If the effects of a poor diet on health is something you have never even really thought of…it’s highly, highly likely that you are eating a poor diet! Let’s examine this in greater detail…
What Is “Poor Diet?”
There’s so much unhealthy food out there, that we should almost ask the question in reverse: What foods are there that do not make up a poor diet?
Most processed food is, to a greater or lesser degree, unhealthy. Not all, let me hasten to add – but most. Walk down the aisles of your local supermarket. If it’s in a box, a bag, or a can – it’s probably been processed.
If it’s been processed, that usually often means:
- It’s been cooked (not always bad, but it can reduce nutritional value)
- Sugars have been added
- Unhealthy fats have been added
- Excessive salt/sodium has been added
- Chemicals have been added.
The rule to go by: to avoid poor health, greatly limit – or totally avoid – the foods that are the most highly processed. It’s a simple rule, but it’s not always easy to follow, for sure. You do have to be a label reader!
Also, not every food that is “natural” is good for you, either – at least not when it constitutes a large part of your diet. For example, red meat – or more specifically, fatty red meat!
There is debate about these things, of course – but there is some consensus about fatty red meats, like beef and pork. Educate yourself, and use your judgment!
The Actual Personal Cost of a Poor Diet
A large percentage of what people term “poor health” results from poor diet. Just to bring the point home, do you want to experience these? I don’t!
- Cancer
- Stroke
- Heart disease
- Type II Diabetes
- Poor mental health
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Cognitive decline
- Memory issues
- Obesity
- Frequently sick with viral and bacterial infections (weakened immune system)
- Weak bones – including increased risk of osteoporosis
- Eating disorders
- Stress
- Tiredness and low energy
- Tooth decay
- Liver disease
- Kidney damage
- Intelligence quotient – yes, poor diet has been even linked to lower IQ!
Why Does Diet Get So Little Attention?
“Why DOES diet get so little attention?” you might ask. The reason is that there is very little
financial incentive for the food industry to promote the foods that
constitute a good diet! Thus grocery stores are filled with products
that make money for the manufacturer.
Should we blame the
food manufacturers? Not in my opinion, anyway! The market responds to
demand. If there is a greater demand for healthy food, the free
enterprise system will produce it. It’s up to us the consumers to
educate ourselves and demand “healthy!”
A related factor is the effect of long-ingrained eating habits in any given culture that affect the way generation after generation eats.
We’ve had the experience of having lived several in several different locales within North America.
We’ve noticed that “traditional” diets vary greatly!
We currently live in a Canadian prairie province. Because beef is readily available on the Canadian prairies, and is a major industry, beef is a mainstay of many people’s diets. It’s not a true meal in those people’s eyes if there isn’t a steak or a roast involved!
But in other places that we’ve lived – both in Canada and the United States – this is not the case. People are more “into” casseroles of various descriptions as the “backbone” of a meal.
In a way, that’s neither here nor there, except that fast-food eating, processed macaroni and cheese dinners, potato chips, deep-fat fried chicken, and rich sugar-laden desserts can also become traditional – with both short-term and long-term negative effects!
Because the effects of a poor diet are not always readily apparent immediately, the tendency is to follow the path of least resistance – especially when you are young! You think you can eat anything, and it won’t matter. Sometimes you might ignore some immediate temporary health problems, like headaches or constipation, because they don’t seem life-threatening, and the day of reckoning is far off in the future!
It takes forethought and planning, and a willingness to eat to benefit your long-term health. You do not take the “path of least resistance,” you think long-term! The earlier the better – but if you’re older and haven’t paid attention, it’s never too late to start. The body can heal itself to a certain extent – but don’t wait!
Poor Diet and the Budget
If you need to be budget-conscious – and who doesn’t? – the foods that make up a poor diet are also a very poor value for your grocery dollar. In almost all cases, you will spend more and get less, nutritionally.
A candy bar, for example, might be on sale: 2 bars for $2. “Wow, fantastic!” you think. “So cheap! Let’s buy 10!” So you get 10 candy bars for $10.
How much nutrition is contained in a candy bar? There is virtually nothing in it that actually benefits your body and a lot of sugar and fat that are potentially very damaging!
Just as an example: suppose you buy 2 loaves of whole-grain and organic bread at $5 per loaf. That’s also $10. But it contains fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals! It does no damage, and potentially is a big boost to your long and short-term health!
What a waste of your precious hard-earned dollars to spend them regularly on “food” – no matter what the price – that potentially can cause great harm to your body!
Occasionally – and this is my personal opinion – it’s OK to have something unhealthy to eat. It’s what you feed yourself regularly that has the biggest effect!
To Sum It Up…
You are what you eat, to put it simply. The nutrients that you do or do not consume either build health or do not build health.
The trans-fats, refined sugars, carbohydrates, high sodium levels, and chemicals, also become part of your body and your overall health, in the long term. They will break down your body over time – and sometimes very quickly!
Let’s choose wisely! Garbage in – garbage health out. Nutrients in, good health out!”
Again, I’m not a medical doctor or official nutritional consultant – but it only makes sense!
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to share them in the space below!
