To think junk food tastes so much better than healthy food?

[Fifi1010]

Keep reading about all the debates about food , obesity etc. I used to be obese I had weight loss surgery a few years ago now my BMI is 21 from 41. I've lost half my body weight it's no issue staying slim as I physically cannot eat much even crappy foods . I eat a relatively healthy diet now because I need too or I will be malnourished.
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I will say though in my obesity journey is it doesn't matter how much I educated myself about food , cooked healthy meals the allure of fatty burgers and junk was so tempting. I loved fatty food it tastes better. Even gourmet eating out I prefer rich sauces with fat.

I generally believe even with education , extra taxes some people will choose to eat shit food because it tastes so much nicer than 99 percent of healthy food.

It does, but it's the fat salt and sugar that makes it taste so good.

Well yes. If it tasted worse nobody would eat it.

We’re biologically designed to enjoy sugary, fatty foods as when we were hunter gatherers we wouldn’t know when that next sugary, fatty meal was coming so it tastes good so we would eat as much as possible.

Unfortunately evolution hasn’t caught up with modern convenience.

I don’t agree. I can’t stand most fast food, it tastes too salty and fatty. The smell of MacDonalds/Subway etc is enough to put me off.
I don’t exactly exist solely exist on organic kale or anything like that, I eat crap at home but I don’t eat in the majority of fast food places

My tastes depend especially on what I'm craving but if I've had too many unhealthy meals then I end up craving vegetables and sometimes fruit and a fresh juicy orange is the best thing I've ever tasted.

If you don't think healthy food tastes better you're not preparing it right. When I finally learnt to cook I was blown away by how much more flavoursome real food is. & so much more deeply satisfying to eat too.

Junk food just tastes of over-sweet fat

Crisps are so nice. Walkers ready salted. 😋

I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you.

It depends on your definition of junk food
Mine definition is that it is ultra processed food.
It’s cheap and convenient but it’s never as good as freshly made equivalents, whether that’s burgers, pizza, pies or whatever. But mechanically reclaimed meat is cheap and can be bulked out with fat and seasoned to taste good.

Can you give some examples?

Walkers ready salted are full of bore …. Just my opinion.
I think you need cooking lessons.

And I should add, the advertisers do a grand job of making us and our kids want some. Marketing ingredients is much less lucrative.

I can cook , I make curries from scratch, I love Thai green curry but it tastes better with more coconut cream dumped in. Same with ghee for Indian.

Junk food manufacturers have spent a lot of time and money on science to ensure that you feel this way. No one is out there perfecting the chemical makeup of a carrot in order to make you want to order the extra large.

I think it totally depends on the food and you can't generalise.

But junk food tends to have a much lower effort + cost to enjoyment ratio. Whether that's just by design or perhaps more people have a palate that prefers the taste of junk foods.

I would rather buy a really big fruit salad and enjoy that much more than a greasy doughnut which I don't really like. But the doughnut is much cheaper, will fill me up more and travels more easily. I could of course also buy a single piece of fruit like an apple or banana, although I wouldn't enjoy that as much as a fruit salad with melon, strawberries, pineapple etc. (I would probably go for the banana over the doughnut, but if it was a choice between a cookie or banana I'd opt for cookie.)

Well of course, it's literally created to taste good! Fruit and veg tastes good to me but it is what it is- you can add all sorts to it but essentially the core taste of it is isn't changeable without adding seasonings or other ingredients; nature created it not humans for their own pleasure.

I don't think it really does taste better, it tastes good enough and doesn't require any effort

I disagree but do agree that full fat full salt food tastes better than low fat food that's full of sweeteners and chemicals. I prefer home cooked food to junk food but it's not necessarily super healthy.

Junk food is fine occasionally, but I prefer healthy food.

Well a curry full of coconut cream or ghee is fatty and junk you don't need it. It just doesn't taste the same as the healthier substitutes.

High calorie content does not equal junk.

How is coconut cream or ghee junk?

YABU. Junk food alters your taste buds.

If you cut out all processed food for a few weeks, a simple apple/orange/peach will blow your mind.

Exactly
Junk food is highly processed with God knows what added.
Coconut milk and ghee aren’t junk food

I like Nando’s, but McDonald’s take rank to me and Greg’s is like a 3 year old chewed the food and spat it out then it’s remoulded 🤮🤢
I’d have a macdonalds milk shake in vanilla or a Greg’s donut but that’s it

i like foods with lasting flavour, avocado and egg on toast, shakshuka, Greek yogurt & berries. Wild found strawberries with melon chopped. Home made humous and roasted vegetables. Salmon poached in white wine with a simple salad & new potatoes. Sea bass or trout is delicious.

Such sacrilege!

Nothing could possibly taste better than the Mumsnet Massive Salad - no dressing natch.