Food photography

Swinging through the drive-thru or hopping into your favorite fast-food restaurant tends to happen more often than some would like to admit.

According to the Food Institute’s analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, millennials alone spend 45 percent of their budget’s food dollars on eating out.

Most fast food, including drinks and sides, are loaded with carbohydrates with little to no fiber.

When your digestive system breaks down these foods, the carbs are released as glucose (sugar) into your bloodstream. As a result, your blood sugar increases.

Your pancreas responds to the surge in glucose by releasing insulin. Insulin transports sugar throughout your body to cells that need it for energy.
As your body uses or stores the sugar, your blood sugar returns to normal.

This blood sugar process is highly regulated by your body, and as long as you’re healthy, your organs can properly handle these sugar spikes.

But frequently eating high amounts of carbs can lead to repeated spikes in your blood sugar.

Over time, these insulin spikes may cause your body’s normal insulin response to falter.
This increases your risk for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain.