CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF EATING JUNK FOOD 2
Causes and Effects of eating Junk Food
Junk food remains popular despite the public awareness of its adverse health effects. The
term “junk food” refers to a broad range of foodstuffs that have high calorific content, low
nutritional value, and primarily composed of sugar, saturated fat, and salt (Smith, 2012).
Ordinarily, junk food is tasty, accessible, and convenient for busy people, and common types
include pizza, hamburger, and cookies. A review of the cause and effects of eating junk food
shows that the consciousness of their health effects, dedication to healthy eating, and proper time
management can enable consumers to avoid unhealthy fast foods.
Changing lifestyles is among the causes of increased consumption of junk food. For
instance, most people spend much of their time at work to the extent that they opt for fast foods
to save on the time needed for the kitchen. Nowadays, many workers often carry much of their
work home, which takes up the time they would spend preparing healthy meals (Smith, 2012).
Ostensibly, children raised in such families become used to junk food and grow up with greater
preference for the same. Therefore, parents should plan and create enough time to prepare
healthy food for their families regardless of the pressure and demands of their work.
The availability of junk food, ease of access, appealing advertisements, and promotions
equally contributes to increased consumption. Fast food companies continue to open more
outlets as a strategy to facilitate easy accessibility of their products. Consumers who are
preoccupied with work and influenced by adverts often find fast foods convenient since they are
readily available and can even be delivered at the doorstep. Bauer (2016) reports that six in every
ten ads aired during the watershed period, majorly in the evening, promote the consumption of
junk food. With the promotions and easy access, children and parents are encouraged to continue
consuming unhealthy fast foods as they are yummy, cheaper, and timesaving.
