Junk Food
All food that is detrimental to one’s health is junk food. As the name suggests, junk food is ‘useless’ as it does nothing to improve health. The composition of junk food is completely unbalanced as it contains excesses of certain ingredients.
Most junk food comes in packets and cans. Each of these food items may have been processed according to specified standards, but they still contain some level of preservatives. These preserving agents are not good for the body and too much of canned food should be avoided.
Junk food in packets, like nachos and chips, contain added flavours. These are often termed as ‘flavour enhancers’ and it is this ingredient that makes the food item tasty. These flavouring agents seem to have an addictive effect on consumption. For example, wafers made at home (without added flavours) taste nice but are consumed in limited quantities, while wafers from a packet can be eaten in large quantities. Why? The answer is simple – the flavour enhancers made the wafers addictive.
Most packaged foods contain a high level of salt as well, as this salt acts as a preservative. Too much of salt is detrimental to one’s health as it raises blood pressure.
Children may argue that burgers are healthy as they contain carbohydrates in the form of bread, protein in the form of meat and cheese, and fibre in the form of lettuce and tomatoes. Though they may be right as per a simple analysis of food, burgers available in restaurants are unhealthy (junk) as the patties are deep fried in oil that has been used several times. The detrimental component is the oil. However, wholesome burgers made at home are always healthier as they are (usually) cooked in fresh oil.
Staying away from junk food is impossible in today’s lifestyle. We depend on packets and cans from supermarkets to make cooking easier. However, all efforts should be made towards using fresher ingredients while cooking at home.
