such as potato chips, candy, soft drinks, and french fries. When we eat these types of foods, our brains reward us by producing the chemical dopamine, which makes us feel good.
Firstly you need to realise that fast food like McDo is high in fat, salt and sugar which messes with your brain reward system and tells you to keep eating more of it = cravings and feeling that you want to eat more, regardless of having just eaten it.
“McDonald's meals significantly lack fruits and vegetables, which contribute important minerals, antioxidants, and fiber to your diet,” Anzlovar said. “This could not only significantly affect digestive health, but it could also lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies unless a multivitamin is included.”
"Foods with a high-fat content slow stomach emptying. This means they spend more time in your stomach which can result in bloating, nausea, and stomach aches. You may experience these symptoms within a 24-hour window after consuming a hamburger or milkshake, especially if you consume multiple high-fat items together.
Eating meals high in saturated fat appears to exacerbate inflammation, triggering oxidative stress, a process that leads cell molecules to damage cell walls and DNA, impairing concentration and focus and creating progressive issues in the brain.
Junk foods can hamper the signalling of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin (the happy hormones). This can lead to depression and other mental health disorders. Canadian researchers have found that fast food can often result in people feeling more hurried or impatient.
INSIDER rounded up 10 of the least healthy menu items on the current US McDonald's menu. The worst drink or dessert you can buy is the strawberry or chocolate shake. The unhealthiest food overall is the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes.
The average Big Mac calories is at around 540 calories with 25 grams of fat. When taken on its own, this sandwich provides more than 25% of an adult's daily calorie requirement and more than 40% of the daily recommended fat intake, despite being often drunk with fries and cola.
The bun's high-fructose corn syrup is quickly absorbed by your GI tract, creating insulin spikes and even bigger hunger pangs. After 60 minutes: Your body typically takes 24 to 72 hours to digest food, but burgers can take more time because they are greasier. The Big Mac can take more than three days to fully digest.
Conclusion. From these statistics, it is clear that McDonald's food offerings are generally high in calories and fat. Many of their menu items contain more than 1,000 calories per serving and over 20 grams of fat.
While most fast food restaurants have their Coca-Cola syrup delivered to them in plastic bags, McDonald's gets their syrup specially delivered in stainless steel tanks. The special tanks keep the syrup fresh and protect it from light, temperature, air, and anything else that might take away from its delicious flavor.
By specializing in a limited menu, they were able to focus on quality and quick service. They focused on burgers, fries, and shakes that sold at half the price and time of their competitors, with a self-service counter to avoid relying on waiters and waitresses. Each meal was prepared in advance and kept warm.
Protein-rich foods like eggs, chicken, and fish (salmon, mackerel) are recommended. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can boost dopamine levels, specifically apples, bananas, oranges, watermelon, strawberries, avocados, beets, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, velvet beans, lima beans, and peas.
The Whopper has an astounding amount of calories at 660, while the Big Mac has 540 calories. Obviously, the Big Mac takes this category as it has 120 less calories than the Whopper. Next, the Whopper has 90 milligrams of cholesterol and the Big Mac has 80, which means the Big Mac takes this category as well.
A US Big Mac consists of 970 milligrams of sodium. This huge amount of salt can spur dehydration. With symptoms that closely mimic those of hunger, it's easy for dehydration to trick you into thinking you need to eat more food. Too much intake of sodium makes it hard for your kidneys to eliminate salt.
While nutritionists and health experts have questioned the accuracy of this infographic, there is one thing they all agree on: a Big Mac should be consumed in moderation. “If you want to enjoy a Big Mac, try to keep it an occasional indulgence,” the infographic concludes.
It also contains 21 grams of fat, which is 31% of the recommended daily value. And the amount of saturated and trans fat in the McFlurry takes up a whopping 67% of the recommended daily value. For more, don't miss these 15 Classic American Desserts That Are No Longer Made.
KFC is a fast food favorite around the world for “finger-lickin' good” fried chicken, but if you're following a special diet or have food allergies, the chain's menu can present some challenges. High-calorie, high-fat, and high-sodium meals served in large sizes can make keeping track of nutrition and portions tricky.
Fast food contains a lot of unhealthy ingredients like sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, and a lot of calories. While eating fast food once a week will not pose any harm in the short run, once you start regularly indulging in cheat meals, all these ingredients can come back to haunt your body.
You may suffer increased irritability and fatigue, as well as headaches for those giving up sugar and/or caffeine. But these symptoms typically last only a few days to a week at best. Your GI tract, better known as your gut, may appear a bit unhappy about the changes to your diet.