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the blood) and can cause liver damage, high blood pressure, and even some types of cancer. It’s hard to restrict or give up all of these foods and beverages when friends and family enjoy them and eat them daily. Yet once people embark on a path of healthy eating, they usually feel so much better that they can manage their cravings and limit junk foods to occasional treats.

Q: Why can some people eat lots of junk food but stay thin and look healthy? A: Certain people, due to their genetics, youth, a fast metabolism, or lots of exercise, don’t feel any bad health effects immediately. Yet eating junk foods for many years will usually take a toll on their health. A 15-year study of women ages 50 to 79 found that those who ate junk food during that time had a greater risk of developing cancer even if they were thin.

Why Is It So Hard to Have a Healthy Attitude toward Food?

When people hear the word diet , they don’t automatically think of a daily plan to eat the most nutritious foods. Instead, diet means starving themselves, restricting their meals to tiny portions, and avoiding the delicious foods they love. It seems as if half of the US population is dieting or struggling with weight problems. Obesity has tripled in the United States in the last 50 years. Other developed countries are in a similar situation. As a result, many diets are designed mainly to help people lose

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How to Eat a Balanced Diet