Junk Food: A friend in loneliness?

Imagining your favourite junk food with a stomach full of hunger and a heart full of sorrow is sometimes just the escape route you need. 

RMIT neuroscientist Dr Amy Reichelt explains why we rush to junk foods whenever we feel low or need a boost in our mood. In one of her journals, she said, "When we eat junk foods, the reward circuits within our brains activate and release the chemical dopamine. Our brains can become overwhelmed by the pleasure from these rewarding foods, and in response, the brain adapts and makes more receptors for dopamine."

Food items devoid of nutrients, vitamins and minerals and hold lots of calories, salt, sugar or even harmful fat are called 'Junk food'. Even after calling it by name with the word 'junk', we still cannot delete it from our food history. No matter how healthy we choose to be in our day-to-day life, it is just a matter of time to let go of control over our tongue and take shelter in some junk that is also called junk. 

Prokash Sikder is a master's student at the University of Asia Pacific (UAP) and reminisces about the days when he rushed to junk food whenever he felt bored or low. He also emphasises that even imagining the food makes people happy, not to mention for a temporary time being, "If a burger fan orders one to go and keeps thinking about it, the thought itself turns them allured. The amount of cheese and the size of the patty inside make them wonder how long they will enjoy the food." 

No wonder it is often a saviour for the broken heart. Overeating opens up more when someone is particularly paired with some stress exposure and has made themselves habituated to binge eating. Mood swings and low mood often encourage us to have something sweet, savoury, and not so healthy but immensely tasty.

Sumia Zahid is a lecturer at UIU. She is a natural sweet tooth; no food more than a sweet cake can lift her energy level. "In my physically vulnerable times, I crave something sweet. It has become a habit of mine to take a bite of chocolate or dig into a cake whenever I feel tired. I don't know if it is psychological, but the boost-up is real after sweet intake. But I do not call it stress eating because eating sweets or junk food does not help me soothe."

As we know, junk food is often high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. These can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels, leading to a temporary feeling of alertness and pleasure. However, this spike is followed by a crash in blood sugar, leaving you tired, irritable, and craving more sugar. This cycle can contribute to mood swings. According to a study from the Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, there is a specific time to consume more junk food than ever. It is often the break between work and study, as you refer to the food as a reward for your hard work. The study shows that afternoons or evenings are high-risk periods for overeating. If we can control ourselves during peak times for overeating, there is a high chance of avoiding junk food. 

Some solutions seem very good initially, but one must suffer the consequences in the long run. Junk food is nothing exceptional in this case. It might seem just the perfect answer to your sorrowful questions, but in no time, you will feel guilty about entering so much unhealthiness in your body. And who does not know that a sound mind lives in a sound body? Try to take care of both in a healthier way, not to run for unhealthy and quick solutions any more. 

We can look for tasty but healthy alternatives so that our bodies and minds stay happy. Keeping some fruits or peanuts in our workstations can save us damage to our pockets and bodies. If you are also habituated to eating junk food while feeling low, treat yourself with a walk, a fresh fruit smoothie, and some crunchy peanuts. Meet a real friend while taking a break from work, as junk food is not your friend in loneliness. 

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