How Do You Define "Junk Food"?

Rocbola
Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
in Food and Nutrition
On another thread, i called a meal with 64% of it's calories coming from refined fat: "junk food". The meal being named was a salad doused in oil. Some people are trying to claim that is not junk food, despite the high ratio of nutritionless fiberless refined fat, to actual food. Do you think drowning a 90 calorie salad in 250 calories of oil makes it junk food?

How do you define what is "junk food"?

I think the definition of junk food is something that adds calories to your diet with little, to no, nutrients, and i think the definition includes anything toxic (loaded with food chemicals, unwanted hormones, pesticides, etc).

Websters defines it as: "food that is not good for your health because it contains high amounts of fat or sugar"

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

What's your definition?
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Replies

  • lilbearzmom
    lilbearzmom Posts: 600 Member
    IMO, it's a food that is high in calories with little to no nutritional benefit. Like Little Debbie snacks, for instance. Total highly processed junk.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    IMO, it's a food that is high in calories with little to no nutritional benefit. Like Little Debbie snacks, for instance. Total highly processed junk.

    This. Most candy bars too. I guess foods with a lot of refined sugars for me.
  • RivenV
    RivenV Posts: 1,667 Member
    I don't really think junk food exists. You can demonize fat or sugar all you want, but in my mind, all foods have a time and a place.

    [img]http://ed_wp-content_v2.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/tumblr_mc3e841q5t1ribnwko1_500.gif[/img]
  • billsyts
    billsyts Posts: 9 Member
    Most of the things that I find myself craving because I think it will taste good. :wink:
  • KnM0107
    KnM0107 Posts: 355 Member
    What do you think a nutrient is?
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
    I don't really think junk food exists. You can demonize fat or sugar all you want, but in my mind, all foods have a time and a place.

    [img]http://ed_wp-content_v2.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/tumblr_mc3e841q5t1ribnwko1_500.gif[/img]

    ITA!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I'm one of those folks who replied about salad oil. I guess I'm just not getting why salad oil is junk. I typically use extra virgin olive oil. Not junk imho. Especially in a nice oil and vinegar recipe.

    http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132

    And I guess I figure the alternatives can be much "worse"? Dunno. Shrug.:flowerforyou:

    Edited: Dictionaries usually have several definitions.

    Here's another
    Junk food: food that is high in calories but low in nutritional content

    Oil and vinegar dressing, by that definition? Not junk food.

    ps: My salad would never be 90 calories before the dressing. Never.:smile:
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Again, seriously??

    How bout this....food becomes junk when you are over your daily caloric/macro needs??
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    For me, "junk" food is anything I eat that makes it difficult to balance my macros inside my calorie target. So a serving of Haagen Dasz isn't junk food - but a tub would be. Snickers bar? Not junk food, but a box of bonbons, yeah, probably. Potato chips are the tricky ones because the sodium trips me up. Very difficult for me to fit those in.

    By the same token, a garden salad could be junk food as well, if it's at the end of the day and I've already eaten what I should have eaten.

    And to the person dissing Little Debbie - those are one of my go-to foods on long bike rides, along with Snickers bars. Great source of cheap, easy to burn calories.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    I don't really think junk food exists.
    This site never ceases to amaze me.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    There is no junk food, there is only food. Your overall diet can be healthy or unhealthy, individual foods in a vacuum cannot be.

    Also, aren't you the guy who said add olives or avocados to a salad? So olives and avocados are good (wicked high level of sodium in olives, due to brining,) but olive oil and avocado oil are bad? Very strong logic...
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    Junk foods are foods that consist of ingrediants that arn't food.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Nothing. Sometimes you just have energy needs. At the end of the day I have 2000 or so calories of energy needs still. This is after eating 1.6 lbs of chicken breast, 2.5 lbs of veggies, 17 cups of water, almonds, cottage cheese, & two scoops of whey isolate. So if I fill my energy needs with pop tarts or twinkies or whatever, how is it "junk"? I have needs that they're filling.

