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?

I agree with EatTheCake's list.

Fizzy drinks, whether sugar or sugar-free are definitely junk imo.

My children do have chocolate/crisps/pizza/chips occasionally but not on a regular basis.

Processed food

I would say any processed food, is junk really.

I think junk food is anything processed and industrialised, taken to extremes that means even things like oven chips, bacon, cholsey process bread, tinned fruit etc. The ingredients list contains lots of unpronounceable things, salt, sugar and sometimes E numbers.

I would definitely class a chicken Kiev as beige and also as junk, even if it is served with one of your five a day!

My kids eat junk sometimes but are taught to recognise it for what it is, and know that too much junk isn't good for bodies. It's quite straightforward really.

Chorleywood process, sorry, stupid phone

If it has a tv commercial, then its probably junk.

I'd interpret the term as meaning things that have been processed and things like sugar or salt added.

If a caveman wouldn't recognise it, generally, that makes it junk food.

I still can't believe anybody would think sausage, beans and mash is a healthy meal tbh - I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a junk food meal every so often, but we need to recognise it for what it is...

High sugar and salt content.

See, there's chicken kiev, and chicken kiev...

We make it at home, bash a chicken breast flat, fill with (frozen) garlic butter, panko breadcrumbs and then deep fry...serve with steamed veg and new potatoes...

Ok, so its not exactly a salad, but a very different proposition to the birds eye offering that also describes itself as 'chicken kiev' eaten with oven chips.

Define processed food.

If you have to use a knife to pierce the film; it's processed.

Yes, and if you have to use a can opener to open the can it's processed, if it is dried pasta it is processed, if it is butter it is processed, if it is instant coffee it is processed, if it is a fruit yogurt it is processed, if it is a potato in anything other than its raw unpeeled and unwashed state it is processed, if it is a loaf of bread in a plastic wrapper it is processed, infact all bread is processed wheat and yeast.

There's processed and then there's processed.

I'm not knocking it, I use those foods myself .

Mumsnet favs such as olives, hummus and pesto - all processed.

Actually, I'd go with no nutritional worth. And under that definition sausages, beans and mash wouldn't qualify as junk because there are vitamins, minerals, protein there. That's not to say it's healthy, but not junk.

Crisps, pot noodles, potato smilies, chicken nuggets - more like junk.

The only thing that is actually junk is trans fats. That is because it harms the body. Products like full fat coke are simply empty calories which increases the likeliness of consuming too much calories, which leads to weight gain leading to other health problems.

Food high in fat, sugar and salt. Keep processed foods to a minimum and when you do consume them, where possible, eat healthier versions and combine them with healthier food.

If you have kids, avoid food marketed to them and learn to make nutritional and tastier versions of their favourites. DD will only eat homemade chicken burgers now and now that I've bought an Airfryer, they've become quicker, healthier and easier to make.

There was a thread earlier asking if bangers, beans and mash was junk food, I think they are but If the sausages were good quality and were grilled, if the baked beans were low sugar and if the potatoes were baked in their jackets and weren't smothered in butter and or cheese, then no.

Use your common sense and don't believe the bullshit that accompanies most food marketing.

Thought of something else - most breakfast cereals!

Food with little nutritional value or with an ingredients list that wouldn't look out of place in a science lab!

I don't consider all fat food bad. I follow a moderately low carb diet that includes lots of meat and veg and berries but is high fat ie cheese, cream, nuts. I lose weight or sustain easy eating this way and am healthy.

Agreed GinandTits. I certainly don't consider butter/cheese to be junk food for example.

Nope. Food of the gods! I find it easy to. The kids had tacos tonight so I had the mince in a pepper with sour cream and cheese. Was filling. I probably eat more fat when we have fajitas to as I have the chicken on lots of spinach but more sour cream and more cheese. Just less carbs

The trouble is, there is really no such thing as 'no nutritional value'

Even things that are effectively pure sugar have nutritional value, as they contain sugar which gives energy.

There are definitely certain situations where rapid energy, delivered via an instant sugar hit is exactly what is needed.

Those situations may be few and far between, but that is a whole different debate about lifestyle choices.

I'm a distance runner and there are plenty of times I have literally mainlined sugar, as it is what I need at that time. If I were sitting on the sofa watching a film and doing the same, well then there would be arguably 'no nutritional value'.

Same foodstuff, different situation.

...and I think to be considered junk, a food needs to be both procesed and something a caveman wouldn't eat.

Butter/Cheese = ok
pepperoni pizza, not so much

I think some things are obviously junk food (e.g. KFC, crisps) while for others it depends - so a bit of common sense is require.

E.g. A pizza from dominos is junk food while a home made pizza served with salad is probably not.