How Do You Define "Junk Food"?

in_the_stars

So... if you look at what I ate yesterday everything but the banana is junk food? Oh! forgot to add my Brach's Autumn Mix in there. Yet according to nutritiondata I meet or exceed every micro every week. My annual blood tests are perfect every year and I don't use supplements of any kind. No disease or illness.

Food is not going to save you, or cure you. I think many of you place too much hope on it doing so.

aliencheesecake

Say it with Prince...

RivenV

:yawn: Here we go again demonizing food again. *rolling eyes*

de·mon·ize (dm-nz)
tr.v. de·mon·ized, de·mon·iz·ing, de·mon·iz·es
1. To turn into or as if into a demon.
2. To possess by or as if by a demon.
3. To represent as evil or diabolic: wartime propaganda that demonizes the enemy.

Nope

I humbly disagree.

Calling foods "junk" is demonizing it, by the 3rd definition posted. They even used it in a handy-dandy sentence. Maybe they should have used smaller words.

Nope. Not me anyway. Just lacking in enough nutrients to make it worth wasting my precious discretionary calories on, for the most part. The OP is could be argued to be "demonizing", but "demonizing" is so misused on this website. Usually when "junk food" is talked about.

But as always, nice job with the insults. They do so much for your arguments. :laugh:

When logic and reason doesn't work, what do you expect? The word "demonize" might be overused, but then again... so is "junk food."

Since you mentioned that you won't have wine unless you've got the calories left over for it, is wine a junk food?

thesupremeforce

Junk food is any food that's already been tossed into the garbage.

Hornsby

Aaah. 7 pages and I still don't know what a junk food is. Good times.

It was in the very first post as defined by Websters and the Oxford dictionary.

those are terrible definitions BTW.

only people with food phobias would accept either one at face value.

They seem like perfect definitions to me... Pretty much what I think junk food is.

LOL. so food in a package is automatically a "junk" food. :laugh:

if you can't see the inherent biases built in to those definitions, you might be blind.

You must be blind, or your reading comprehension is poor, cause no where does it say that if your food is in a package, it's bad for you.

quoting the c3po avatar lady above... Oxford Dictionary defines it as: "food that has low nutritional value, typically produced in the form of packaged snacks needing little or no preparation"

which is essentially the same as what you posted 2-3 pages back.

I'm agreeing that you don't seem to have good reading comprehension. At least for this post.

the definition you both chose to accept (not me) is the one that includes the completely irrelevant commentary about being "packaged". i would say both of you have the comprehension problem. if you can't see bias in a definition, then i can't help you see it. whoever wrote that definition started with a false premise and compounded it by adding their own editorial bias.

my position is quite clear. there is no such thing as junk food. all food is simply food. it all contains some amount of nutritional quality. i think it's ridiculous to attempt to rate the amount of that nutritional quality. to me, foods are just the building blocks of your diet. if you want to rate the overall quality of a diet, then have at it. i am simply saying that a hostess twinkie is no better or worse for you than a banana. your body derives nutrition and energy from them both. food is just food and it's ridiculous to claim that a banana is inherently better for you than a twinkie. there are times when you are low on fats at the end of the day and the twinkie will get you closer to your goal than a banana, for example.

I actually agree that the "packaging" comment in that definition isn't the most important part of the definition, however, "typically" doesn't mean ALL as you tried to imply.

The problem with the rest of your thought is that you are assuming that "junk"=bad. That's your problem. Not mine. That's why I can live with the definition for junk food. It doesn't say don't eat it, it doesn't say that it will do harm, and it definitely doesn't say it's bad. It just says what it is. Food with not much nutritional value that is often pre packaged with no preparation.

LiftAllThePizzas

Since I don't irrationally avoid foods based on meaningless categories, I don't worry about defining "junk food" because doing so accomplishes nothing.

Sabine_Stroehm

When logic and reason doesn't work, what do you expect? The word "demonize" might be overused, but then again... so is "junk food."

Since you mentioned that you won't have wine unless you've got the calories left over for it, is wine a junk food?

Wine is a beverage. But sure, it could easily be classified as "empty calories". It would also fit nicely with those Julia Child quotes above. Pleasure. Art. I enjoy wine. I prefer to use those calories for a nice glass, or two, or three of wine than a pop tart or two. It's all about choices. (more so than it is about "moderation", in fact.)
You choose how to use your discretionary calories. I choose how to use mine. And I don't blather on telling others they *should* drink wine, or that they are "deprived" because they don't drink wine, or that their lives are "pathetic" or that they are "wine-o-phobic" because they don't drink wine.

I don't judge how you use your calories. I will from time to time state that the earlier healthier habits are formed the easier it is later. That goes for myself as well. I started eating a more nutritious diet when I was about 34 or 35. I wish I'd started much much earlier. c'est la vie. Cheers!:drinker:

PS: try one post without an insult. Just for the novelty.

