The word "junk food" originally refers to fast food, such as hamburgers, French fries, coke and so on. Now, in the eyes of most scholars, this word is no longer simply referring to foreign fast food.
Some scholars believe that "junk food" refers to food that can only provide calories without other nutrients, that is, the so-called "three highs" food with high calorie, high fat and high sugar. There are also some nutrition experts who believe that the "three highs" food itself is not guilty, and a certain food cannot be simply called "garbage". Although there is no specific explanation, one thing is certain: a person who eats too much oil and sugar every day is extremely harmful to his health, and these foods that provide excess calories are "garbage" to his body.
How to explain "junk food"? Some people think that it is unscientific to classify all "three high" foods as "junk food" because fat, calories and sugar are essential energy sources for human body. Some people think that fried food and barbecue food contain a lot of carcinogens, some pickled, puffed food and processed sausage food contain harmful chemical components, and some foods are added with excessive artificial additives, which cause great potential danger to human body and can be called "junk food" to the letter.
There are also some high-fat and high-calorie foods, such as cream cakes and some fresh desserts. Although it is a "three high" food, it does not contain other chemical components harmful to human body. Only when people eat these foods with high fat and sugar, resulting in excessive calorie intake and lack of other nutrients, these foods become "junk food". If we eat these foods in a balanced way, and at the same time, we take in a proper amount of nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals, so that fat occupies a scientific and appropriate share in the dietary structure, then we can't simply say that these foods with high calorie, high fat and high sugar are "junk food".
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Why is junk food addictive?
In our daily contact with food, none of them can be called protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral elements and dietary fiber. Therefore, whether it is high-calorie or low-calorie food, eating it alone or in large quantities is not good for the human body. But most people prefer high-calorie, high-fat and high-sugar foods, such as hamburgers, French fries, fried chicken wings and sausages. And few people like to eat tasteless and low-fat food.
"Three-high" foods usually have a strong taste and stimulate people's taste. Once a person's taste is stimulated by this delicious food, it will become addictive and it is difficult to resist the temptation of appetite. In addition, "junk food" is addictive because some fried or processed foods contain many artificial additives, such as spices, pigments, flavoring agents and leavening agents. These chemicals make food irresistible in color, taste and appearance. Some unscrupulous traders also add addictive drugs to food, which will affect the central nervous system of human body and make people dependent, thus making it difficult for consumers to give up these foods.
Junk food has a great influence on children;
Food experts advise all people who cherish health to stay away from "junk food", especially those that experts call out-and-out "junk food", such as fried food, puffed food, pickled food, sausage food that can be preserved for a long time and so on. This greasy food increases the indigestible factors, and often stays in the gastrointestinal tract for a long time, which is the main factor causing constipation, and promotes excessive blood to flow and stay in the gastrointestinal tract, making body fluids acidic, seriously undermining the principle of healthy allocation of life resources, and bringing obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, heart disease and other "rich diseases".
In particular, the harm of "junk food" to children has begun to attract worldwide attention. Eating a lot of "junk food" will have a great impact on children's intelligence and height development. High-fat diet leads to childhood obesity. Obesity affects hormone metabolism, especially insulin, which is used to metabolize blood sugar. Excessive insulin secretion will inhibit the synthesis of protein, which is extremely unfavorable for children's growth and development.
A sample survey conducted by Shanghai Sports Science Research Institute and Shanghai Youth Health Fitness and Evaluation Center shows that 66% of children in Shanghai are not ideal in height. According to experts, eating fast food such as hamburgers, fried chicken, French fries and puffed snacks such as shrimp slices is an important factor affecting children's height. It will also endanger children's intellectual development. Too much fat in obese children will affect nerve cells and damage children's developing nerve channels, which is not good for children's intellectual development.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Britain has passed a law prohibiting TV stations from broadcasting "junk food" advertisements in children's programs. At the same time, those "unhealthy" foods must also be marked with eye-catching signs on the packaging to stop the obesity trend in Britain. In China, many diseases caused by bad eating habits, such as obesity, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, are also spreading rapidly. Keeping away from "junk food" and keeping a scientific and balanced eating habit is the fundamental to reduce these diseases.