    Another 4 pounds of chicken breast or vegetables isn't going to accomplish anything different. Except it's a lot more in terms of volume to hit 2000 more calories of that stuff.

    Stahp with the food demonizing.
  • RivenV
    RivenV Posts: 1,667 Member
    I don't really think junk food exists.
    This site never ceases to amaze me.
    tumblr_llpsn0BcFg1qjt9p1o1_500.gif
    Oh no, you hurt my feelers.
  • tonynguyen75
    tonynguyen75 Posts: 418 Member
    Anything with transfat.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    I don't really think junk food exists.
    This site never ceases to amaze me.

    Because you are trying to establish something that is not.

    Not everyone sees food in the same light as you......if you think that certain foods are junk....then by all means, don't eat it.

    But that doesn't mean that someone else is gonna agree, if they are able to get what they need out of it to meet their goals.
  • RivenV
    RivenV Posts: 1,667 Member
    There is no junk food, there is only food. Your overall diet can be healthy or unhealthy, individual foods in a vacuum cannot be.

    Also, aren't you the guy who said add olives or avocados to a salad? So olives and avocados are good (wicked high level of sodium in olives, due to brining,) but olive oil and avocado oil are bad? Very strong logic...

    Hush you and your logic--you're just going to amaze the OP.

    ... On second though, keep going. Maybe you'll baffle him into blissful, joyous silence.
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
    There is no junk food, there is only food. Your overall diet can be healthy or unhealthy, individual foods in a vacuum cannot be.

    Also, aren't you the guy who said add olives or avocados to a salad? So olives and avocados are good (wicked high level of sodium in olives, due to brining,) but olive oil and avocado oil are bad? Very strong logic...

    Hush you and your logic--you're just going to amaze the OP.

    ... On second though, keep going. Maybe you'll baffle him into blissful, joyous silence.

    *crosses fingers*
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    What do you think a nutrient is?

    For me it's vitamins and minerals I guess. I just don't think your body gets much out of a candy bar other than a lot of non satisfying carbs. I still eat them though...
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    I'm one of those folks who replied about salad oil. I guess I'm just not getting why salad oil is junk. I typically use extra virgin olive oil. Not junk imho. Especially in a nice oil and vinegar recipe.
    You responded, and said that you were careful with it. I think that means you wouldn't do what i put in the example. A lot of people are not careful with it, and the example i gave of putting 250 calories of oil on a 90 calorie plate of veg is something many people do.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I'm one of those folks who replied about salad oil. I guess I'm just not getting why salad oil is junk. I typically use extra virgin olive oil. Not junk imho. Especially in a nice oil and vinegar recipe.
    You responded, and said that you were careful with it. I think that means you wouldn't do what i put in the example. A lot of people are not careful with it, and the example i gave of putting 250 calories of oil on a 90 calorie plate of veg is something many people do.
    So quantity makes it junk?
    I'm not buying it. A lot of people aren't careful with nuts either. Are they junk? I ADORE avocados. I'm careful with them. Does that make them junk? Being high in calories and fat? I'm not buying it.

    I'm careful with nuts, peanut butter, lots of things.
    It doesn't mean I think they are junk.
  • tottie06
    tottie06 Posts: 259 Member
    On another thread, i called a meal with 64% of it's calories coming from refined fat: "junk food". The meal being named was a salad doused in oil. Some people are trying to claim that is not junk food, despite the high ratio of nutritionless fiberless refined fat, to actual food. Do you think drowning a 90 calorie salad in 250 calories of oil makes it junk food?

    How do you define what is "junk food"?

    I think the definition of junk food is something that adds calories to your diet with little, to no, nutrients, and i think the definition includes anything toxic (loaded with food chemicals, unwanted hormones, pesticides, etc).

    Websters defines it as: "food that is not good for your health because it contains high amounts of fat or sugar"

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

    What's your definition?

