Can You Eat Junk Food Without Getting Fat?

Can you eat junk food without getting fat?

By TheWholePortion

Page last updated: 09/10/2022 | Next review date: 09/10/2024

Author bio

The Whole Portion is your go-to source for reliable nutrition, health, and wellness information. We are a team of passionate and experienced nutritionists, dietitians, and food science writers dedicated to providing high-quality content that helps you make informed decisions about your health. You can view our writers and review board here. Our articles are reviewed by PhD Food scientists and we only cite from Government or Scientific publications. We are owned and funded by PressPublish.

TheWholePortion

View More north_east

In this brief guide, we will address the query, “Can you eat junk food without getting fat?” We will also discuss the health harm of consuming junk food and how to lose weight healthily.

Can you eat junk food without getting fat?

Yes, you can eat junk food without getting fat. However, junk food is often a form of food that is low in vitamins and high in calories and, in excess, will make you fat. In addition to putting on weight on the scale, consuming junk food can have an impact on your health.

Is junk food bad for your health?

Junk food is a term associated with foods and beverages that have a high concentration of sugar, salt, and saturated fat and that are poor in nutrients (vitamins and minerals) as well as in fiber, bringing great caloric intake but little benefit.

Junk foods are processed foods that can be discarded from the diet without any deficiency, as all the macronutrients found in them can be found in other healthier foods. Some examples of junk food are:

Party cakes (birthday, wedding, etc.)
Fast foods (hamburgers, pizzas, fries)
Alcoholic beverages (especially spirits and spirits)
Processed meat (bacon, ham, pepperoni)
Chocolates and sweets with a high percentage of sugar
Crackers and wafers
Processed cheeses (Cheddar, American cheese)
Sugary drinks (energetics and soft drinks)

Our body needs a variety of nutrients and moderate consumption of carbohydrates and fats, the opposite extreme that junk food can offer. Excessive consumption of foods like these, in addition to causing a deficiency of vitamins and minerals, can harm various organs due to the effort required by the body to digest them.

Short-term problems are related to lack of adequate nutrition such as fatigue, difficulty sleeping, problems with concentration, loss of teeth (from excess sugar), and increased cortisol levels.

However, if the junk food-based diet remains for a long time, it can lead to more serious problems such as:

Type 2 diabetes: Too much sugar can disrupt insulin production, leading to diabetes.
Cardiovascular Disease: Saturated fat tends to raise the bad cholesterol, increase blood pressure, and clog veins.
Osteoporosis: Excess salt leads to decalcification of bones to control the balance of potassium and salt in the bloodstream.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: sugar tends to convert to fat in the liver when consumed in excess, leading to a reduction in the liver’s detox capacity and can progress to cirrhosis.
Cancer: body imbalance as well as some substances present in processed meats can trigger cancer.

In addition, consuming such high-calorie foods can lead to weight gain and obesity, but weight gain can be associated with several factors and just the occasional consumption of junk food is not what makes someone fat.

Why do we get fat?

Gaining weight as children and adolescents is part of physical development, but when that weight is associated with a high percentage of body fat, whether in childhood or adulthood, it can be important to investigate the cause.

Weight gain is associated with a surplus of calories, that is, calorie intake is greater than caloric expenditure. The reason for exceeding caloric expenditure in a prolonged way is associated with the factors below.

Consuming a lot of junk food: processed and/or nutrient-poor and calorie-rich foods, in addition to harming your health, facilitates a caloric surplus because they are foods that have a lot of calories per serving and, because they are appealing, encourage the consumption of more than one serving per meal.

Excess sugar in the diet: A diet that has lots of sweets and sugary drinks is more likely to exceed the daily need for calories and carbohydrates. In addition, excess sugar tends to trigger type 2 diabetes.

Sedentary lifestyle: in addition to impairing longevity, the lack of physical exercise reduces caloric expenditure and the release of endorphins, making the person more likely to gain weight by seeking pleasure in indulgent foods.

Going on restrictive diets: Going on a yo-yo diet tends to be more negative than not dieting at all. Diets that bring excessive restrictions are difficult to maintain in the long term, reduce your metabolism and cause abusive stress to those who follow them.

Undiagnosed Medical Problems: Conditions like depression, hypothyroidism, and polycystic ovary syndrome are illnesses that can alter your hunger and metabolism, promoting weight gain. Monitoring these diseases is necessary to control negative symptoms.

Lack of rest: sleepless nights tend to raise cortisol, stimulate hunger and impair weight loss processes. In addition to the amount of sleep, sleep quality is the main factor to obtain the restorative effect.

A very stressful life: a very stressful routine tends to stimulate the consumption of affective foods, usually more caloric and sugary. It is important to bring relaxing activities into everyday life to bring a greater sense of well-being.

How to lose weight healthily?

It is possible to lose weight and live a healthy life without consuming junk food, as long as it is consumed sporadically and that the usual diet is rich in fiber, vegetables, and high consumption of water.

Weight loss happens due to caloric deficit, so it is possible to lose weight by consuming any food, including junk food, but weight regain is much more present in cases of vitamin and fiber deficient diet associated with prolonged fasting.

By making substitutions for whole foods, planning a diversified menu, exercising, and having a good night’s sleep, the body will not release stress hormones and excessive hunger, bringing greater well-being and ease to healthily losing weight.

Other FAQs about Snacks that you may be interested in.

Can you eat uncrushable with braces?

Can you eat leftover nachos?

Can nachos go in the fridge?

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we have addressed the query, “Can you eat junk food without getting fat?” We have also discussed the health harm of consuming junk food and how to lose weight healthily.

Hope you found this blog useful. If you have any questions, please let us know.