Random Question- How do you define junk food?

[MoonCat]

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)

My point is that the more highly processed something is, the more likely it is to have hidden fats and sugars. For ex., one trick they use nowadays is to list "evaporated cane juice" instead of calling it what it is: Sugar. If you look at the nutrition label, it will tell you the total amount of fat, sugar, carb, etc., in the product, but you should also note the serving size.

When you prepare your own meal with fresh meats, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, dairy products, or whatever, you control what goes into your meals. You can't get much control with a frozen entree that someone else formulated.

[Seshat]

I'll add an addendum.

It's perfectly fine to have something that's junk food, on one condition: You actively enjoy every bite.

The moment you're eating it 'because it's nearly finished', or on autopilot, or because it's there or because you always eat X when you watch Y ... you're stuffing yourself with empty calories and possibly adding unnecessary sugar to your teeth.

If you're having dessert at a restaurant, or cake at a cafe, or a doughnut with your coffee, get it to take-away. At each mouthful, stop what you're doing other than eating, and really focus on the cake (or dessert or doughnut or whatever).

Eventually you'll get to a point where you realise you aren't enjoying the mouthfuls as much as you did when you started. At that point, put it in its take-away container and take it home (or to work), either for yourself for later, or to give to a family member.


The same with chips, cookies, and the like. Stop, and dispose of the wrapper thoug... no, sorry. Eat each chip or cookie thoughtfully.

[JPD]

Update:

I failed the 5 day challenge, I had made it 3 days, then on the 4th day I ended up eating a bunch of junk food.

I am thinking of trying again soon though.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Update:

I failed the 5 day challenge, I had made it 3 days, then on the 4th day I ended up eating a bunch of junk food.

I am thinking of trying again soon though.

In my opinion if you do get off track for a bite or two, don't think of it as 'I failed' because then you seem to give yourself permission to go nuts and eat way more crap than you would in a normal week. If you instead think, 'I really enjoyed those two bites, and it will give me more willpower to get through the rest of my week' you might make it easier on yourself to reduce the overall amount of junk food you eat, as a long term change. That's how it went for me anyways.

[Sapphire Silk]

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.

I largely agree with the rest of the post, but let me just point out that just because the ingredient is a long scientific name does not mean it is bad for you. Many very healthy things for you have long scientific names. You need to look up what the ingredient actually is, and whether or not there is any valid scientific evidence the ingredient is unhealthy in some way. Some are (sugar substitutes increasingly look as if they trigger insulin resistance leading to fat buildup), while others aren't.

Processed foods in general are not as good for you as foods made with fresh ingredients because they are usually high in sugar or fat, and that leads to weight gain. However, using fresh ingredients isn't any better if you are still producing meals that are high in sugar or fat. For example, if you are cooking everything with butter, you're still eating a high fat diet.

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).

Vegan isn't healthy, either. Essential vitamins we need, B vitamins in particular, only come from animal sources. Vegans have to turn themselves inside out to get these nutrients while eating only plant sources of food.

It is the BALANCE of fruits, vegetables, and meats that is important. Check out MyPlate.gov to see what your proportions should be (the ADA diets are also pretty good for general health). Generally we need a larger proportion of veggies to meats and fruits, balanced by high fiber grains.

If you eat a healthy, balanced diet most of the time, an occasional treat won't hurt you. It's when you treat yourself every day that you're slipped away from a healthy to an unhealthy diet.

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.

We've known for decades that too much salt increases your risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. So it made sense to doctors that lowering salt intake might decrease risk.

What repeated studies have found is that it does not decrease your risk; the study cohort on low salt was just as likely to die as the control group.

The reasons why are unclear. Some early evidence suggests a hormonal stress reaction. And we need a certain amount of sodium for our electrical systems (the sodium potassium pump) to work.

Years ago, the recommendation was to eat between 2 and 4 grams of salt per day if you were healthy, and no more than 2 grams if you have hypertension or a risk of cardiovascular disease.

Then they made it 2 grams for everyone.

Then they made it less than 1500 mg for everyone.

Often people complain that scientists don't know what they're talking about because the recommendations always change. The peer review process means our knowledge is always being refined. The media has a tendency to overhype study results and make it seem like all scientists agree with the conclusion of one study, and that the results should be applied across the board.

In fact, different doctor groups have different opinions, and sometimes it's hard to know who's right if you're not able to really to evaluate the evidence yourself. So it's a good discussion to have with your doctor, who knows you and has a better idea of what might be best for the individual patient.

