20 Ways Takeaway Food Affect Our Health

Our lifestyles have doubled the speed of our predecessors.

We don’t have to look too far into history.

Our parents will do.

I remember my parents started work at six in the morning and were home at two o’clock. They had their whole day ahead of them.

A cooked meal was always on the table.

If cooking wasn’t an option, there were always leftovers in the fridge.

It was a rare occasion that we would go out for a meal. Usually, it was a celebration of some kind.

For our generation the tempo is different.

Preparing and cooking a healthy lunch and dinner when we come home tired from work at five in the evening is something not many of us can manage anymore.

Besides, there’s a much faster solution.

Takeaway.

You open your favorite app on your phone, choose, order, and pay. The food will be at your door in less time than you would even decide what to prepare for dinner.

Easy.

So why all the fuss about takeaway?

Isn’t its convenience good for us?

 

The takeaway research

I watch 5 hours of TV a week.

Maybe.

But when I do, I usually binge-watch 2-3 hours of it and get my quota for the week.

When I get the urge to sit on the sofa and carelessly throw away my hard-earned free time, I usually stick to three of my favorite channels: BBC Earth, 24 Kitchen, and Viasat History.

What can I say?

I like to learn.

And these three channels provide the knowledge that I crave.

The last such binge-watch was a week ago.

I came across a documentary that made me stop, actually put the remote down, get off the couch, and take out my computer.

It was about takeaway and the consequences it has on our health.

The documentary was three years old and I’m afraid to think what statistics there are for the present day.

But let’s not jump ahead.

 

A quick summary of the documentary

15 healthy young British volunteers in their early twenties agreed to participate in research on takeaway. They would be having takeaway twice a day (lunch and dinner) for two weeks.

All the volunteers were in good health, did their exercises, were in their 9-5 or students, and takeaway was something that they enjoyed occasionally not as an everyday meal.

The researchers chose such an age group for a reason.

Statistics showed that 1 in 6 teenagers ages 16 to 20 order takeaway twice a day.

What’s even more disturbing, less than half of the British population eats fresh food even once a day.

To stay true to the eating habits of the British population, the volunteers could choose their daily meals among the most popular dishes:

  • Pizza
  • Burgers
  • Indian food and
  • Chinese food

Through the two-week research, the volunteers would be monitoring their moods and their well-being.

Their reports were shocking.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the full documentary online anymore, but there are parts of it on YouTube – The Truth About Takeaway.

 

Documentary findings about takeaway

The statistics that the documentary provided were staggering.

British order 850 million takeaways a year, and if we count the fast food they eat on the go, it all adds up to 3 million takeaways a day.

However, the United States stands at the first position on the list of countries with the highest fast-food consumption. More than one-third of adults living in the USA eat fast food every day, and 83% of American families feast on fast food at least once a week

The most pressing problem with takeaway is that we don’t know what’s in the takeaway food we are ordering.

The restaurants preparing the meals don’t have to give us any information about the contents of sugar, salt, fats and calories. All the data that we get on the package when we buy food in the supermarket.

They also won’t be bothered with the quality of the ingredients because of the low prices of the takeaway.

So, it should be no surprise what the findings were at the end of the research.

 

Health issues during the 14-day takeaway challenge

All the volunteers had to keep a detailed diary of their welfare during the experiment.

In the first few days, there were no apparent changes.

The effects of the unhealthy takeaway started to show two or three days into the experiment. It started with feelings of being bloated, having a reflux, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.

Keep in mind the volunteers ate takeaway maybe once a week before agreeing to be a part of an experiment. Their bodies were adjusting to the new nutrition.

After the initial shock other symptoms started appearing such as tiredness, trouble sleeping, itchy skin, pimples, and greasy hair.

But surprisingly the effects of takeaway weren’t only physical. It also showed in their behavior. They noticed a lack of concentration, being easily irritated, anxious, and angry.

All these symptoms appeared during the two-week period that the volunteers were on the takeaway diet.

All of them after only 14 days of having takeaway food.

 

The symptoms of the 14 days of eating takeaway two times a day 

Body:

  • The feeling of being bloated
  • Tired, no energy
  • Pimples
  • Acid reflux
  • Bad sleep – waking up several times a night, not being able to go back to sleep – the later you eat the worse your sleep will be
  • Diarrhea
  • Stomach cramps
  • Itchy skin
  • Greasy hair

Mind:

  • Easily irritated
  • Lack of concentration, brain fog
  • Anxious, angry

Health issues a month after the 14-day takeaway challenge

But the most shocking data came after the study.

