– What exactly is it that makes “fas food” to be considered “junk food” and what exactly makes it unhealthy?

Question

When I say “fast food” I primarily mean anything such as Kentucky, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Burger King?

Health advocates say “Junk food is bad and to cut it out” but what exactly is it?

Would you describe other types of take away as being “fast food or “junk food” such as Indian take away and Chinese take away?

What primarily are the “bad parts” of “junk food”?

What types of restaurants, food outlets would not be considered “junk food”?

In: 135

Answer 1

The concept of “empty calories” is a good measure of whether a food is a junk food. The other component is how processed it is – the more processed, the worse it is.

Something that has high calories (mostly in carbs and fats) and low in vitamins, minerals, and low in fiber is what one would call nutritionally poor food.

So things like candy, fast foods, chips, soft drinks, and many ready to eat items are all in that junk category.

The less processed the better – and some people talk about items available on the outer perimeter of a grocery store being better: fresh fruit, vegetables, unprocessed fresh meats, dairy that isn’t processed much.