AMBER MARSTELLA / Scroll

With fast food and junk food being a part of some students’ diets, they may be curious to know the effects that their eating habits have on them.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, “Eating too much fat, especially saturated fat and cholesterol, increases blood cholesterol levels and therefore increases your risk of heart disease. Too much fat may lead to being overweight and increase your risk of some cancers.”

The effects of eating too much junk food can be seen in the film Super Size Me. In the movie, Morgan Spurlock goes on a junk food binge, eating nothing but food from McDonald’s for 30 days. After his experiment, Morgan had gained 24.5 lbs, experienced serious mood swings and had very bad liver damage.

“I never feel good after I eat junk food. It never leaves me feeling energized,” said Jean Stoddard, a freshman from Firth, Idaho.

Even though some students prefer to eat healthier, some feel that the conveniences of junk food make it too appealing to resist.

“In our apartment, we say that we are not going to eat junk food for a week, but somehow it never works. We just don’t have enough self control by the end of the week. It’s more inviting to eat it. People eat junk food because it’s easy and quick. They just don’t care,” said April Hall, a junior from Flagstaff, Ariz.

One of the reasons students said they eat junk food is because they lack the desire and time to eat healthy foods. Some students also rely on loved ones to provide more healthy food.

“Nobody wants to take the time to bake or cook anything. When I do it’s rewarding, but nobody has the time for that. That’s why it’s nice going home to Mom, or to have your girlfriend cook for you,” said Mike Olsen, a freshman from Idaho Falls.

Rachael Coffey and Chelsey Vanderbeek, sophomores from Rigby, Idaho, feel that junk food can be good as long as people eat it in moderation.

“I know that junk food is not healthy. Everybody does. However, I do not feel that it is bad every once in awhile,” Vanderbeek said.

Coffey said that she and Vanderbeek use junk food to set goals. She said that junk food has its benefits and everyone wants to indulge from time to time.

“We use the chocolate as an incentive to keep studying. We’ll decide to take a half-hour chocolate break, and when we are done, we’ll get back to our homework. If you completely rid yourself of junk food, you’re going to eventually give in and binge. Besides, everyone needs their frosty fries from time to time,” Coffey said.