New study says junk food makes people lazy as well as overweight

Monday, April 21, 2014 by: Raw Michelle
Tags: obesity epidemic, junk food, modern diet

(NaturalNews) It's no secret that eating junk food (sometimes considered an oxymoron) can create a host of health problems, including contributing to obesity. However a new study not only supports the overweight issue, but also gives credence to an often-said phrase about people who eat junk food: that they are also lazy.

Harsh as it sounds, the correlation between junk food and laziness is steeped deep in scientific research. Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) studied two groups eating two different diets. One diet was comprised of processed "junk" foods and the other was made up of unprocessed, healthier foods. Then, certain tasks were presented between the two groups.

The findings, which have been published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, note that not only was the junk food group more overweight, but that group's ability to react on certain tasks was significantly slower compared to the healthier eating group. Motivation was even slowed and break times that were taken were twice as long as the leaner counterparts. This was even the case despite knowing that there was a reward for completed tasks.

Why junk food makes people lazy

Aaron Blaisdell, a professor of the psychology at UCLA's Brain Research Institute and the lead researcher, says that the findings are an indication that the brain's chemicals change when junk food is introduced in the body.

"Overweight people often get stigmatized as lazy and lacking discipline," says Blaisdell. "We interpret our results as suggesting that the idea commonly portrayed in the media that people become fat because they are lazy is wrong. Our data suggest that diet-induced obesity is a cause, rather than an effect, of laziness. Either the highly processed diet causes fatigue or the diet causes obesity, which causes fatigue."

Not only do brain chemicals change, but the entire body suffers when processed foods are consumed. Because junk food does not require much work to be digested, the body isn't being given the chance to run properly. In turn, the gut weakens, or becomes lazy. Without the fiber a healthier diet affords, the body also becomes prone to intestinal infections and blood toxins.

Raw, unprocessed diets ideal for health

To ensure optimal health, refrain from eating processed foods. Always choose organic, non-GMO options and when possible, select foods from local farmer's markets.

Raw fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber are ideal for keeping the body in good shape, playing a role in overall health including healthy gut maintenance.

Spinach and kale, which are rich in chlorophyll, are a couple of good choices to detoxify the body and keep the digestive tract functioning optimally.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.cbsnews.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140404221904.htm

https://www.naturalnews.com/036353_junk_food_junkies_death.html

https://www.naturalnews.com/039288_raw_foods_diet_health_benefits.html

About the author:
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. She has authored and published hundreds of articles on topics such as the raw food diet and green living in general. >>> Click here to see more by Michelle