Fast food is incredibly convenient, and usually very tasty too, but it’s not always the best option for refuelling our bodies. Over at comparison site, Fast Food Menu Price, there’s a detailed infographic that shows the effect of eating one of the most iconic on-the-go meals of all time: the McDonald’s Big Mac.
For the first 10 minutes, everything goes brilliantly, at least on the surface. Our brains have been wired to prefer high-calorie foods (sorry, dieters) and the Big Mac provides these calories in abundance – an average Big Mac contains 540 calories, which cause our blood sugar level to shoot up. Feel-good chemicals, like the neurotransmitter dopamine, are released into the brain, and you may catch yourself thinking: “This is a tasty burger.”
It’s from the 20-30-minute point that the downhill slide starts. The high levels of fructose corn syrup and sodium inside the bun leave us craving more of the same (and in the long term, this can lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease). Then the sodium – some 970 milligrams of it – causes dehydration and starts making the kidneys and heart work faster. Blood pressure rises, and you may well be tempted by a McFlurry or apple pie.
Read here:
Read more at Science Alert