Andrew F. Smith, in his book, Encyclopedia
of Junk Food and Fast Food defines junk food as "those commercial
products, including candy, bakery goods, ice cream, salty snacks, and soft
drinks, which have little or no nutritional value but do have plenty of
calories, salt, and fats. While not all fast foods are junk foods, most are.
Fast foods are ready-to-eat foods served promptly after ordering. Some fast
foods are high in calories and low in nutritional value, while other fast
foods, such as salads, may be low in calories and high in nutritional value.
Junk foods have empty
calories as the energetic content is not complemented with proteins and lipids required for
nutritious alimentation. François Magendie showed by experiment in
1816 that dogs died when fed only sugar. It has been noted that the
metabolic cost of processing empty calories drains a body of resources and is
debilitating.
Foods commonly considered junk foods
include salted snack foods, gum, candy, sweet desserts, fried fast food,
and sugary carbonated beverages. Many foods such as hamburgers, pizza, and tacos can be
considered either healthy or junk food depending on their ingredients and
preparation methods. The more highly processed items
usually fall under the junk food category, including breakfast cereals that are mostly sugar or high-fructose
corn syrup and white flour or milled corn.
Especially in the case
of ethnic foods, a classification as "junk food" could be perceived
as rather offensive, given that such foods may have been prepared and consumed
for centuries and may contain healthy ingredients. In the book, Panic Nation:
Unpicking the Myths We're Told About Food and Health, a
complementary point is argued: food is food, and if there is no nutritional
value, then it isn't a food of any type, "junk" or otherwise. Co-editor
Vincent Marks explains, "To label a food as 'junk' is just another way of
saying, 'I disapprove of it.' There are bad diets - that is, bad mixtures and
quantities of food - but there are no 'bad foods' except those that have become
bad through contamination or deterioration.
SO, Junk food is a pejorative term for cheap food containing high
levels of calories from sugar or fat with little fiber, protein, vitamins or minerals.
Junk food can also refer to high protein food like meat prepared with saturated fat -
which some believe may be unhealthy, although some studies have shown no
correlation between saturated fat and cardiovascular diseases; many hamburger
outlets, fried chicken outlets and the like supply food considered as junk
food.
Despite being labeled as
"junk," such foods usually do not pose any immediate health concerns
and are generally safe when integrated into a well balanced diet. However,
concerns about the negative health effects resulting from the consumption of a
"junk food"-heavy diet, especially obesity, have resulted in public health awareness
campaigns, and restrictions on advertising and
sale in several countries.
How to recognise Junk foods
Snacks such as ice cream, Milk shakes, soda, fizzy
carbonated beverages, soda, breakfast cereals, cookies, candies, chips, pizza,
burgers, tacos, chicken submarine sandwiches and instant noodles, in addition
to indian curries and kebabs fall under the category of junk foods.
As the old adage goes that too much
of anything is good for nothing, likewise junk
foods are processed with nitrates, for sustaining their flavour and
freshness for longer duration besides enhancing their mouth-watering taste.
Understanding the Nutrition
label
It is crucial to read the list of
main ingredients on the label, to determine if the food is laden with fat, salt
and sugar. To avoid any chances of an impending health
hazard caused by junk foods, it would be wise to check the sodium,
sugar, cholesterol and fibre content besides the amount of calories and fat
contained in the product.
Fat content
The required consumption of fat per day is 25 to 30% of the
total calories, to enable proper functioning of the fat-soluble vitamins that
is responsible for creating a feeling of being full and satiated.
Nevertheless, excess amounts of saturated fats, consumed in the form of fried
chicken, burgers and pizzas clog the arteries leading to cardiovascular
diseases, stroke, premenstrual syndrome, arthritis, cancer and obesity
Sodium content
Junk
foods contain sodium in abundance,
especially in foods such as breakfast cereals, cookies and pastries.
Since the daily requirement of sodium is 2300 milligrams per serving, excess
intake is likely to lead to life-threatening diseases. Nonetheless, sodium in
conjunction with potassium plays a major role in maintaining the water balance
in the body. However, taking sodium in moderation is recommended, as excess
amounts lead to fluid retention.
Sugar content
Creamilicious cakes, cookies, lollies, candies and soft
drinks, a favourite among kids, acquire their delicious taste, due to their
surplus sugar content. Since the body converts sugar to fat, they cause
more harm than good in the long run, resulting in orthodontic problems and
obesity.
