The Dangers of Junk Food Addiction

In the Daily Nation newspaper of 28th April, 2017, Holistic Living’s Dr. Lyudmyla Shchukina had a brilliant opportunity to educate the youth and public on the dangers of junk food.   The article raises the concern of the growing number of fast food outlets in urban areas and the falling prices of their foods so that more and more youth are finding this option more accessible to them.
The target market for these food establishments is mainly young people, living fast-paced lives requiring fast food on the go and eager to appear cool among their peers.  The writer reached out to Nutritionist Faith Kariuki of Afya Bora Nutrition and Wellness Centre for her opinion as to why so many young people tend to get drawn to junk food.  She believes this is because these foods are marketed as the cooler alternative.  She also says that some parents should bear responsibility for having exposed their children to junk food at an early age.
Anand Grover, UN rapporteur on the right to health in a 2014 report warned that junk food is dangerous because it curtails your health.  According to the report, 2.1 billion people worldwide are overweight or obese, and at least 2.8 million people die every year because of weight related complications brought about by unhealthy foods.
Dr Lyudmyla Shchukina, the Co-Founding Medical Doctor of Holistic Living — the first Medical Clinic in Kenya that specialises in scientifically proven medical weight loss solutions — gave her expert opinion saying: “The subject of junk food is very important because it has harmful, invisible effects on our bodies.  We must begin by realising and assessing the effects of junk food and extra weight in our bodies”.   The effects of bad eating habits eventually begin to show, regardless of age.  These negative effects may manifest as discomforts in the body like indigestion, or bloated stomach, heart burn, extra weight, obesity, allergy or unexplained tiredness.   Dr. Shchukina went on to say that “people who give priority to junk and high calorie food have very high chances of developing early arteriosclerosis and obesity while they are still young.”
Dr. Shchukina advises that we should ensure our bodies receive all the vital nutrients by making proper choices on a daily basis when it comes to the regular foods we consume.

“Medical science dose not completely prohibit junk food,” she added, “Indeed, no food is categorically prohibited.  You can have chips or croissant, or a piece of cake, provided this does not happen on a daily basis.  Two-three months gap is good. Your regular food should be healthy – meat of animals grown on organic feeding, fish, a lot of vegetables, full grain cereals and some fruits.”
“It is not possible to totally avoid some of these foods that are harming our systems but we are encouraged to give priority as much as possible to the healthy foods because not doing so means we are putting ourselves at the risk of many lifestyle diseases, which are more hazardous and causing a lot more deaths than the traditional chronic illnesses,” she says.
With Holistic Living’s comprehensive approach to healthy living that address mind, body and spirit, the youth of Kenya’s urban areas can learn healthy eating habits that will last them a life time.
Read more of this article here.
By C. Njuguna