Junk Food

Definition

Junk food:
Any meal containing weak vitamins and minerals is regarded as bad and may possibly be termed a junk food. Any meal that is elevated in weight, sodium, and/or sweets is actually a junk food. Processed foods can be convenient to carry, obtain in addition to use up. Commonly, a junk food can be given an incredibly interesting physical appearance with the help of meal artificial additives in addition to shades to reinforce quality, feel, physical appearance, in addition to improving long do it yourself lifetime.

Healthy food:
Healthy food means a balanced diet. A balanced diet - or a good diet - means consuming from all the different good groups in the right quantities. Nutritionists say there are five main food groups - whole grains, fruit and vegetables, protein, diary, and fat & sugar.

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."

Foods commonly considered junk foods include salted snack foods, gum, candy, sweet desserts, friedfast 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."

Popularity and appeal

Junk food in its various forms is extremely popular, and an integral part of modern popular culture. In the US, annual fast food sales are in the area of $160 billion, compared to supermarket sales of $620 billion(a figure which also includes junk food in the form of convenience foods, snack foods, and candy). In 1976, "Junk Food Junkie," the tale of a junk food addict who pretends to follow a healthy diet by day, while at night he clandestinely gorges on Hostess Twinkies and Fritos corn chips, McDonalds and KFC, became a Top 10 pop hit in the US.Thirty-six years later, Time placed the Twinkie at #1 in its "Top 10 Iconic Junk Foods" special feature: "Not only...a mainstay on our supermarket shelves and in our bellies, they've been a staple in our popular culture and, above all, in our hearts. Often criticized for its lack of any nutritional value whatsoever, the Twinkie has managed to persevere as a cultural and gastronomical icon."

America also celebrates an annual National Junk Food Day on July 21. Origins are unclear; it is one of around 175 US food and drink days, most created by "people who want to sell more food," at times aided by elected officials at the request of a trade association or commodity group.) "In honor of the day," Time in 2014 published, "5 Crazy Junk Food Combinations." Headlines from other national and local media coverage include: "Celebrate National Junk Food Day With… Beer-Flavored Oreos?" (MTV); "National Junk Food Day: Pick your favorite unhealthy treats in this poll" (Baltimore); "Celebrities' favorite junk food" (Los Angeles); "A Nutritionist's Guide to National Junk Food Day" with "Rules for Splurging" (Huffington Post); and "It's National Junk Food Day: Got snacks?" (Kansas City).

That the poor eat more junk food overall than the more affluent is quite well-established, but the reasons for this are not clear. Few studies have focused on variations in food perception according to socio-economic status (SES); some studies that have differentiated based on SES suggest that the economically challenged don't perceive healthy food much differently than any other segment of the population. Recent research into scarcity, combining behavioral science and economics, suggests that, faced with extreme economic uncertainty, where even the next meal may not be a sure thing, judgment is impaired and the drive is to the instant gratification of junk food, rather than to making the necessary investment in the longer-term benefits of a healthier diet.

 

Reasons why eating junk food is not good

Obesity

Junk food plays a major role in the obesity epidemic. By the year 2050, the rate of obesity in the U.S. is expected to reach 42 percent, according to researchers at Harvard University. Children who eat fast food as a regular part of their diets consume more fat, carbohydrates and processed sugar and less fiber than those who do not eat fast food regularly. Junk food in these children's diets accounts for 187 extra calories per day, leading to 6 additional pounds of weight gain per year. Obesity increases your risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many other chronic health conditions.

Diabetes

Your insulin levels become elevated when you eat processed sugars, such as those in soft drinks, white flour and other foods devoid of fiber and nutrients necessary to properly metabolize carbohydrates. Eating junk foods throughout the day causes chronically high insulin levels, which eventually prompts your cells to begin to ignore this important hormone, resulting in a condition known as insulin resistance. Ultimately, obesity and Type 2 diabetes may set in. Since the 1980s, Type 2 diabetes, which was minimal in teenagers, has risen to 15 percent.

Depression

Junk food may lead to depression in teenagers, according to Andrew F. Smith, author of the book "Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat." Hormonal changes at puberty make teens more susceptible to mood and behavioral swings. A healthy diet plays a part in keeping hormone levels on an even keel, while a diet high in junk food falls short of these requirements. Consuming trans fats, saturated fats and processed food is associated with up to 58 percent increase in risk of depression.

Nutrient Deficiencies

Processing that removes vitamins, minerals and fiber makes junk foods into the sources of empty calories that nutritionists disparage. Children who eat a lot of junk foods may develop nutritional deficiencies that lead to low energy, mood swings, sleep disturbance and poor academic achievement, among other health conditions, according to the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.

Sodium

High sodium levels are a defining characteristic of many junk foods and one of the contributing factors to the overconsumption of salt that typifies the Western diet and contributes to high blood pressure and heart, liver and kidney diseases, according to Harvard Health Publications. The average American eats five to 10 times more salt than the 2,300 milligrams per day recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Considering the high rates of high blood pressure among Americans, that level should be even lower -- about 1,500 milligrams per day -- for 70 percent of adults. However, the trend since 1988 shows that fewer people with hypertension adhere to a low-sodium diet now than did then.

5 kinds of junk food

The World Health Organization has published some junk food in the world, which may cause serious damage on human health. In the following passage, we will introduce them in detail.
1. Fried food:
Fried food contains a large quantity of heat, oil and fat. Often eat such kind food will easily lead to obesity and coronary heart disease. During the frying process, it often produces a lot of carcinogenic substances. Some studies have shown that, people who often eat fried food are more likely to suffer from cancer.
2. Canned food:
No matter canned fruits or canned meat, most of the nutrients are destroyed, especially various kinds of vitamins. In addition, the protein contained in canned products is often denatured, which greatly reduces the absorption rate and nutritional value of the food. What's more, a lot of canned fruits contain a large number of sugar. After eating such kind food, it may cause the level of blood sugar to raise in a short time, and increase the burden on pancreas. At the same time, as canned food is rich in calorie, so it may also lead to obesity.
3. Preserved food:
Preserved food always contains a lot of salt, so often eat such kind food will cause great burden on the kidney, which may increase the risk of hypertension. In addition, preserved food contains a kind of carcinogenic substance--nitrosamine, which may increase the risk of malignant tumors. In addition, the high concentration of salt can seriously damage the gastrointestinal mucosa, and then lead to gastrointestinal inflammation or ulcer.
4. Processed meat:
Processed meat (such as sausage) contains a certain amount of nitrite, so it has the potential risk of leading to cancer. What's more, because processed meat always contains a lot of preservatives and color agents, so it will increase the burden on the liver. At the same time, processed meat contains a high content of sodium, so eat too much of such kind of food will increase the intake of salt, and thus leading to fluctuation of blood pressure and causing damage on the kidney.
5. Cream products:
Often eating cream products can increase your weight, and even increase the content of blood glucose and blood fat. In addition, eating a lot of cream products before meal can reduce the appetite. What's worse, if you eat cream product with an empty stomach, it may lead to heartburn and other serious symptoms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_food

http://askville.amazon.com/explain-wat-junk-food-healthy/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=87887443

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/reasons-eating-junk-food-not-good-3364.html

http://www.lookchem.com/Chempedia/Health-and-Chemical/18765.html

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