Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Random Question- How do you define junk food?

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Random Question- How do you define junk food?

    I am aware that I have absolutely horrid eating habits, and since I want to try to change that around, I'm challenging myself to go from Mon to Fri with no junk food whatsoever.

    The main issue I've seemed to encounter is what is considered junk food. This tends to vary greatly.

    Somethings, like cookies, and candy are obvious junk foods, but there are other things, like crackers, yogurt, granola bars, cereal, that some people classify as not junk food, yet others classify these as junk food.

    In your opinion, what for defines what junk food is?

    Also, is there anyone who wants to try to take this challenge with me?

  • #2
    I'd always heard the definition of "junk food" is something that has calories but no nutritional substance, or something high in fats/sugars.

    For instance, potato chips, or cream-filled pastries.
    Skilled programmers aren't cheap. Cheap programmers aren't skilled.

    Comment


    • #3
      In my opinion, just about anything that tastes good. If it tastes bad, it's probably good for you.
      The fact that jellyfish have survived for 650 million years despite not having brains gives hope to many people.

      You would have to be incredibly dense for the world to revolve around you.

      Comment


      • #4
        To me, junk food is stuff like cookies, chips, and anything else found in the 'snacks' aisle of the grocery store. Yogurt and string cheese, to me, don't really qualify because they at least has some health and nutritional value (probiotics, calcium, protein). Same with granola bars, because those are high in fiber depending on what kind you get.
        "Things that fail to kill me make me level up." ~ NateWantsToBattle, Training Hard (Counting Stars parody)

        Comment


        • #5
          Carb-related snacks, like chips and popcorn can be junk food. Even the "healthier" kind can't be that good for you. Also, please read the labels on every food package so that you know what you can have and what you can't.

          But too much of anything, even healthy stuff, is also bad.
          Last edited by cindybubbles; 03-14-2015, 06:46 PM.
          cindybubbles (👧 ❤️ 🎂 )

          Enter Cindyland here!

          Comment


          • #6
            Is it eaten as part of a meal? And I include a scheduled snack as a meal - my nutritionist has programmed in 3 snacks and 3 meals per day - breakfast is almost always oatmeal made with raisins and cinnamon, then a morning snack, lunch is almost always a chopped salad, afternoon snack, dinner is the only really changeable meal and an evening snack, which is almost always a single serve cup of no sugar added applesauce. My morning and afternoon snack may be as simple as a tablespoon of hummus and a small pita, or handful of celery or a single deviled egg, or a wasa crispbread/cracker with a smear of brie [effectively about 150 calories or so.]

            If it is not part of a planned and balanced diet, then it is junk food. If you have planned a cookie or granola bar as a snack at a specific time, it is not junk food. If you walk through the kitchen and grab it because it looks good, then it is junk food. [why yes, I am very OCD about controling my food intake =)]
            EVE Online: 99% of the time you sit around waiting for something to happen, but that 1% of action is what hooks people like crack, you don't get interviewed by the BBC for a WoW raid.

            Comment


            • #7
              Most yogurts and granola type things I classify as junk food because of the high sugar content. Generally they have as much sugar as a candy bar. Granola is super easy to make at home, though, and you have direct control over what goes into it if you make your own. Plain unsweetened yogurt that you add a couple of teaspoons of jam or preserves to reduces the sugar content of that dramatically.

              I also classify pretty much all fast food as junk, it's usually loaded with fat and salt and heavily refined carbs.

              Sodas are junk, and even sugar free types can sabotage a diet. There' a fair bit of evidence that sugar substitutes trigger carb cravings. A twelve ounce can of regular soda has over a quarter cup of sugar in it!
              You're only delaying the inevitable, you run at your own expense. The repo man gets paid to chase you. ~Argabarga

              Comment


              • #8
                The higher the fat, carb and/or sugar content, combined with being very highly processed, the junkier it is. This means McDonald's burgers, shakes and fries count as junk, for example. Potato chips, cheese curls, pork rinds, and other stuff like that also. Read ingredients labels: See all those long words you can't pronounce? Also a sign of junk food. The more chemicals, "flavor enhancers" and such the product has, the farther away it is from food that's good for you. High calories with low nutritional value is another clue.

                Non-junk food means fresh fruits and veg, whole grains, fresh meat cooked without a lot of additives, low-fat or no-fat dairy foods such as skim or 1% milk, cheese and yogurt. By cooking food yourself, you know what's in it and how it was prepared, and you control all of this.

                If you want to see some healthy suggestions for meals, check out the American Diabetes Assocation website. Even if you're not diabetic or pre-diabetic, they have some very good, sensible and achievable suggestions for healthy eating. Note: This is not "going on a diet." It's more of a lifestyle change.
                When you start at zero, everything's progress.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Junk food is everywhere. Food manufactures load up healthy foods with sugars to make them taste better. That 6oz container of Greek Yogurt with fruit has more cards that you should eat in a meal. That Granola bar is held together with sugars, and it doesn't need that chocolate & caramel topping. If it has been packaged, it has been salted. Salt, fats and sugars. Pick two. If they take one out, they add more of the others.

                  Unless you raise your own food or go vegan, it is hard to avoid the junk.

                  So just cut back. Eat more vegetables. Stick to lean meats. Reduce your carb and salt intake. Avoid fried foods. Dump the empty calories (candies, chips, cookies, etc).