    You mean like dressing that contains olive oil over your salad? I have always been told that you actually need to add a healthy fat like this for the body to absorb or use the nutrition of the salad. If not the olive oil, then a slice or two of an avocado will do the same.
  • RivenV
    RivenV Posts: 1,667 Member
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTTW2nBC3hsbGBhMI_6KW5RKBpWfAzRUoDbRbeVHCNBx5gnCzBN4w
  • Mr_Starr
    Mr_Starr Posts: 139 Member
    I would say anything with added trans fat would be a junk food. The FDA is looking to label these partially hydrogenated oils as being “not recognized as safe.”

    I think that in itself would indicate that some foods are indeed "junk".
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    I don't really think junk food exists. You can demonize fat or sugar all you want, but in my mind, all foods have a time and a place.

    [img]http://ed_wp-content_v2.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/tumblr_mc3e841q5t1ribnwko1_500.gif[/img]

    This. Even Flamin' Hot Cheetos have a few grams of protein, and calories. We can't live on "nutrients" alone. We need calories too.
  • RivenV
    RivenV Posts: 1,667 Member
    I'm one of those folks who replied about salad oil. I guess I'm just not getting why salad oil is junk. I typically use extra virgin olive oil. Not junk imho. Especially in a nice oil and vinegar recipe.
    You responded, and said that you were careful with it. I think that means you wouldn't do what i put in the example. A lot of people are not careful with it, and the example i gave of putting 250 calories of oil on a 90 calorie plate of veg is something many people do.

    So you advocate having a 90 calorie plate of vegetables for lunch? ... Sounds delicious and filling!

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTZ2ZTNs7YqcWoP1z3zZLyw6NlDFk-xryfDFP6GSBEMrlWQy70z
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    On another thread, i called a meal with 64% of it's calories coming from refined fat: "junk food". The meal being named was a salad doused in oil. Some people are trying to claim that is not junk food, despite the high ratio of nutritionless fiberless refined fat, to actual food. Do you think drowning a 90 calorie salad in 250 calories of oil makes it junk food?

    How do you define what is "junk food"?

    I think the definition of junk food is something that adds calories to your diet with little, to no, nutrients, and i think the definition includes anything toxic (loaded with food chemicals, unwanted hormones, pesticides, etc).

    Websters defines it as: "food that is not good for your health because it contains high amounts of fat or sugar"

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

    What's your definition?

    You mean like dressing that contains olive oil over your salad? I have always been told that you actually need to add a healthy fat like this for the body to absorb or use the nutrition of the salad. If not the olive oil, then a slice or two of an avocado will do the same.
    http://www.thekitchn.com/scientists-say-salad-isnt-as-healthy-without-salad-dressing-173220
  • Synchronicity
    Synchronicity Posts: 82 Member
    On another thread, i called a meal with 64% of it's calories coming from refined fat: "junk food". The meal being named was a salad doused in oil. Some people are trying to claim that is not junk food, despite the high ratio of nutritionless fiberless refined fat, to actual food. Do you think drowning a 90 calorie salad in 250 calories of oil makes it junk food?

    How do you define what is "junk food"?

    I think the definition of junk food is something that adds calories to your diet with little, to no, nutrients, and i think the definition includes anything toxic (loaded with food chemicals, unwanted hormones, pesticides, etc).

    Websters defines it as: "food that is not good for your health because it contains high amounts of fat or sugar"

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

    What's your definition?

    Why do you think oil is "junk"? Because it has a high caloric value?

    Oil has a number of benefits and can be part of a healthy diet, especially if that oil is rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Head over to the Mayo Clinic website or WebMD for some good, basic info on healthy fats.
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
    Anything that's not part of an actual main course.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    My "salad" today was 90 calories of cheese, 120 calories of dressing, 90 calories of tuna, and only 9 calories of actual vegetables (spinach). It was pretty damn good. Then I ate chips and candy. :drinker:

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