What is "junk food"?

BarackMeLikeAHurricane
BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
in Food and Nutrition
No, seriously. What is junk food? Most people think of chips, soda, ice cream, pizza, etc. when they hear junk food but what makes it junk food?

Is it food that isn't "clean"? My protein powder isn't found growing in nature, it has to be processed. Does that mean protein powder is junk food?

Is it food that's high calorie? Nuts and some fruits are high calorie. Are nuts and fruits junk food?

Is it the nutritional value? Fruits and vegetables are almost entirely carbs (like most junk food). Are fruits and vegetables junk food?

Does containing vitamins and minerals make something NOT junk food? I could crush up some vitamins and throw it in a milkshake. Would that be junk food?

So let me ask again, what is junk food?
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Replies

  • NickMacaluso
    NickMacaluso Posts: 2
    Anything with added high fructose corn syrup is junk.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,264 Member
    Generally it's something that has little nutritional value while having high calories from added sugar and fats.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    inb4 meat.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Meat...oh, wait....
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,264 Member
    lol, or dairy.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    inb4 meat.
    Lol I'm vegetarian but I don't consider meat to be junk food, I just don't like the taste or the idea of eating animals. It kinda creeps me out.
  • Ultragirl2374
    Ultragirl2374 Posts: 390 Member
    Generally it's something that has little nutritional value while having high calories from added sugar and fats.

    ^^^^this
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Joking aside I would say that generally speaking one should consider the entire diet as a whole rather than trying to make comparisons of singular food items in isolation.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    Generally it's something that has little nutritional value while having high calories from added sugar and fats.
    Well said.
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
    MY definition is a food that provides little or no nutritional value and is loaded with sugar and/or fat.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    A food that is extremely high in calories relative to its nutritional merit.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Don't throw fat under the bus!!!!
  • RonnieLodge
    RonnieLodge Posts: 665 Member
    Generally it's something that has little nutritional value while having high calories from added sugar and fats.

    A food that is extremely high in calories relative to its nutritional merit.

    ^This^
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
    A food that is extremely high in calories relative to its nutritional merit.

    Bacon Covered Donuts
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    A food that is extremely high in calories relative to its nutritional merit.

    Bacon Covered Donuts

    Donuts, period.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    A food that is extremely high in calories relative to its nutritional merit.

    Bacon Covered Donuts

    Donuts, period.

    Get out.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    i would go with anything processed or with refined sugar...
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    A food that is extremely high in calories relative to its nutritional merit.

    Bacon Covered Donuts

    Donuts, period.

    Get out.

    Whatever, beer girl.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    Food that is spoiled so you throw it away to prevent yourself from getting the BG's
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,264 Member
    Don't throw fat under the bus!!!!
    Absolutely not. Added fat is not the same thing as the fat found naturally within a food. A rib eye is naturally higher in fat and would never dream of removing the fat. nada, never.:happy:
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
    Food you regret eating later.

    For me, thus far, that narrows it down to: store bought gluten-free substitutes.
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
    I ate chocolate covered bacon today... I'm out
  • _crafty_
    _crafty_ Posts: 1,682 Member
    I had White Castle cheeseburgers today . . . I'm out.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    Junk foods definition is imho highly dependent on who is talking about it. Some people would say ice cream is junk food. I eat ice cream daily and call it part of my diet so I guess I'm losing weight eating junk food.

    My current definition is junkfood = something thats very highly processed. eg. cheetos. And while yogurt and many other products are also highly processed, thats not part of my definition.

    What I am TRYING to get my mindset to is that junk food = anything who's nutrition value isn't worth its taste. For example, about 200 calories worth ice cream will always be worth it for me to have daily. I will gladly sacrifice that amount of calories to satisfy my taste buds. Cheetos on the other hand typically won't be since its high in calories for a small amount with not a lot of bang for my caloric buck in terms of other nutrition either (Vitamins, calcium etc). Now, if I were to eat the same lunch and dinner of bbq'd chicken but cooked from 2 different places, if lunch chicken tasted nasty while dinner was delicious, I would be pissed off because I just wasted my calories on a lunch that I didn't enjoyed at all.

    tl;dr: Its all about personal preferences
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Food you regret eating later.

    For me, thus far, that narrows it down to: store bought gluten-free substitutes.

    I bought some gluten-free cookie mix by accident once...I now read the labels more carefully - it was awful.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    A food that is extremely high in calories relative to its nutritional merit.

    Bacon Covered Donuts

    Donuts, period.

    Get out.

    Whatever, beer girl.

    COME. AT. ME.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    anything from waffle house, what a burger, mcdonalds, burger king et al ...:)
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
    Food you regret eating later.

    For me, thus far, that narrows it down to: store bought gluten-free substitutes.

    I bought some gluten-free cookie mix by accident once...I now read the labels more carefully - it was awful.

    Yeah... You'd be lucky to find any gluten-free goods that don't taste like *kitten*.

    Sad coeliac is sad. :'(
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Junk food is a term made-up by the food police, just like the term "clean food."
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    A food that is extremely high in calories relative to its nutritional merit.

    Bacon Covered Donuts

    Donuts, period.

    Get out.

    Whatever, beer girl.

    COME. AT. ME.

    Oh honey. Like you can throw down while guarding your precious ale.

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