Former Director Grade Scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
www.daylife.page
In my opinion, 'Junk foods' are foods where what nutrients should be there are not there and what should not be there they are there. In other words 'Junk foods' are foods that lack nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and are high in empty energy, salts, sugars, or fats. Junk food is so called because it doesn't play a role in healthy eating, especially if you eat too much of it.
Some examples of junk food include:
· cakes and biscuits
· fast foods (such as hot chips, burgers and pizzas)
· chocolate and sweets
· processed meat (such as bacon)
· snacks (such as chips)
· sugary drinks (such as sports, energy and soft drinks)
· carbonated drinks
If your diet is high in fats, salt and sugar and you are not receiving essential nutrients, your risk of obesity and other chronic (long-term) diseases may increase.
These diseases include:
· cardiovascular disease
· type 2 diabetes
· non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
· some cancers
· Understanding health claims
When checking a product for its nutritional value, make sure you look at the health claims such as 'low in fat' or 'sugar free', as these can be misleading. When a product is advertised as 'light' or 'lite', this may refer only to the product's colour or flavour. This means that the product may still be 'full-fat' — be sure to read the nutrition information panel at the back of the package for the actual fat content.
Another common claim is that a product is 'sugar-free' or has 'no added sugar'. In truth, this means that a product has no added sucrose or table sugar, but it may still contain other types of sugar. The product may also contain salt or fat and may be high in empty energy, so even sugar free products can be junk foods.
Note also that products known as 'health foods' such as some fruit juices and muesli bars can actually be junk food if they contain high levels of sugar, salt or fat.
It is important to balance your junk food intake with increased exercise to help burn off extra energy. This will help you avoid gaining excessive weight.
Why is Fast food so appealing?
While you may feel that you enjoy junk food just because it tastes so good, there is a scientific explanation for why you want to have more of it. The brain naturally encourages you to seek experiences that you find pleasurable, including eating tasty food. This encouragement from the brain is known as the 'reward' system.
When a person eats tasty food (including junk food) the reward circuit in the brain is switched on. This releases a brain chemical called dopamine. The chemical rush floods the brain with pleasure and so the brain creates more receptors for dopamine in response. In the same way that people with a drug or alcohol addiction require a bigger dose over time, you crave more junk food the more you eat it.
Does eating Fast food cause health complications?
Eating too much junk food can have a negative effect on your general health and wellbeing and can also reduce your ability to be active.
Short-term effects of junk foods
As well as causing you to gain weight, the other short-term effects of eating junk food include:
· increased stress levels
· fatigue and decreased energy levels
· difficulty sleeping
· concentration difficulties
· feeling down
· tooth decay
Long-term effects of junk foods
In the long-term, eating junk food can lead to:
· type 2 diabetes
· heart-related problems (such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol)
· overweight and obesity
· osteoporosis
· certain cancers
· depression
Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. Fast food is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredients and served in packaging for take-out or takeaway. Fast food was created as a commercial strategy to accommodate large numbers of busy commuters, travellers and wage workers. In 2018, the fast-food industry was worth an estimated $570 billion globally
In May of 2018, the U.S. mandated that fast food restaurants include calories on their menus as part of the Affordable Healthcare Act. But recent research has shown that calorie labels hardly impact consumer purchasing at all, says Beth Weitzman, professor of health and public policy at New York University.
It’s not completely clear what the biggest driver is in fast food settings and why calorically dense foods don’t sway consumers. But Weitzman thinks that there’s a few factors at play. She says that consumers don’t go to fast food restaurants because they think they’re healthy or because they think it tastes amazing. People eat fast food because it gets the job done. They have a short time for lunch, they’re rushed in the morning and in the evenings, they’re picking the kids up from school and sports, she says.
“The precious nature of time plays a major role. Fast food kiosks are there on every street corner. These places are easy to reach because they’re everywhere and they provide food fast,”
What’s more, for those who purchase the same foods every time they go to a fast food restaurant, research has shown that they likely don’t look at labels. Many consumers might not even realize that their favourite fried chicken sandwich contains over a thousand calories. And if they don’t know that their daily allowance is 2,000 calories, they might not realize that the sandwich will take up half of their allotment.
It remains unknown whether new calorie requirements for menus at sit-down restaurant chains will have a bigger impact. If people have time to sit down and eat, are they more likely to care if their meal is healthy? “We’re still wondering whether these labels can make more of a difference when people aren’t rushing,”
Many different factors, from health to convenience to habit, taste and price drive the consumer mind. And while researchers are finding that health is one driver, especially in the grocery store, it’s far from the only one. Helping consumers make healthier decisions is a complex task, especially when time and money are so limited. (The author has his own study and views)