By Dr. Samantha Ristimaki, BSc, ND of Balance Wellness Center

In every patient consultation I have, the one thing that I always ask of patients is to provide me with a brutally honest outline of what they eat on a daily basis.  The old saying “you are what you eat” becomes reality for many of my patients given that lifestyle related disease is affecting people at a younger age.

Most busy generation Y and Xers are becoming accustomed to an instant lifestyle.  Gone are the days of taking time to slowly prepare a meal from scratch.  Forget about sitting down to take time to enjoy each and every meal at the dining room table.  We find ourselves all too often grabbing something on the go. 

Most of us think of fast food as items you pick up at your local McDonalds when in fact most items that you grab on the go are high in carbohydrates which convert to sugars, as well as saturated fats, that clog arteries and promote inflammation. 

With more and more people developing diabetes prematurely, fast food is suggested to be a contributing factor.  One study demonstrated that people have double the chance of developing insulin resistance if they eat fast food as little as twice per week.

Most of us can deduce that too much fried food is bad for your waist line but it can also elevate one of your liver enzymes known as ALT.   High ALT levels are correlated with an increased risk of type II diabetes, liver and cardiovascular disease.  The fried food will also sharply increase you LDL “bad” cholesterol which can increase your risk of heart disease and stoke. 

Even children can be affected at a young age.  A study done by the University of Alberta showed that in children, eating fast food twice weekly cancels out the protective effect that breast feeding has on children in preventing respiratory disease.  In addition, a strong link was found between fast food and asthma.

It is not easy to eat perfectly healthy if you live a busy lifestyle but if you plan to keep up your pace in good health, you may want to prioritize taking time to prepare your own food and take time to savour every morsel.