Poll Do You Think Eating Junk Food Ages You .

What are your biggest challenges when it comes to eating healthy?

First, I would like to agree that many people do not fully understand the 80% 20% rule. And refuse to make eating changes, due to emotional reasons. Don’t be that person! Many people I know personally go to the gym, then eat ice cream, thinking exercise directly cancel out calories. This is a HUGE misconception in the American society.I grew up with parents that are second generation European. Yes they were both raised in the US, although I noticed a big difference from my friend’s nutritional upbringing verses my own. When I was younger, my mom always had an overload of fruits and vegetables in my refrigerator. I would go to play with my friends in middle school and high school, and noticed that unlike my options at home, they had chips, cookies and other processed snacks. Unfortunately, these habits take long to break when they are practiced at such a young age, which leads to malnutrition and possible obesity. If you do not start great habits from a young age, and normalize the intake of micro nutrients (fruits and veggies), you very well will grow up confused and more likely to buy into the “diet trends”. This is one aspect, another could be dehydration.To answer your question, the hardest challenge for me, was quitting diary products. I only did this for a short period of time, but once I did it I realized how much of an addiction cheese is for Americans.1.Dairy products and being breast feed have the same intense effect on a humans brain, which our bodies associate with comfort. Diary = comfort, of course you want more!2. Diary also is used to make a 15 pound baby double in size within a short period of time.After I stopped eating dairy all together, for about 3 months, I reintroduced dairy to my body slowly. It oddly started to repulse me knowing how full and heavy it made me feel.My advice would be workout in moderation, and develop the right healthy habits that are sustainable (water, veggies, fruit every damn day). Weight will soon, not even be an issue. If you are addicted to the feeling of working out, as most people are, then go for it!

Why do certain races look so young for a long time?

**When I say Asians I am talking about East and Southeast Asians, not South Asians (Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, etc).1) Asian men have less facial hair than other races on average.2) Asians have more fat under their skin (subcantaneous fat) which makes it looks more smooth (like a baby)...Asians have lower body mass index (BMI) but higher percent body fat than do whites: comparisons of anthropometric measurements.3) Asians avoid sunlight, if they can, they don't purposefully tan, which causes skin damage for those with light skin, leading to wrinkles and thinner leathery skin.4) Asians are fairly light compared to most races, but usually not as light as white people (speaking mainly of people of Northern Euro ancestry), and they generally can tan darker. The more melanin in your skin, the more resistant it is to sun damage, so it looks more youthful.5) Asians don't bald as young or as frequently as white people. Why are white men more likely to go bald and earlier than Asian men?6) On average I think Asians eat healthier foods than Westerns, less meat and fat, more vegitables...I think that about sums it up...

Should I eat McDonald's or Burger King?

This is a tough question that I’ve often struggled with.BurgersThis depends on the day. A perfect whopper tends to be a better tasting hamburger than a perfect quarter pounder.The good thing about McDonald’s is consistency. A quarter pounder almost always tastes the same.A major screw up with the quarter pounder is an uneven distribution of pickles. It’s infuriating when 5 pickles are stacked on top of each other and I have to place them evenly across the bun.See those stacked pickles? Inexcusable!Furthermore, large onion chunks are gross and must be removed. If I have to remove them I am frustrated. I like 1-inch long onion pieces that are evenly distributed across the bun. See that rogue onion chunk below.The whopper does a good job with their pickles and onions.Also, mayonnaise is a big deal. The whopper uses mayo and I like that. They also use a decent amount of ketchup and mustard.Finally, the whopper beef tastes a bit better.I rank the whopper as the better burger but it lacks consistency.FriesThis one is easy. McDonald’s fries are the bomb. Best fast food fries on the market.CondimentsMcDonald’s has a secret weapon.Hmmm, it contains egg? Didn’t know that.Anyway, hot mustard on warm fries is delicious. It also compliments the hot n spicy chicken sandwich.Easy win for McDonald’s.Coca-ColaHands down McDonald’s. Mcdonalds orders their Coca-Cola in metal containers or something. This preserves the freshness and crispness of the Cola, I assume. My wife is a coke aficionado. If I buy her a bottled coke and take the first sip she gets pissed. She thinks the first sip of coke is the best tasting in flavor and crisp refreshment, whatever that means.Seasonal OfferingsHere we have the Burger King chicken fries vs the McRib. This is not a fair fight. The McRib takes me back to the 80s when I had my first one.Now, the McRib sure as hell doesn’t look like it’s advertised but it’s damn good. And sure, I have no idea what kind of meat that is but it’s a tasty sandwich. Truthfully, I’m not even sure that is real meat but whatever.ChampionI’m going with McDonald’s. The whopper is superior but everything else at Burger King sucks. Plus, McDonald’s just has better commercials and the filet o fish with extra tartar sauce is fun, once or twice a year.