The volunteers believed (along with me, having witnessed the amazing healing properties of our bodies if given the chance. You can read about my health journey here) that their health issues would go back to normal after going back to their normal diet of healthy whole foods.

A month passed when they met up with the scientists again, going over their data, now processed and studied by the scientists.

The data was astounding.

The volunteers gained 1,7 kg (roughly 4 lb) on average in the two weeks of the twice-a-day takeaway diet. That would mean 3,4 kg (7.5 lb) a month and 41 kg (90 lb) in a year!

All of them experienced an increase in the levels of visceral fat, which high amounts are responsible for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

When doing the exercise tests the second time, the results showed the decrease in blood flow to the brain causing problems with brain function and risk of stroke. The most surprising fact of all was that this was most evident in the person who exercised daily.

The researchers also noticed the change in their gut microbiome bacteria due to the low-fiber diet, which can accelerate the development of chronic diseases, obesity, diabetes, and cancer.

Their mind also had difficulty recovering after the takeaway diet.

The tests done after the diet showed that the working memory of the volunteers decreased by 15%. This is the memory we use when going grocery shopping and remembering what we need to buy.

They also weren’t able to take in as much information as before the study.

What shocked me the most however, was the finding that a lot of the volunteers had a feeling that they weren’t in control of their lives anymore, they had no desire to make plans for the future or even appreciate if they achieved their goals.

 

The symptoms a month after the 14 days of eating takeaway two times a day

Body:

  • Most of the volunteers gained 1.7 kg in two weeks
  • The levels of visceral fat increased
  • Decrease in the blood flow to the brain when exercising
  • Their gut microbiome bacteria changed

Mind:

  • Their working memory decreased by 15%
  • A drop of feeling they are in control,
  • Less able to take in information,
  • Less desire to plan ahead, or
  • Didn’t appreciate when they achieved a goal

Vegan or vegetarian takeaway

You may be thinking that being a vegetarian or vegan is better and you can get away with vegan or vegetarian takeaway.

The most shocking data I’ve taken from the study was precisely on this subject.

I’ve tried vegan diet for a year so I have some experience on the subject but this doesn’t mean that vegan takeaway food is good for you.

The research shows that the vegan diet has gained in popularity in the last couple of years (the increase is said to be 360%) and so have the restaurants serving vegan food.

The problem that the documentary has presented is that a large majority of vegan takeaway meals are higher in calories salt and fats than the same food prepared with meat or seafood.

 

My view on the subject

Takeaway isn’t good for us.

Period.

If we value our health, our well-being, and the ability to get through the day with enough energy to play with our children when we get home from work or focus on our side project, you’ll think twice before ordering a takeaway.

The process of setting goals and achieving them has been very impactful for my life, I can’t imagine not caring about them because of the food I eat.

 

What can we do?

If you value your health you’ll stay clear of takeaway food.

But there was also some helpful information the documentary mentioned, such as what is the recommended intake of certain foods that can be harmful to our health if eaten too much.

They were talking about salt, fat, and calories.

I was sad to miss the one ingredient that is also a culprit of so many health problems but I guess I’ll have to do the research on it myself.

Sugar.

But they did give us the recommended daily intake of the mentioned three:

Salt

The recommended daily dosage is 6g.

Don’t be fooled.

You can reach the recommended daily dosage in one large bag of chips so be mindful of your snacks.

Fat

The recommended daily dosage is 70g.

This can also be very misleading since fat is added to almost every food for additional flavor not only deep-fried dishes.

Calories

Here is where it gets tricky.

There are a lot of studies done on this subject every one a little different.

But just for the sake of this article, I’ll go with the most common recommendation.

The recommended daily calory intake:

  • for women: 2000 calories/day (it used to be 1800 calories, but they bumped it up)
  • for men: 2500 calories/day (this was also increased from 2000 calories)

I’ll do research on the subject in the future since it’s a fascinating subject with a lot of controversy.

But to conclude the article about takeaway.

Have it as a treat, not as a rule.

Cook your meals from scratch, using whole foods so you know what’s in them.

Having takeaway as an excuse for not having time to prepare your own meal is not fooling anyone.

Be honest with yourself.

If you wanted to, you’d find the time.

I hope the data at least made you think about what we put in our bodies and what could be the culprit for our health problems.

Until next time, find a new recipe and make it.

Ann

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