“My diet starts tomorrow…right after I devour this pizza, plate of chicken tenders, and a six pack of beer today”

How many times have you been in this situation in college or heard one of your friends say they are going to start eating healthy at a certain time in the future? Everyone always assumes that one more greasy, fatty meal won’t make a difference. But now, researchers are proving that you are only as healthy as your last meal.

One cheeseburger can do damage to your health, reports Time. “Just one high-fat, high-sugar meal can trigger a biochemical cascade, causing inflammation of blood vessels and immediate, detrimental changes to the nervous system,” explains a study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

But, wait, don’t worry, there’s also some good news published in this study!

Just one healthy meal will help return your body to its optimal state.

For an in-depth explanation of why this happens and the processes going on internally, check out the Time article.

In short, the lead author of the study, James O’Keefe, worded it best, “Your health and vigor, at a very basic level, are as good as your last meal“.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that anyone is perfect and always able to resist a meal filled with fat, grease, or sugar. But, the excuse of “it’s just one meal, it won’t matter…” is just not true.

Everything you put into your body will make a difference, even if only on a short term immediate level. The uplifting news is that you can turn it around right away when you start eating healthy!

So grab that healthy snack and start feeling awesome.