RivenV

Since I don't irrationally avoid foods based on meaningless categories, I don't worry about defining "junk food" because doing so accomplishes nothing.

brower47

I'm sure this has already been said by countless rational people but I'm going to say it anyway.

Food = Food

Junk food = irrational fear of food

Eat whatever you like just make sure you pay attention to your macros, micros and caloric intake.

Hornsby

Junk food = irrational fear of food

This is simply untrue.

Sabine_Stroehm

Junk food = irrational fear of food

This is simply untrue.

And an odd use of an equal sign.

RivenV

When logic and reason doesn't work, what do you expect? The word "demonize" might be overused, but then again... so is "junk food."

Since you mentioned that you won't have wine unless you've got the calories left over for it, is wine a junk food?

Wine is a beverage. But sure, it could easily be classified as "empty calories". It would also fit nicely with those Julia Child quotes above. Pleasure. Art. I enjoy wine. I prefer to use those calories for a nice glass, or two, or three of wine than a pop tart or two. It's all about choices. (more so than it is about "moderation", in fact.)
You choose how to use your discretionary calories. I choose how to use mine. And I don't blather on telling others they *should* drink wine, or that they are "deprived" because they don't drink wine, or that their lives are "pathetic" or that they are "wine-o-phobic" because they don't drink wine.

I don't judge how you use your calories. I will from time to time state that the earlier healthier habits are formed the easier it is later. That goes for myself as well. I started eating a more nutritious diet when I was about 34 or 35. I wish I'd started much much earlier. c'est la vie. Cheers!:drinker:

PS: try one post without an insult. Just for the novelty.

Wine can't be junk because it's a beverage. Got it. :indifferent:

Perhaps you ought to try a single post without condescending to your audience. I'd tell you what I really think of your posts and your attitude on these forums, but I'd probably get a strike. Good luck in all your future endeavors, and I hope you enjoy the view from your high horse.

RivenV

Junk food = irrational fear of food

This is simply untrue.

And an odd use of an equal sign.

Nope. Nope nope nope. "=" literally means "is equal to"

Sweet Jesus Christ.

Sabine_Stroehm

Junk food = irrational fear of food

This is simply untrue.

And an odd use of an equal sign.

Nope. Nope nope nope. "=" literally means "is equal to"

Sweet Jesus Christ.

It's an odd use
I understand what it means.

Hornsby

Junk food = irrational fear of food

This is simply untrue.

And an odd use of an equal sign.

Nope. Nope nope nope. "=" literally means "is equal to"

Sweet Jesus Christ.

It's an odd use
I understand what it means.

And I know what it means as well, and again, it's simply untrue.

RivenV

Junk food = irrational fear of food

This is simply untrue.

And an odd use of an equal sign.

Nope. Nope nope nope. "=" literally means "is equal to"

Sweet Jesus Christ.

It's an odd use
I understand what it means.

... Sweet Jesus Christ.

Serah87

And we wonder why their is so many people with eating disorders.

Sabine_Stroehm

When logic and reason doesn't work, what do you expect? The word "demonize" might be overused, but then again... so is "junk food."

Since you mentioned that you won't have wine unless you've got the calories left over for it, is wine a junk food?

Wine is a beverage. But sure, it could easily be classified as "empty calories". It would also fit nicely with those Julia Child quotes above. Pleasure. Art. I enjoy wine. I prefer to use those calories for a nice glass, or two, or three of wine than a pop tart or two. It's all about choices. (more so than it is about "moderation", in fact.)
You choose how to use your discretionary calories. I choose how to use mine. And I don't blather on telling others they *should* drink wine, or that they are "deprived" because they don't drink wine, or that their lives are "pathetic" or that they are "wine-o-phobic" because they don't drink wine.

I don't judge how you use your calories. I will from time to time state that the earlier healthier habits are formed the easier it is later. That goes for myself as well. I started eating a more nutritious diet when I was about 34 or 35. I wish I'd started much much earlier. c'est la vie. Cheers!:drinker:

PS: try one post without an insult. Just for the novelty.

Wine can't be junk because it's a beverage. Got it. :indifferent:

Perhaps you ought to try a single post without condescending to your audience. I'd tell you what I really think of your posts and your attitude on these forums, but I'd probably get a strike. Good luck in all your future endeavors, and I hope you enjoy the view from your high horse.

You're quite a PoW:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

in_the_stars

Food is food. Your body doesn't know where it's coming from. No good, no bad. No magic.
Move more than you eat in calories, if you need to lose weight.

The anxiety caused by eating the right or wrong food probably does you more harm than a cupcake ever will.

BrainyBurro

And we wonder why their is so many people with eating disorders.

Food is food. Your body doesn't know where it's coming from. No good, no bad. No magic.
Move more than you eat in calories, if you need to lose weight.

The anxiety caused by eating the right or wrong food probably does you more harm than a cupcake ever will.