Burger, pizza or a roll, what should you have for lunch today? The brain says you’ve been putting on weight but on the other hand, you’ve been dreaming about it since last night. So, who wins this fight over junk food between you and your brain? You, right? And guess who is at loss? Well, it’s you again.

It’s time to think about how we react to our cravings. It’s time to think before we make a choice.  It’s time to choose healthy over unhealthy. It’s time to Junk the Junk!

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of eating healthy and breaking up with junk food:

Junk food is yummy but it’s a monster for our tummy! You tend to gain weight when your calorie intake is more than what you burn and the easiest way to maintain this balance is ditching the junk food. It significantly reduces the total number of calories you consume in a day and aids weight loss.

It’s important for your body to get proper nutrition. When you bid goodbye to junk food, you create more room for nutrient dense food. Try and replace potato chips and pasta with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins as they supply essential nutrients such as fibre, protein, calcium, vitamin, etc.

Do you know foods like French Fries have high amount of saturated and trans-fats which can increase the risk of heart diseases, high cholesterol and diabetes? Quitting junk food makes you healthy and reduces the risk of such chronic health conditions.

What we eat shows on our skin. Rightly said! The key to good skin & hair lies in food choices we make.

While junk food gives you temporary happiness, it can also lead to often mood swings. Excess intake of junk food doesn’t provide the body with adequate nutrition and hence, makes us cranky and unhappy.

Sweet food items that have high amount of trans-fats not only lead to weight gain but also disrupt sleep. The added sugar in such products increases the blood sugar level which makes it difficult for us to enjoy a sound sleep.

Abs are made in the kitchen! Well, there’s little truth to that. Eating a clean diet that is rich in whole food, lean protein and no processed/junk food can help in building strong muscles and body.

Over to you

While we all know most of these advantages and disadvantages, why do we still struggle to keep ourselves away from junk food? I believe one of the easiest ways to quit eating junk food is to keep it out of your house. If fatty, salty or sugary foods aren’t easily accessible, you’re much less likely to eat them. Replace them with healthier alternatives, such as fruits, vegetables, air-popped popcorn and low-fat cheese, so you have snacks on hand when hunger does strike.

Short-term cravings or long-term benefits, what you choose will decide how you feel and look. Always keep this in mind and you would never make the wrong choice.

Stay healthy!

Writer is the Founder and Chief Dietitian at Nmami Life. Get in touch with her at diet@nmami.in