What Happens If You Have Unhealthy Eating Habits

Let’s take a flashback and ask yourself if you have ever encountered any of the scenarios below.

1. Do you frequently skip meals because you had to complete an urgent task whether it is about work or personal matters?
2. Do you always munch on unhealthy snacks when you are bored or to satisfy your hunger?
3. Do you frequently rush to finish your food in just a few minutes because you had to rush on something?

If you managed to tick all of the above, probably it’s time that you should consider looking deeper into your health and lifestyle. Usually, skipping meals or eating unhealthy food a day or once a week won’t do much damage to your body. However, if this becomes a habit after some time, you’ll probably experience some signs that you may or may not have realised.

Here are some of the consequences of having poor eating habits – be it skipping meals or having unhealthy diets!

It is certainly not fun experiencing these side effects from poor eating habits. In fact, they might have a long effect on your health as well as your quality of life.

Growing up, we were told to practice having a well-balanced diet by our parents and our teachers in school. But do we understand why it is important to us? Well, the answer is obvious and simple – for a healthier life. But how can it benefit us?

Imagine this, eating unhealthy foods such as junk foods and processed foods for most of your meals. Probably, you enjoy eating them for the sugar and added artificial additives or maybe because they are fast and convenient. However, if you are consuming this often for some time, your body couldn’t absorb the nutrients that it needs to function properly.

Moreover, your body may lack deficiencies in some key nutrients - such as vitamin A, B, C and E, and zinc, iron and selenium. Not having these key nutrients can weaken your immune system, eventually having a weaker body defence mechanism. This increases the risk of falling sick easily, including developing chronic health conditions.

That being said, we should practice having a well-balanced diet as they provide these benefits to our body:

• the energy you need to keep active throughout the day
• nutrients you need for cell growth and repair, helping you to stay strong and healthy
• prevent diet-related illnesses, such as high cholesterol, diabetes and cancers

Tips to Eat Healthy Despite a Having Hectic Schedule

#1 Eat at A Fixed Time Daily

Aside from a healthy diet and workout routine, there is another important factor that is as important as the rest – having meals on time. When you eat is just as important as what you eat. Your body needs to get used to a cyclic rhythm that helps to determine your metabolism rate. Having a healthy metabolism rate is crucial to provide you with more energy and burning calories to prevent further weight gain. Thus, it is advisable to eat your last meal by 8pm for easy digestion as well as maintaining a healthy detoxification process[1].

Some individuals may also experience gastric and bloating problems as a result of skipping meals. It is due to a build-up of gastric acids in the stomach that is left empty for a long time[2]. The acid will then attack the lining of the stomach causing abdominal pain and stomach ulcers.

To avoid any possible stomach issues, put a reminder on your phone to make sure you do not miss out on your meals despite having a busy day. If you are looking to boost your gut health, get supplements that contain digestive enzymes that can improve nutrient absorption, ease indigestion and support metabolism.

#2 Pack Healthy Snacks

Constant workload, tight deadlines and back-to-back meetings at work may contribute to making you skip your meals. By skipping meals, you are not only causing metabolism problems but also more likely to binge on junk foods such as chips, cookies, doughnuts and many more enticing foods in the world.

If you don’t have time for a full meal, you want to make sure to at least have some healthy snacks with you to grab a bite whenever wherever. This is to prevent leaving your stomach empty for some time. Some healthy snacks you could pack to the office are fruits, nuts, granola bars, yoghurt and oats.

Moreover, preparing these snacks would also encourage you to avoid any junk foods that are available at the pantry. If stress is the cause of your binge eating habit, try considering Ashwagandha root, a traditional herb that is best known for its stress-relieving properties.

#3 Plan Meals in Advance

The process of cooking home-cooked meals can be time-consuming and a dreading process – from grocery shopping to washing the ingredients to cooking and cleaning the kitchen. However, it is undeniably a healthier option as well as cost-efficient.

To save time and make your life easier is by preparing all of the ingredients once a week. Firstly, plan your meals for the week and make your way to the grocery store to purchase all of the ingredients. Then, prepare your ingredients in advance by washing and chopping them, and keeping them in tightly sealed containers to be stored in the refrigerator.

By doing so, you can save all of the preparation time for each time you cook by simply grabbing the ingredients out from the refrigerator and start cooking. This is a convenient way for those who are working a 9 – 6 job that has limited time to prepare on weekdays.

#4 Reevaluate Your Priorities

When you are rushing to get work done on time, eating can sometimes be your last priority. At times, we might need to sacrifice our mealtime for urgent matters, but is it worth risking our health every single time?

Aside from adopting healthy eating habits, we should consider daily supplements to fill in the nutritional gap that our food cannot provide. Supplements with pine bark extracts could help to neutralise excess free radicals and toxins throughout the body caused by pollution, UV rays and contaminated foods.

Time is of the essence but so is your health. To be healthy is a commitment to make and it’s all about timing as well. If you do not start taking care of your health as soon as possible, you are inviting risks of getting illnesses that are detrimental to your health in the long run.

[1] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/3-reasons-why-meal-timings-are-as-important-as-the-food-you-eat/photostory/76941874.cms?picid=76941895

[2] https://www.lybrate.com/topic/skipping-a-meal-can-it-be-hazardous-to-your-health/7e63594756aa168be254f6b8d0e8f3c2