Fibre content
Listed in grams, the dietary fibre undergoes a change in
quantity, depending upon the product. A sufficient quantity of two grams
dietary fibre per serving is recommended for good health. However, high
fibre foods are those with quantities of five plus grams.
List of Junk Food
·
Sugars,
Refined foods, like
sugar and plain flour (maida) based items including white bread and most
packaged goods, like Twinkies and sugar donuts, etc. (Sugar Substitutes). Our body eventually
turns sugars into fat. If you consume just 3 tsp of sugar daily, imagine how
much sugar you would have consumed by the time you are 50 years of age, it will
be about 275 kg !, about 5 time your weight !!
·
Fats &
Hydrogenated oils They
are found in cookies, chips, candy bars, fried foods, muffins, bologna, etc.
etc. Many snacks, such as potato chips, cheeseburgers and fries, have high
levels of fat, sugar or salt-ingredients that are usually best limited to a
small portion of your diet. The saturated fat mainly comes from animal
products. Remember there is nothing that is useful for our body in foods with hydrogenated or
trans fat. The
excessive fats stick to our arteries and cause the blockages leading to heart
disease and strokes. They can also aid to cancer, arthritis, PMS and sexual
dysfunction.
Some fats like Omega-3 fatty acids are good for our bodies.
Some fats like Omega-3 fatty acids are good for our bodies.
·
Salt: Excessive
salt is not good for our body (Daily Salt Recommendation). However, sodium
in moderate amount, along with potassium, maintains the water balance in our
body. But too much sodium can cause high blood pressure.
Pretzels, chips and many canned food items contain excessive salt. (High sodium food
list)
·
Below is a detailed list of junk foods:
1. Fast food: Fish
& Chips, Pizza, Burger, Fried chicken, Sausages, Noodles, Pasta, Noodles,
etc.
2. Snacks &, Desserts: Hot-dogs,
Donuts, Potato chips, French fries, Crisps, Popcorn, Sweets, Biscuits,
Icecream, Tacos, Potato wedges, Pancakes, Biscuits,Cookies, etc.French Fries, Potato Chips and other deep fried snacks are
sources of cholesterol, trans fats, and salt that work towards clogging the
arteries. French fries are full of fat. So, when you eat a large serving of 220
g, you are exceeding the safe limit for trans fats.
In fried potato chips 50-60 % of calories come from fats.
A packet of Maggi noodles has around 3 g of salt, whereas the recommended salt intake is 6 g daily. Maggi has a lot of empty calories, with 70 % of it being just carbohydrates!White pasta is full of cream. Instead, you should eat pasta in tomato sauce.
In fried potato chips 50-60 % of calories come from fats.
A packet of Maggi noodles has around 3 g of salt, whereas the recommended salt intake is 6 g daily. Maggi has a lot of empty calories, with 70 % of it being just carbohydrates!White pasta is full of cream. Instead, you should eat pasta in tomato sauce.
3. Carbonated Beverages contain
a very high concentration of sugar. Their sugar-free or zero varieties contain
sweeteners like aspartame that are harmful if consumed over a period.
4. Burgers are
the worst junk foods. They contain everything we shouldn't eat. They contain
sauces high in sugar and sodium, fried patties loaded with trans-fats, cheese
containing high amount of dairy fat and mayonnaise with preservatives and egg
yolks.Vegetarian burgers contain 35 % calories, while non-vegetarian burgers 47
% calories that come from fats.
5. Ice Creams: Creamier
ice creams are the worst junk foods. A single serving of most ice creams can
contain more than 15 g of fat and high amounts of sugar, increasing waistline.
6. Pizzas are
relatively safe as they had low levels of salt and fats. But, those packed with
cheese were in the danger zone.
7. Drinks & Soft drinks containing sugar: :
Coke, Pepsi, Fanta, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Lemonade, Hot chocolate, Milkshake
8. Cakes: Creamy
cakes contain a highly processed, uncooked form of carbohydrate. This kind of
white bread has a high glycemic index which in combination with the high amount
of sugar ensures that the blood sugar levels are boosted instantly.Try Indian
sweets like kheer and rasgulla instead of cakes and pastries.
9. Sugary Cereals Most
of the popular brands of so called healthy cereals coated with sugar, like
fruit loops that contains a high concentration of synthetic sugar, are
actcually not healthy.
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