How often do you eat fast food?

It depends on what you call fast food. If by fast food do you mean junk food giants like Burger King, McD, Dominos etc? Or do you mean street food? Or do you just mean generally unhealthy food? Depending on what you meant, the answer differs.If you are referring to the junk giants, then I probably consume it on an average once a fortnight. Sometimes it’s a quick dash through the drive through to get a big mac and sometimes it’s a Domino’s pizza. Either way, it’s not more than once a fortnight. I used to have them around twice a week a while back but have since cut down.Now if you mean street food, then that can include fried chicken, chips, fish n chips, hot dog, donuts etc. In India you have stuff like Vada Pav, Pani Puri, and other Chaat dishes. Technically, these are all junk as well and made quite fast, so qualifies to be called fast food.But if by fast food you mean just general unhealthy stuff, then I guess I am guilty of having fast food almost every single day. I sometimes have ready to eat sausages in the morning. Sometimes it’s a grilled cheese toast, sometimes it’s a pack of Maggi or Ramen.So, fast food does not always mean unhealthy and buying from a big chain does not make it safe and healthy either. Depends how you look at it.

Do some Americans really eat fast food every day?

Two questions were merged, so my answer will apply to both.Do Americans consume processed meat everyday? and: Do some Americans really eat fast food every day?NO, NO, NO, NO, NO…I have some canned goods, and some boxed food. But I eat out of my refrigerator. It is well stocked with all kinds of fresh veggies and frozen meats.We cook, because we like too.And we often have a plate of raw veggies.We like variety.Right now we have broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, crookneck, iceberg lettuce (only because we couldn’t find decent Romaine), tomatoes, red and green pepper, mushrooms, red onion, green onion, parsnips, carrots, garlic, potatoes, oranges, apples, mango, and I wish we had some radishes. All fresh…The few boxes we have are crackers and cereals.We keep stewed tomatoes, kidney beans, refried beans, and hot salsa in cans, and those get used. We also have cans of green beans and corn that gather a lot of dust.The freezer is full of fresh meats, beef, pork, chicken, and salmon, but there is also bacon, sausage, ham, and hot dogs. We eat far more unprocessed meat than otherwise.We rarely go to a fast food place. Maybe twice or three times a year.But we have a good Mexican restaurant and a Chinese place close by that we’ll go to about once or twice a month.I look at the grocery carts in the checkout lines ahead of me. And I notice the totals that are rung up.I have to admit that I see other people buying a lot of processed foods, and sometimes I wonder what they are thinking. You can see they aren’t well. And they are paying far more for their boxes and bags and frozen entrees than I am for healthy food.I’m almost 65, and a little overweight. But my heart rate is 62, my blood pressure 100/60, and I just had a scan done that determined I have nothing building up in my arteries. I take a low dose aspirin a day, and nothing else. My wife is very similarly blessed.Real food works.

As a 25-year-old what are your interests and hobbies?

Hmmmm. I think 25 is an interesting age because you’re caught between still wanting the fun of your late teens/early twenties, while also really wanting for the first time some kind of “life.” At least that’s what it is for me. I’m constantly in a battle between drinking with friends and building my future. I get the feeling that a fair amount of 25-year-olds have the same dilemma.Anyway, as an American living in Cairo, here are the top ten:Arabic. Mostly chatting up Egyptians and watching their TV shows while taking notes on new vocab.Reading. I have a fat stack of books in my room, and I try to spend at least 20 minutes every day filling my mind with ideas.Writing. Whether it’s Quora or this book that I’m working on or tiny short stories about my life in Egypt, it’s never a waste of time.Working out. Usually weights, but sometimes body exercises or running. I love exercise, and the endorphins are a nice addition to my life.Meditation. Some people implement this as some sort of “life hack,” but I genuinely enjoy it. I find the process of slowing down your mind a challenge, and always enjoyable.Frisbee. Haven’t done this too much lately because of an injury, but I play ultimate frisbee in Cairo and it’s amazeballs.Drinks and shisha. Usually with friends, and usually at rooftop bars. It’s a great time, all of the time.Documentaries. I’m a nerd. End of story. Whether it’s drugs or sex or terrorism or travel, documentaries are my jam.Hiking. Don’t get to do a whole lot of this because of my current schedule and living in Cairo.Swimming. A nice way to round at the list, swimming is such a great feeling and always a good workout. Also GET THAT TAN ON.I used to do things like eat junk food and play video games, but I have gradually moved away from those. I think spending time productively usually leaves me feeling more fulfilled overall.