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.

I can't think of a takeaway that I would eat nowadays. But after being up all night in my youth, decades ago, McD's Egg McMuffins were a favourite. Most UPF is too sweet and contains the wrong sort of fats. Nothing wrong with roast potatoes cooked in goose/duck fat or olive oil, or veg given a gloss with some butter for Sunday lunch.

Exactly! I think calling all curries junk food is a bit… uncultured. What’s “junk” about them?

Slimming world should be banned diet coke chicken perfectly fine. Bananas and Avocados are evil.

I don't think all curries are junk just when I make them they aren't the healthiest. I don't like chicken breast, I'd rather use thigh as breast doesn't taste as good or as succulent . I also dump extra ghee/coconut cream in because to me it tastes better 🤣.

Rewording your question to what you mean.... yes I agree that higher calorie food tastes so much better. I much prefer a curry made with lots of coconut milk. A leafy salad does nothing for me but I love "salad" when bulked out with veg roasted in olive oil and cheese or grains to make it more substantial.

I'm not saying it tastes bad but I can rarely eat junk food because it gives me a massive headache. This sadly includes crisps, oily chocolate, takeaways, mini treats etc but it's kept me healthy and slim. Plain sugar is fine though, but that's being replaced by sweeteners, and again makes they feel awful.

This. If people knew how much research and effort is put into making these foods so appealing, they may think twice about what they are putting into their bodies.

Completely agree

No, I couldn't disagree more. I gave up sugar many years ago and obviously re-trained my palate because I really dislike it now. Ditto processed foods and junk

Your children will no doubt have been influenced in their choices, due to what you have been feeding them.

I disagree. Junk food only tastes good when you’re constantly eating it. When you quit it and eat healthily, you realise junk food tastes like synthetic crap and makes you feel crap too.

I think you're nuts to think that everyone who likes Walkers crisps cant cook. Just my opinion.

I’m a bloody awesome cook, still like an occasional packet of Walkers cheese and onion though

I'm not so sure that junk food tastes better. Real food laden with salt, cheese and fat is utterly delicious though and that is my problem. I can live without the ready meals and processed crap but just eat too much nice food.

It's interesting to note that most restaurants serve a children's menu of junk.

So many people on MN claim that their children are fussy or have AFRID and can only eat chicken nuggets or similar yet, children aren't born only wanting junk food.. it's what been offered to them at some point.

This love of junk often continues through life.

DD had ARFID and I would have loved her to eat chicken nuggets. I remember bribing her with raw broccoli to eat one 😁

just because something naturally has a high sugar; fat or salt content does not make it unhealthy (unless the overall quantities are unhealthy) or a junk food.
healthy foods with fat, nuts, cheese, avocadoes, coconut, steak olive oil
healthy foods with high natural sugar bananas and other tropical fruits
healthy foods with more salt, fish, cheese
the 100% beefburger is not junk, the sweetened bread bun, the processed cheese square are junk
it is not the ingredients in a pizza that are intrinsically unhealthy flour yeast tomatoes basil mozzarella it is the quantities that make it unhealthy

Most fast food is not that great. I do like salty and spicy things though, so crisps I adore.

So many food/weight threads this week. 🤔

I enjoy both healthy food and junk food. Given a choice between the prawn stir-fry we are having tonight and a Big Mac, I’ll have the stir fry, please. Given a choice between a ripe mango and a cream cake, I’ll have the mango, please. Given the choice between some vegan muck and a rib-eye steak, I’ll have the steak, please. Rare.

Oh, I love my vegan ‘muck’.

Another bad cook. 😂

@GordonBennett345 I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do

Any food that has too much sugar and salt in it eventually ends up tasting rank. Had a meal out a ew weeks ago which started off as delicious but I couldn't finish it as it got saltier and saltier. Think chefs need to learn how to cook without salt and try other alternatives like herbs and adding some fattier alternatives can make some meals amazing.

Did your parents do the best job they knew how to do? ;)

Yes. I do think there's an element of convenience as well.

If food was just plated up and put in front of us, all equally convenient and with no packaging/ marketing, I would be interested to see what choices people made.