The Influence Of Unhealthy Food On Our Bodies

A healthy diet can supply the nutrients you need while lowering your risk for chronic diseases, such as heart disease or osteoporosis. Unhealthy foods are low in nutrients and have harmful effects on your body because of ingredients such as added sugars, starches, fats and sodium. Limit your intake of unhealthy foods, including highly processed foods and fast foods.

Dyslipidemia

Unhealthy foods are commonly high in saturated fats, which raise your bad LDL cholesterol, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Besides being high in calories and low in nutrients, fried foods and some packaged snack foods, such as crackers or cakes, may contain trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils. Trans fats raise your LDL cholesterol and lower levels of good HDL cholesterol in your blood. Added sugars can increase your triglyceride levels, according to the Mayo Clinic. Your risk for heart disease increases when you have high LDL cholesterol and triglycerides combined with low HDL cholesterol levels.

Weight Gain

You will gain weight if you eat more calories than you need. Unhealthy foods are often calorie-dense, and are not very filling because they may be low in dietary fiber or protein. Primary calorie sources in the average American diet include unhealthy foods such as grain-based and dairy desserts, fried potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages and chips, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

High Blood Pressure

Many kinds of unhealthy foods are high in sodium, which can lead to high blood pressure, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Some of the top sources of sodium in the typical American diet are pizza; prepared meats, such as cold cuts, sausages and bacon; full-fat cheeses; and burgers. You may be at greater risk for high blood pressure when your diet does not provide adequate potassium, magnesium and calcium from healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, beans and whole grains.

Other Effects

You may develop nutrient deficiencies if you replace nutrient-dense foods with empty calories from junk food. For example, you could develop a calcium or vitamin D deficiency if you have sugar-sweetened beverages instead of fortified milk. You may get inadequate fiber if you often choose refined grains, such as white bread and pasta, refined cereals and baked goods, instead of whole grains and beans. This can lead to constipation. A diet with too much sugar and starch may increase your risk for diabetes, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.