You're Only as Healthy as Your Last Meal

One meal can make you healthy…or quite the opposite, according to a review of recent dietary research. Eating junk food instantly causes inflamed tissue and creates molecules that damage cells. “People don’t understand this, even most physicians,” one researcher tells Time. “Your health and vigor, at a very basic level, are as good as your last meal.”

Healthy food can get your body back on track, but people used to junk might find it unsatisfying, because those chips also distort your hormonal profile. “The more you eat it, the more you crave it,” the researcher said. He suggests using a home glucose monitor to watch the effects of each burger. “You can improve your health, basically, from hour to hour.” (More health stories.)