Here’s What Happens To Your Body One Hour After Eating A Big Mac

 

The Big Mac, not quite as cheeky as Nando’s - but there is a time and a place when it goes down a treat. For some of us that time and place comes around more often than we’d ever comfortably admit to grandma when she’s asking what we’ve been eating.

Nobody has ever claimed it to be a health food. Nobody sober, anyway, but this infographic from Fast Food Price Menu goes into great detail about how unhealthy it can potentially be.

For those who are struggling to read the text on the image, we have summarised it below.

So, here’s what’s going on inside your guts after a Big Mac:

In the first 10 minutes: The Big Mac and its 540 calories boosts your blood sugar to abnormal levels. Junk food, like the trusty Big Mac, triggers your brain’s reward system by releasing “feel-good” chemicals. The process works in a similar way to drugs like cocaine and raises the likelihood of compulsive eating.

After 20 minutes: The Big Mac’s bun has high levels of high fructose corn syrup and sodium — both of which are addictive and make your body crave more.

After 30 minutes: The burger consists of 970 milligrams of sodium, which means huge levels of salt, and can cause dehydration. Dehydration symptoms closely mimic those of hunger, tricking you into thinking you want more food. If you take in too much sodium it makes it hard for your kidneys to eliminate salt and your heart has to work faster in order to pump blood through your veins. This can cause high blood pressure and can ultimately lead to heart disease and stroke.

After 40 minutes: if you’re still feeling hungry around this time it is because you have lost control over your blood sugar, which makes you crave even more fast food. When you eat a high calorie meal, your body’s insulin response can bring down your glucose levels, causing you to want to eat more. The Big Mac bun’s high fructose corn syrup is quickly absorbed by your GI tract, creating insulin spikes and even bigger hunger pangs.

After 60 minutes: Normally the body takes 24 to 72 hours to digest food, but burgers can take longer because they are greasier. The Big Mac can take more than three days to fully digest.

Yeah, but they are so darn tasty! As the infographic suggests at the bottom, everything is best in moderation. Except water, of course, drink plenty of that stuff.