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There are many countries which have adopted the Western diet. This is incredibly worrying because this diet has been regarded as very unhealthy, as it is full of fat and sugar. Therefore, it is no wonder this diet can lead to many diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and various types of cancer. This is why many nutritionists say that the Western diet is only meant to bring you calories, lots of calories.
While we tend to associate calories with nourishment, a new study reveals that, in spite of the large number of calories contained in a Western diet, they bring very few nutrients to your body.
While people tend to replace a healthy, proper diet with a Western diet as they earn more money, researchers warn that this can lead to malnourishment. If you get to think about it, this theory is not at all surprising, given the fact that fast-food products, sugary drinks and sweets have very little nutritional value and very few benefits for our health.
The lead author of the study, Professor David Tilman, who is also an ecology expert at the University of Minnesota said that the products contained in a Western diet can be very dangerous to our health, given the fact that they contain many empty calories and not enough nutrients, unless they are supplied with fresh fruit and vegetables.
Supermarkets are packed with processed foods that contain added sugar, salt and saturated fats and very few fibers from vegetables. Therefore, those who adopt a Western diet will have the tendency to eat a lot of red meat, sugar and fatty food, which means loads of calories with little value for the person’s health.
Moreover, the health risks do not only refer to a greater chance of becoming obese but also to the fact that refined foods can damage your immune system. Among these, the most dangerous ones are the palmitic acid and the fructose, according to the author of the study.
The palmitic acid helps us against the effects of certain bacteria, such as E. Coli. As an effect, it keeps the levels of inflammation low in our body. However, an excess of palmitic oil will send false alarms, thus preventing our immune system from protecting us against a real danger.
The authorities agree with the findings in this study and prompt people to change their diet with a healthier one that is rich in fruit, vegetables, whole meal cereal and healthy fats, in order to have a healthy lifestyle.
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