What is junk food?

Junk Food (JF) is a term believed to be first used by Micheal Jacobson, director of Center for Science in Public Interest, in 1972.

What is Junk Food. How do I know what I am eating is junk food or not. And why is it bad for my health.

JF is unhealthy food as it contains high amounts of fats, sugar, salt and calories. It has negligible nutritional value as it contains little amount of protein, vitamins or minerals.

Examples: salted snack foods, candy, sweet desserts, fried fast foods, carbonated beverages, etc.

Foods like hamburger, pizza and tacos become healthy or junk food depending on their ingredients and preparation methods. However, processed foods or tinned foods usually get categorized as JF.

Socio-economic status and a certain liking to a particular food overrides all concerns and definitions of JF. For the rich no food is JF if there is a liking for it whereas for the poor there is no JF as that is the only affordable food.

JF can be bad for health if consumed regularly and not integrated with a balanced diet. The risk to health can be reduced if the vada-paav (the Indian hamburgers) or any other JF is eaten no more than once a week and followed by lots of fruits, salads and cooked vegetables.

Although there are no studies to prove but common sense demands that by no means should JF be consumed more than once a week.

Because JF are cheap the ingredients used can be such that they may contain high amounts of trans fatty acids (TFAs) which are definitely bad for health.

Hence, although you may enjoy your quota of JF, it is important to be a track of that quota. Do not consume JF more than once a week and remember to top it up with lots of fruits, salads and vegetables to negate its harmful effects.

Dr. Ajay Sati.