                  ETA: Just saw Mooncat's post. I'll second the ADA Exchange diet (been on it for three years).
                  Last edited by csquared; 03-15-2015, 12:05 AM.
                  Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
                  Save the Ales!
                  Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I will respectfully disagree with the comment about Greek yogurt, only because you can get some lighter varieties that only have 8 or 9 grams carb. Even the regular ones often have no more than 20. I consider that acceptable, as long as I haven't already something else that has about that much.

                    There is also this: The most recent data suggests that you are actually more at risk for health problems when your sodium intake is too LOW.
                    When you start at zero, everything's progress.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth Kittish View Post
                      Most yogurts and granola type things I classify as junk food because of the high sugar content. Generally they have as much sugar as a candy bar. Granola is super easy to make at home, though, and you have direct control over what goes into it if you make your own. Plain unsweetened yogurt that you add a couple of teaspoons of jam or preserves to reduces the sugar content of that dramatically.
                      !
                      My favorite is our homemade yogurt with unsweetened applesauce and a shot of cinnamon, about 1:1 apple sauce to yogurt.
                      Quoth MoonCat View Post

                      If you want to see some healthy suggestions for meals, check out the American Diabetes Assocation website. Even if you're not diabetic or pre-diabetic, they have some very good, sensible and achievable suggestions for healthy eating. Note: This is not "going on a diet." It's more of a lifestyle change.
                      You might be able to get a nutritionist consult if your insurance will cover it [if you have insurance that is =(] But really it is fairly simple. Eat low on the food chain, try to make as much as possible because the store bought crap is loaded with sugars or salts you don't need. I prefer to make most stuff from scratch because I can customize it - make it more or less spicy or sweet, add or remove stuff, tweak flavor profiles in general =)
                      Quoth MoonCat View Post
                      There is also this: The most recent data suggests that you are actually more at risk for health problems when your sodium intake is too LOW.
                      I have given up on the mass market/popular press reporting of food/health issues - at this point my opinion is if God put it on the earth, we are meant to use it. Just don't go nuts, eat in moderation, and be sensible.

                      I don't do statins, I have good labs ever time. While yes I do have to take 4 different meds to keep my blood pressure from ramping up to explodyhead levels, it is not cholesterol, my blood vessels are squeeky clean, it is not salt or anything I eat - we have figured out it is my brain being slightly miswired. I do have to take metformin, lantus, victoza - I have struggled with diabetes since I got gestational diabetes at the age of 19 and in perfect extreme athletic shape. [And since adding the victoza last june, I have lost 30 pounds! No dietary change, and certainly adding no exercise, just whacking my body into functioning better! ] If my body was not whacked, I would be in excellent shape with the diet I have followed for the majority of my life [my mom didn't do convenience and junk foods, that is why I really dislike sodas and most junk foods.]
                      EVE Online: 99% of the time you sit around waiting for something to happen, but that 1% of action is what hooks people like crack, you don't get interviewed by the BBC for a WoW raid.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Would meals served on board a Chinese boat be considered Junk food?
                        Any fool can piss on the floor. It takes a talented SC to shit on the ceiling.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Quoth MoonCat View Post
                          Read ingredients labels: See all those long words you can't pronounce? Also a sign of junk food. The more chemicals, "flavor enhancers" and such the product has, the farther away it is from food that's good for you.
                          this is closer to chemophobia than actual truth.
                          1, EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALS
                          2, labeling laws REQUIRE chemical names, not common names for example:
                          Pyridoxine, Adermine Chlorhydrate, and Adermine Hydrochloride are all names for vitamin b6, b12 has even more.

                          the chemist that makes this did so to prove a point.

                          these are the labels that SHOULD appear on common foods(Kiwi, passionfruit, egg, bananna, blueberry)
                          Honestly.... the image of that in my head made me go "AWESOME!"..... and then I remembered I am terribly strange.-Red dazes

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Thank you for all your help with this, if anyone wants to join me in the challenge, these are the rules I came up with for the challenge:

                            No obvious junk food items -Candy/cookies/soda ect.

                            Unlimited healthy foods -Meat/Veggies/Fruit/Nuts/Dairy with no sugar added

                            Things that blur the line between healthy and junk food items - limited to 2 servings from this category per day

                            Anyone can join, We are starting on Monday morning, and lasts through all of Friday.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Definitely not junk:
                              Fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, meat, dairy, herbs, spices, wholemeal or wholegrain flour, a limited amount of sugar, a limited amount of natural vegetable oils (preferably olive, linseed or one of the more nutritious oils). Enough salt to keep you healthy.
                              With the dairy, limit the amount of cream (or processed-from-cream stuff, like butter).
                              Animal fats must be restricted, though oily fish are fine.
                              Organ meats are fine, but skin tends to have animal fat attached to it.


                              Still not junk:
                              Processing any of the above in a healthy way. Preferably steamed, grilled, lightly boiled, baked, roasted. Preferably not deep fried. Shallow fried can be fine - especially if done in a style similar to stir-frying.
                              Casseroles, stews and soups are also fine, as are sauces, dips and dressings constructed from the stuff above.
                              Dietary fibre - ie, the part of vegetables that your body can't digest.
                              Most added vitamins - eg vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

                              Junk:
                              White flour and anything made from it. More sugar, oil, butter than you need. Skin with the fat still attached (eg pork rinds). Anything that's mostly fat, anything that's mostly sugar. Anything that's mostly starch (eg some things made from potato).
                              Anything indigestable other than dietary fibre (eg olestra, some sugar substitutes).
                              Seshat's self-help guide:
                              1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                              2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                              3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                              4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

                              "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X