Taming the Junk-Food Junkie
By Meghan Vivo
Gone are the days when food was just food. Now, many of us consume more "food-like substances" called junk food than real, whole, unprocessed foods.
"Junk food" is a phrase used for any foods with limited nutritional value. They are easy to manufacture and even easier to eat since most don't require cooking, heating, or preparation. The junk food category comprises foods that are high in salt, sugar, fat, and calories - in other words, most of kids' typical favorite foods, like hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, French fries, donuts, candy, chips, cookies, and soda, to name a few. Of course, some junk foods are much less conspicuous, like sugary breakfast cereals and fruit juices, but are loaded with empty calories nonetheless.
The combination of convenience, low cost, and flavor makes junk food hard to resist. On top of that, food marketers spend roughly $12 billion each year advertising their products to the youth market with kid-friendly characters like the Ronald McDonald clown, fun toys in kids' meals, and advertising slogans like "Trix are for kids." According to some studies, 40 percent of the food ads kids see are for fast food, candy, or snacks. And nine out of 10 commercials interspersed with Saturday morning cartoons feature high-fat, low-nutrient foods.
These television advertisements rarely portray happy children eating fruits, vegetables, or meats, and most depict snack-time eating more often than breakfast, lunch, and dinner combined. More than half of all eating is depicted in cars or outdoors rather than at a dining room table, and many commercials unrealistically portray thin children consuming large quantities of junk food.
Why Is Junk Food a Problem?
In the U.S., more than a quarter of the calories we consume come from nutrient-poor junk foods. According to some reports, soft drinks are the number-one source of junk-food calories, followed closely by desserts, alcoholic beverages, and salty snacks. Since these foods are high in fat and calories, you don't have to eat a lot of them to gain weight. Also, the more junk foods we eat, the less likely we are to consume nutrient-dense, healthful foods that meet our daily requirements of vitamins and minerals.
Stick-thin women who stay trim by eating low-fat or low-calorie junk food options like 100-calorie cookie packs, Lean Cuisine dinners, and diet soda may argue there are healthy versions of the worst foods. Is there such thing as healthy junk food? Experts say no. In most cases, the fat is replaced with sugar in low-fat snacks, and the sugar is replaced with chemicals and artificial sweeteners in low-calories snacks. People who swear by healthy junk food probably aren't getting the vitamins and minerals they need. A better bet is small portions of real, all-natural foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
What Kind of Junk Is in Your Food?
You don't have to look far to figure out if the food you're eating qualifies as junk food - simply check the first few ingredients on the food label. If sugar, fat, or salt are one of the first three ingredients, or if the product is loaded with ingredients you can't pronounce, it's junk food.
For many people, it is difficult to understand that the foods we put into our mouths actually affect our health. In order to increase awareness of the impact of our diets, it is critical for parents to carefully read food labels. Rather than banning junk food altogether, judge each food you buy based on the list of ingredients on the package label. The nutritional information will include the number of calories per serving, grams of fat, sodium, cholesterol, fiber, and sugar content.
When evaluating a food label, the first thing to check is the number of calories per serving. According to the FDA, 40 calories per serving is considered low, 100 is moderate, and 400 is high. Even if a product is low in calories, be cautious about portion sizes. If four ounces of yogurt is a serving and you eat an eight-ounce container, you have doubled the calorie content.
The next three ingredients listed on most food labels are Americans' favorites: fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Take a close look at the amount of saturated fat and trans fats in the product. Fats play an important role in a balanced diet - they supply energy, provide insulation to internal organs and bones, and help store certain vitamins. But because eating too much fat can contribute to health problems like heart disease, nutritionists recommend that most people limit fat content to 30 percent of your total calories per day. Cholesterol should be limited to 300 milligrams or less per day, and sodium intake should be 2,300 milligrams or less per day.
Next, most labels indicate the amount of fiber and vitamins in the product. An item that contains at least two grams of dietary fiber per serving is good, and foods with five grams of fiber or more are considered high-fiber foods. Fiber can help reduce cholesterol levels, aids in digestion, and helps you feel satiated so you eat less. The package may also list the amount of protein. Anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of the calories kids consume each day should come from protein. Vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron are especially important, which is why they're required to be listed on the label as well.
Some packaged foods list sugar content. A good rule of thumb is four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon of sugar. Hidden, processed sugars like fructose, sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners should be avoided whenever possible. Other "bad" ingredients to watch out for include hydrogenated oils and artificial colorings, preservatives, and flavorings.
Of course, kids aren't concerned about hydrogenated oil or trans fats are; they are more interested in brightly colored packaging and cartoon characters. That's where parents come in. Parents are the only influence strong enough to combat the images and messages conveyed in television marketing. When children are 4 or 5 years old, parents should teach them how to understand food labels and ingredients. Children that are involved in grocery shopping and food preparation are more likely to make healthy choices as they grow older. Once children reach adolescence, their habits are hard to change.
If you've been stocking up on too much junk food, a few dietary changes are all that is needed. Try swapping out candy and cookies for low-calorie frozen treats or fruit, and trade potato chips and French fries for baked chips and popcorn. If children grow up in a household where chips, cookies, and fast food are part of daily life, their taste buds will grow accustomed to flavorful, high-fat foods. By stocking up on nutritious snacks, eliminating or restricting junk food, and educating children about healthy food choices, kids can develop healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
