Let's talk about FAT

What Happens If You Eat Too Much Fatty Foods?

In true South- African style:

ALL South Africans love to braai! Bring on the lekker fatty tjops and ouma's legendary potato salad (the one with the condensed milk & curry powder)

mmmmmm...en MENSE !!! Op 'n Saterdagmiddag smeul die skapie op die spit, manne om die kroeg en die lady-loves-liefies maak bykosse (en sit met 'n hoop skottelgoed na die tyd!)

...Reality....

  

Fat is not the only concern when eating fast foods.

Eating too much fat often means you're also eating too many calories resulting you being over weight (fat is one of the most concentrated sources of calories you'll find). 

Another concern about fast foods is the sodium content. Too much sodium is not good for you and can raise your blood pressure significantly. High blood pressure causes heart strain, and it causes you to retain water.

This might be really boring...and the truth sucks...

Fast food is not nutritionally diverse either. A typical fast food "meal" of fries and a burger offer a serving of meat and 4 or more servings of starches (bun and fries). A slice of tomato on the burger hardly counts as getting vegetables, nor is the slice of cheese a full serving of dairy? To get a nutritionally balanced meal vegetables should a main portion of the meal - at dinner they recommend that fully half of your plate is vegetables (not potatoes though - they behave more like grains/starches than veggies). Eating too much fast food means you're robbing your body of a whole plethora of vitamins and minerals necessary to keep your body functioning. 

And on top of all of that, there's just a ton of calories. A big mac, large fries and large coke at McDonalds adds up to about 1410 calories. A healthy person needs only 2000 calories a day!

Outline 

The average South African diet, heavy on fatty foods, is a major contributor to chronic or life-threatening illness, including diabetes and coronary heart disease. Eating too much food that contains saturated fat and high cholesterol obstructs your arteries, compromising your health and safety.

Growing, active children can take in as many fat calories as they burn, and they start out with clear arteries. They may be able to eat fatty foods without negative effects. The same is not true for inactive children and older adults. In addition to arterial damage, an unhealthy diet will make these groups gain weight. If you’re among them, you raise your risk for disease, impairment and an early demise.

Atherosclerosis 

Individuals with unhealthy diets and high cholesterol gradually contract atherosclerosis, or blocked arteries. The saturated and trans fats from foods build up as hard plaques inside the arteries, narrowing the space through which blood can flow. This makes the blood vessels more inflexible and the plaques prone to bursting.

A rupture in a blood vessel may clot, further blocking blood flow or breaking away and threatening other areas of the body. To avoid this condition, you can increase dietary fibre and decrease fatty foods in your meals, or don’t make a habit of eating too much of them in the first place.

Hypertension 

The high cholesterol in an unhealthy diet also contributes to hypertension, or high blood pressure. When there is less space in the arteries for blood to flow, blood pressure will be higher. Hypertension is a dangerous disease because the body’s blood pressure affects many mechanisms essential to life, including healthy kidney function.

Since the kidneys regulate waste removal, toxic shock and organ failure are possibilities. The symptoms of hypertension alone can be uncomfortable, such as angina, a painful condition that mimics a heart attack. A dependency on fatty foods in your diet, at minimum, can place you on blood pressure medication for the rest of your life.

Heart Attack and Stroke 

Atherosclerosis and hypertension, are consequences of high cholesterol, posing further health risks. Hypertension, for instance, increases your chances of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure, all potentially life threatening medical emergencies. If weight gain from an unhealthy diet has led to type 2 diabetes, your risks are even greater. 

Blood clots resulting from atherosclerosis that migrate and block arteries to the brain cause strokes, which can damage nerves and cause paralysis. Clots that clog the blood vessels in the heart region cause heart attacks, which can cause cardiovascular damage requiring surgery. Heart attacks and strokes can be fatal.

Conclusion....?