Empty Calories in Processed Foods: A Comprehensive Review of Dietary Implications
Abstract
Abstract
Proper food consumption is vital for human survival. The objective of this paper was to conduct a review of empty calories present in processes foods, effects, and relations. Empty calories such as junk foods, ultra processed foods, u healthy foods, fast foods are foods consumed by many because of their luring properties. However, they contain high amount of added solid fat or added sugars or sodium or additives or all. The presence of contents of empty calories elicit many effects such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, fatigue, mental disorders, insatiety, etc. Empty calories possessed high amounts of added calories that could are not properly metabolized into useful nutrients by the body. There indeed presence of excess added sugar, excess solid fat, excess sodium. Added sugar causes insulin resistance and other comobidities, solid fat causes clogging of blood vessels and further aftermaths, sodium elicit hypertension. However, there is little or zero presence of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in empty calories, a situation that I cut micronutrients deficiencies and further impacts. Additionally, the additives, containers (plastics) are harmful to health as well. People easily become addicted to empty calories due to natural love for sugar, poor awareness, cheapness of the products, etc. It is emphatic to echo that, government should regularly and carefully monitor consumption and buying of empty calories in the society, parents should monitor wards, teachers and health experts should educate the public on this pressing concern
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