How bad is Junk food?

I know many families where they never a eat fresh food and it is all microwaved, or junk food

However the Children are all much taller than their parents and most look very healthy

In contrast some vegetarians are very pale.,and do not seem to live longer than non vegetarians.

Is that a contradiction in terms?.

Or if you eat enough rubbish are you bound to get some vitamins as well?

Re: How bad is Junk food?

Of course you are going to get vitamins and minerals from junk food

Take a Big Mac, an all beef patty, lettuce, cheese, tomato, pickle, sesame seed bun. Take all those ingredients and it screams healthy , only it's also fat/salt and presertive laden

Cereal can also be classed as junk food, esp those aimed at children, but it's fortified with vitamins, as is shop bought bread

Frozen veg is often fresher then the fresh stuff on sale. Most is picked, frozen and packed within 2 hrs

I saw a very interesting programme the other night showing how fish fingers are made, the cod is fresher then anything you will get from your fishmonger, unless you live in a fishing port

Ready meals have their place, they aren't all bad for you. It's not just the young and reckless that live on them, elderly people, the infirm etc do as well. There's a lot of adverts for them on the tv

Re: How bad is Junk food?

I love Maccy Ds I am actually eating one now just bought it instead of cooking fish n chips which is the norm on a Friday night but I felt lazy.
I don't think most foods are bad for you in the right amounts.
My only grumble is the preservatives that they put in them. I believe they are a major part of the problem.
Has for salts I think thats a bit of a joke saying to much salt is bad for you.
Before freezers and fridges salt was one of the main ingedients for keeping food fresh.
Just look at the life span then 60 was a good old age.

With me it all goes in one ear and out the other (mainly because there is naff all to stop it in between.)
I enjoy all foods.

Re: How bad is Junk food?

I have to be very very hungry to eat junk food. I always feel sick after. It must be the salt upsets my tummy...
Interesting thread. Looking forward to what others have to say about this.

Re: How bad is Junk food?

Is there somewhere we can click on to give credit for a good thread?

Re: How bad is Junk food?

Ah but long, look how people lived back in the day when we only had salt to preserve our food. Certainly weren't eating three fat laden meals a day, supplemented by chocolate and crisps and all the other stuff we shove in our mouths , sitting around in centrally heated houses and driving everywhere

Salt was expensive , so much so , it was used as a method of payment back in Roman times. It was used to preserve, not added to everything

Most people eat too much salt , it's hidden in just about everything. I scratch cook and use so little, I'm often poisoned if I eat out or get a takeaway or ready meal, it all tastes so salty

Yet I'll happily add salt to a bag of chips with pure abandon and without fear

Re: How bad is Junk food?

Hi, Azure! Interesting food for thought...bad pun. The thing people forget is that people who are in business selling and preparing food have ultimately one goal (and it makes sense) - and that is to make money. If you sell only organic foods prepared by the best chefs, and only three people can afford it, your business won't be around next month. It is only when there is enough public demand, or the government establishes regulations, that junk ingredients will go away. Why do we still have cigarettes despite the consistent scientifc proof that they are harmful? Because we live in societies that believe that the costs of cigarette smoking do not outweight the benefits - freedom to choose our diversions, pleasure, tax revenues, etc.

The holy grail for food companies large and small is to develop recipes that taste good with as inexpensive ingredients as possible. It's been that way since the days of spicing/salting rotting meat and selling it to the uninformed. To Missy's point, one of those holy grails is fortification with nutrients in manufacturing.

Junk food provides a quick way to satisfy food urges at a fairly low cost and at a great convenience. There is simply a high demand for it. In moderation, no harm no foul. The problem is that people are now living on it.

Chidren are getting taller, but they are getting fatter too, setting them up for more health problems down the road. One in three kids in the US is overweight. While we can always point to the outliers, the reality is that if you eat a healthy diet (nutrients, fewer animal fats, moderate calorie intake), you are statistically much more likely to live a longer, healthier life.

Re: How bad is Junk food?

Azure, They may look well now but what about in the future? When they get to our age?
All those chemicals and preservatives/additives can’t do you much good!

Re. Vegetarians... l always think of Linda McCartney. Being a vegetarian, didn’t save her.

My brother’s wife is a vegetarian and always has a white face. She brought their two daughters up on a vegetarian diet. When they were little, they were once admitted into hospital with chronic stomach pains from eating seeds and pulses.

One of the daughters married a farmer and now enjoys bacon sandwiches!!

Re: How bad is Junk food?

I've been a vegetarian since 1990 :mrgreen. and I raised a vegetarian family.

Back to edit to say if you wonder anything about being vegetarian this long, pleased do ask.

Re: How bad is Junk food?

Personally I only at fresh food as processed food and food with chemicals does not agree with me.

Many years ago I only once eat a Burger and was told it was made with Kangaroo meat. it was quite tasty though.

Mountaineers can't eat fresh food whilst climbing but they take vitamin supplements with them.

Or does the body and brain not differentiate between Fresh and junk food?

Years ago people thrived on bread and dripping.