To not know what counts as 'Junk Food'

[topcat2014]

"Junk" food has been in the news today. I would happily class the following as JF:

Full sugar coke
all crisps.
KFC.

After that I get a bit lost. In one news item today Chocolate oranges were called junk food. Does that mean all chocolates are junk?

What about Chicken Kievs - we have them with new potatoes, and peas - does that count.

Or - is it basically everything apart from the rations you got in the war?

[spaintrotter]

Everything with a really high sugar content IMO so yeah chocolate would be classed as junk food unless its 80% cocoa etc.

[MumUndone]

I think 'junk' generally refers to there being little nutritional value and lots of salt, sugar etc. Personally I wouldn't cause Chicken Kiev junk food - though shop bought would contain lots of salt so perhaps some people would count it as junk.

Chocolate Orange - yes, junk, as no nutritional value. But dark chocolate is good for you in moderation so not junk.

[MumUndone]

Call not cause.

[StrawberryQuik]

I think it also depends on the context...eg if you are going up a mountain a bar of good quality chocolate with nuts is a great snack. Not so great if you have one at your desk everyday.

[PrincessHairyMclary]

I would say "Junk food" is anything with little nutritional content, so to me anything that is highly processed would be junk as generally it's high in salt, sugar or chemicals.

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

I agree, it's difficult to define.

I would almost say no food is junk food if you hardly ever eat it, but would make an exception for

diet drinks
margarine
pot noodles
things like microwavable burgers which are already in buns that you see in motorway service station shops
completely artificial stuff like marshmallow fluff

But fast food, chips, cakes, biscuits, doughnuts, crisps etc - well I suppose they are junky but they probably have zero impact on your health if you only eat them very infrequently.

[Paperkins]

As said above, anything lacking in nutritional value, or minimal nutritional value compared to its bulk (just thinking kfc must have some chicken in there somewhere, which would count as protein, but prob not that great when comes down to it.....tho it may be....have not idea, but would presumer kfc in junk food category).

[Perfectlypurple]

Something that has high sugar and low nutritional value I would class as junk food. Doesn't mean you can't eat it, just in moderation.

[GinandTits]

Depends on the Kiev but balanced out with peas to me it sounds healthy (though MN food police might come along in a minute) agree with all chocolate being junk apart from high cocoa stuff. I buy 80% cocoa lindt with hazelnut which lasts a week as I can have two squares but milk chocolate I'll just scoff the lot. full fat coke definitely junk but Xmas and holidays and birthday I let my son have it.

[babyblabber]

Fast food, chocolate, sweets, crisps, frozen pizza etc etc.

Chicken Kiev, borderline. I'd call it processed food I think rather than junk food.

As for non-junk food just being war rations, think of all the unprocessed food in your local supermarket! Far more than wartime rations I'd imagine!

[sunnydayinmay]

I always imagine your typical low in nutrient, high in calories stuff - pizza, burgers, crisps, chocolate, biscuits, kebabs, and any fizzy drink.

But obviously not M & S burgers, high meat content sausages, home made cake, or fresh lemonade.

[MachiKoro]

Anything that doesn't give positive nutritional value, I suppose, e.g. protein, vitamins, etc.
Though a KFC/McDonalds would have protein, just counteracted by tons of salt/saturated fats/sugar.

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

You see to me diet drinks are infinitely worse than the versions that are full sugar, but we hardly ever have fizzy drinks anyway. They are both junky.

[EssentialHummus]

I agree with everyone else - the key thing is low nutritional value. As demonstrated by the 35 page "sausage, beans and mash" thread, no-one on here (or in RL, I suspect) can agree beyond that.

I personally aim for a treat meal like pizza, KFC, burgers & chips, being eaten once a week or less. Likewise with Coke, chips and chocolate.

[Doinmummy]

Anything beige - so chicken dinosaurs etc ,Hash browns, smiley faces.

Anything with a very high fat or sugar content.

[davos]

See it can be open to interpretation.

I don't consider high fat food junk. If it's also got decent nutritional content. But would eat it moderation. Nuts for example.

Junk to me is something. That little nutritional value. A smart price chicken Kiev, with loads of salt and sugar would be junk. - high quality or homemade Kiev could be not classes a junk.

We eat junk food. Just not often.

[Eatthecake]

I'd class chocolate as junk unless it was 80%+ dark chocolate

Fizzy drinks even diet ones are junk IMO

Sweets ( jelly babies, lollipops, toffees etc)

Crisps

Cakes ( but this would depend on what ingredients you've used to make it)

Fast food ( kf can, Burger King, mc Donald's, Pizza Hut)

Any processed rubbish ( chicken nuggets and the like , sausauges unless high meat content)

Chips ( but would depend on how you cooked them to me oven chips rather than fried are ok)

You don't have to live on war rations to be healthy and not eat junk, we have a whole world of delicious food out there.

My DC do have everything I've listed as junk just not as everyday foods, they might have a take away pizza and cola every 2-3 weeks for example and i'm not a mean mother at Christmas, birthdays, Easter they enjoy chocolate, cake and goodies just like everyone else

[Nanunanu]

But chicken is beige

Cod (and other white fish) is beige

Loin of pork is beige

Parsnips and cauliflower and artichokes are beige

Bread potato pasta is beige

You see where I am going

[MiddleClassProblem]

My DH's granny grew up on spam

[HighwayDragon1]

I knew what she meant nanu, and I suspect that you did too

I'd say anything overly processed with high fat/sugar content.

[HighwayDragon1]

I knew what she meant nanu, and I suspect that you did too

I'd say anything overly processed with high fat/sugar content.

[Whathaveilost]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_food

Wiki's definition.
I tend to go with the thought that junk is something highly processed to the point that it offers little nutritional value. That can include meat, ( remember turkey twizlers or something like that) certain breads, obviously cakes,sodas, sweets, cheap shop bought party type food, certain takeaways etc.

The Kiev could be either. A cheap one bought from somewhere like FarmFoods is likely to contain mechanical retrieved meats, high salt, high fat while one you made at home with organic chicken breast and fresh breadcrumbs would be completely different.

[Nanunanu]

No highway I didn't. I get a gist highly processed recovered meats as in chicken dinosaurs = junk

But some would class all the things on my list as junk. We'll maybe not the same person classing all of them. But vegans would class the meat and fish. Low careers the Parsnips and starches.

Maybe cauliflower and artichokes are OK? Oh but not if charge idled- that causes cancer you know

We have a fucked up relationship with food. And I'm with the op. Outside of crisps chocolates sweets and pop I don't know what is junk food any more

[Nanunanu]

Low carbers

And chargrilled