Almost everyone in the world loves McDonald’s right? I mean, that’s why there are over 35,000 stores in 118 countries across the globe!
Although we know the health risks for consuming fast food, sometimes we can’t help but to devour that fatty delicious burger and fries. Okay, thinking about it is already making me hungry.
Anyway, an infographic has shown the consequences of eating a Big Mac and what it does to your body in within 60 minutes.
It goes without saying that it’s not an assuring fact. Though, it’s always good to have it in mind the next time you visit a McDonald’s!
Check out the infographic here:
So what exactly does it do to your body?
First 10 minutes – Our brains prefer high-calorie foods
A regular Big Mac (with cheese and sauce) contains 540 calories and raises your blood sugar to abnormal levels.
Junk food triggers your brain’s reward system by releasing a surge of ‘feel-good’ chemicals – such as the neurotransmitter dopamine – which induce feelings of pleasure. This process works in a similar way to that of drugs such as cocaine and contributes to the likelihood of compulsive eating.
NO WONDER IT’S SO HARD TO GET OFF FAST FOOD!
After 20 minutes – Addictive sugars
A Big Mac bun contains high levels of high-fructose corn syrup and sodium. Both ingredients are addictive and therefore make your body crave more of them. These ingredients are also harmful and can cause obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
After 30 minutes – Sodium attack on your body
A Big Mac contains 970 milligrams of sodium. This huge amount of salt can result in dehydration. With symptoms that closely mimic those of hunger, it’s easy for dehydration to trick you into thinking you need to go back for another helping of food.
Ingesting too much sodium makes it hard for your kidneys to excrete salt. To try and flush the excess salt out of your system, your body then draws water from surrounding tissues. This fluid buildup means that your heart must work harder to pump blood. This causes high blood pressure and can ultimately lead to heart disease and stroke.
After 40 minutes – Craving more!
Do you ever still feel hungry after just having eaten a Big Mac? This is because you have lost control of your blood sugar, making you crave even more fast food.
The first time you consume a high-calorie meal, your insulin response can reduce your glucose levels making you want to eat more. The high-fructose corn syrup in the Big Mac bun is quickly absorbed by the GI tract, causing insulin spikes and even greater hunger pangs.
After 60 minutes – Slow digestion
Normally the body takes about 24 to 72 hours to digest food. However, hamburgers take a lot more time to digest because they are greasier. It can take more than three days to fully digest a Big Mac.
Also, it takes approximately 51 days to digest trans fat. A Big Mac contains 1.5 grams of trans fat. Different studies have proved that trans fats can be linked to heart disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes.
This wasn’t the first time people have experimented on fast food. Just last year, a video was done to show what your stomach acid does to the burger and the results weren’t pretty.
You can watch the video of the experiment here:
The next time to walk in a fast food franchise, you may want to reconsider your decision!