[Marmalady]

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

Anything that I enjoy eating

[BookstoreEscapee]

I get plain Greek yogurt and add a little raw sugar (inevitably waaaay less than any pre-sweetened brand will have), some vanilla extract, and fruit - my favorites are fresh or frozen berries or apricots (you can get them in cans but fresh is better when they're in season). Last night I experimented with making a smoothie with plain Kefir (like a drinkable yogurt) and frozen strawberries, a banana, and a little honey. It was yummy.

[Jester]

Junk food is relative. I have vegetarian friends who think much of what I eat is junk, because it is meat. Or it is produce that at is not certified organic. Etc, etc.

The things I would say are definitely junk: cookies, cakes, ice cream, candy, pies, chips, popcorn, most microwaveable processed foods, soda, pretzels, and such. Also, most fast food. I say most, because I do not consider subs to be on the same level as fast food burgers and fries. Say what you will out Suway, and much of may we'll be mostly or partly true, but eating there is still healthier than eating at McDonald's or a Burger King, neither one of which I've eaten in over 10 years.

I will take the challenge with you. But I challenge you further. Not Monday to Friday, but an entire week. No classic junk food. Eat healthy. And despite what some people say, healthy is not automatically or even usually synonymous with tasting terrible.

I will not eat any of the stuff I menitoned above as being junk food. Nor pizza. No buffalo wings. (Which are a particular favorite of mine.) No tacos. No nachos. No pastries. No cookies, candy, chips, popcorn, pretzels, ice cream, cake, pie, fast food, or overly processed bullshit. (I will NOT, however, give up beer. This is not negotiable. Besides, it's healthy....it's liquid bread!) No soda. No energy drinks.

What I think is fair game: all fresh produce. Salads of all types. Sandwiches. Soups. Pasta. Rice. Real meat. (Spam isn't.) Real cheese. (No Cheez Whiz or yellow American
"cheese.") Ribs. Steaks. Pork. Lamb. Fish. I don't drink coffee or tea, but if you do, I consider them fair game. Juice. Gatorade and similar drinks.

I'll PM you my phone number, if you want, so we can text back and forth with our progress, and to ask questions when we're unsure if something is or isn't junk. (Chances are too that if you think it is, it is.)

One caveat: I cannot do this April 7-13, as I will be on vacation. It's not that I don't think I CAN do this while on vacay. I really don't eat a lot of junk food in general. It's that I am going to have a lot on my plate, I am going to be doing a lot of running around, and I just don't want to limit myself while on this vacay.

Whether or not you do this with me, I do have a bit of advice. For breakfast, rather than shoving some fast food nonsense or even a good but fatty breakfast sandwich into your mouth, have a bowl of fruit. I've been doing this for breakfast for the last two and a half years, and it gets my day off to a fantastic start. I sometimes will still have that egg, sausage, and cheese sandwich. But more than not, I wont.

Let me know if you're up for this. Or if you have any questions. Either way, you have my full support.

Good luck!

If it is not part of a planned and balanced diet, then it is junk food.

If you walk through the kitchen and grab it because it looks good, then it is junk food.

I respectfully disagree. I often walk through my kitchen and grab a snack because it looks good. It is rarely junk food, however, as I really don't buy that stuff, almost ever. Some things I've just grabbed as snacks in my kitchen include nuts, fruit, green beans, hummus, pickles, pepperoncinis, cheese, etc.

[AccountingDrone]

I respectfully disagree. I often walk through my kitchen and grab a snack because it looks good. It is rarely junk food, however, as I really don't buy that stuff, almost ever. Some things I've just grabbed as snacks in my kitchen include nuts, fruit, green beans, hummus, pickles, pepperoncinis, cheese, etc.

If you are serious about food control, then you don't just grab food because it looks good, you eat because it is time for a scheduled snack, or you are experiencing hypoglycemia and *need* to get your blood glucose up. Eating because you are bored is really not a good idea.

Though your week long food challenge looks like great fun, I can't play because I don't do anything not on a meal plan unless I am on vacation or on a road trip and random food may happen because of a supply fail. I posted this weeks menu over on crosstalk.

[Jester]

If you are serious about food control, then you don't just grab food because it looks good, you eat because it is time for a scheduled snack, or you are experiencing hypoglycemia and *need* to get your blood glucose up. Eating because you are bored is really not a good idea.

If you are serious about food control, no.

But the question was, in essence, "what is junk food." You may not think it is a great idea to munch on some cherries without planning it, but you can't honestly call them junk food.

And I don't eat when I'm bored, I eat when I'm hungry. Which is not always the same time of day. Other than my morning bowl of fruit, I don't really plan ahead for the vast majority of my meals. I am not serious about food control. I am serious about not eating crap, and for the most part, I dont.