Food is the fuel needed for every function of our minds and bodies, such as thinking, moving, healing and physical growth. While a diet rich in vitamins and minerals can help us reach optimal potential in these areas, a bad diet can impair our ability to fight infection and disease, maintain a healthy weight, think clearly and achieve a healthy emotional state.
Weight Gain and Obesity
Weight gain and obesity are among the most common consequences of a bad diet. According to Medline Plus, foods containing equal amounts of calories and nutrients are needed for a balanced diet. While the empty calories in fatty and sugary foods can make us feel full temporarily, they do not help us meet our daily nutritional requirements and contribute to weight gain when eaten in excess. Nutritional deficiencies can lead to food cravings, which in turn cause overeating in a vicious cycle that eventually results in weight gain. Foods high in empty calories include simple carbohydrates like soda, pastries, white bread and other refined grain products.
Lowered Immunity
The human immune system is an amazingly complex system. It not only fights infections caused by viruses and bacteria, it also helps prevent serious diseases like cancer, heart disease and many others. Without it, we would succumb to the first minor germ we encountered. A combination of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients is needed for proper immune function. A study by M. Malkovsky and colleagues featured in Volume 80 of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States states that mice fed a diet rich in vitamin A exhibited stronger immunity against tumor growth than those fed a regular diet. A variety of nutrients, including vitamins C, E, D and the minerals selenium and zinc, have been directly linked to immune response.
Deficiencies in specific vitamins can also lead to severe and fatal diseases. Pellagra, a disease that causes mental confusion, skin lesions and eventual death, is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B3 (niacin), while rickets and scurvy are caused by deficiencies of vitamins D and C, respectively. While these diseases are rare today, they reinforce the effects that poor nutrition can have on health.
Fatigue
The nutrients in food serve as the raw fuel for every action carried out by our bodies. A bad diet can lead to a decrease in the energy, focus and stamina needed to perform day-to-day activities. While caffeine and sugary foods can boost energy temporarily, they often result in a "crash," which is characterized by low mood and energy. Foods high in saturated and trans fats slow digestion and increase inflammation throughout the body, both of which can contribute to feelings of fatigue and lethargy.
Impaired Brain Function
The foods we eat can have an enormous impact on cognitive function. According to Science Daily, the antioxidants in foods like walnuts and blueberries can help prevent free radical damage in the brain, which is associated with memory impairment in old age.
Conversely, a poor diet has been linked with an increase in disorders that affect mood and well-being. A study by Felice N. Jacka, Ph.D., featured in the January 4, 2010, edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry states that women eating a typical American diet of processed and fatty foods were twice as likely to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders than those eating a healthy diet.
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