What makes junk food unhealthy

When examining your diet, it can be difficult to determine what foods are healthy or not. For optimal heart health, the American Heart Association recommends you consume:. Unfortunately, the average American eats more than double their recommended sodium and sugar intake, consuming 3, milligrams of sodium and 22 teaspoons of sugar daily. Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers.

See our editorial policies and staff. If you combine a healthy diet with regular physical exercise, your physical and mental health with begin to improve immensely.

Further, the specific content of many fast foods can have negative side effects for your body; Junk food high in sodium can lead to increased headaches and migraine Junk food high in carbs can trigger outbreaks of acne Eating excessive amounts of junk food may increase your risk of depression The carbs and sugar in fast foods can lead to dental cavities Fried foods are filled with trans fats which raise LDL cholesterol levels Fast food is filled with empty carbohydrates, which can lead to increased blood sugar and insulin resistance Increased sodium levels can lead to your body retaining excessive water, leading to bloating The Key To A Healthy Diet The Bad Effects Of Eating Junk Food To avoid the negative health risks to your, your diet needs to be nutritional and diverse.

Make half your plate fruits and vegetables: The more colourful you plate, the more likely you are to get the vitamins, minerals and fibre your body needs, so be sure to choose a variety of red, orange and green vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes and broccoli. Make half the grains you eat whole grains : eating whole grain foods such as whole-wheat bread will help you avoid processed grains high in empty carbohydrates.

Look for whole wheat, brown rice, bulgur, buckwheat, oatmeal, rolled oats, quinoa or wild rice. Choose a variety of lean protein foods: Lean meats meat with lower fat content are far better than meat with large amounts of fat content. Select leaner cuts of beef, turkey breast of chicken breast. Compare sodium in foods: Use the nutritional facts included in the labels on food packaging to select foods containing low levels of sodium.

Choose canned foods with labels stating low sodium, reduced sodium or no salt added. Drink water instead of sugary drinks: By drinking water or unsweetened, you can cut your calories substantially. If you are a healthy weight, try to eat junk foods occasionally and in small amounts.

If you are trying to lose weight, you will be more successful if you limit junk food. Why is junk food bad? We know Australian's eat too much junk food.

This means junk food is taking the place of other more nutritious foods in our diets. What should I eat to be healthy? Learn more about healthy eating. Where to get help Talk to your doctor. Calculate how much junk food you eat using the Live Lighter junk food calculator external site. Download the Live Lighter takeaway booklet external site for recipes and tips to help take away the junk food.

Visit the Eat for Health external site for tips and tools to help you make positive changes to your lifestyle.