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The term junk food is a relatively new, but widely used term that refers to things eaten by people that have both low nutritional value and contain a relatively large amounts of fat, salt and or sugar. Moreover, the fat is of a low quality, particularly trans fats, rather than a healthy fat such as olive oil or walnut oil. The proliferation of junk food is largely a result of the industrialization of food production. Its growing consumption is also due to vast sums of money that are spent on advertising to promote it, particularly to children and to people in developing countries who tend to equate it with success and consider it fashionable. Many people who eat junk food are not aware that it can have serious health consequences. Its proliferation has been linked to a number of largely avoidable but deadly diseases, and it plays a major role in the growing worldwide epidemics of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Junk food is not necessarily bad for health when eaten infrequently and in small quantities. However, increasing numbers of people around the world eat it regularly, and often in place of eating nutritious food. Reasons for this growing consumption include low cost and convenience. A variety of opinions exists regarding the taste of junk food. Many people claim that they actually enjoy eating it. However, some people who eat it say that it is not particularly tasty but that they eat it because of its convenience and/or low cost. Other people find the taste unpleasant, or even disgusting, and make every effort to avoid it. The past several years has seen the emergence of a growing, but still small, trend towards schools and various government agencies taking steps to encourage students and others to eat nutritious food instead of junk food. This has come about largely as a result of the massive public health expenditures that result from bad eating habits. It is also a result of the substantial success that has been seen in the movement to eliminate smoking. The term fast food usually refers to junk food that is prepared (commonly deep fried) at a small, specialized building or room by low wage, unskilled workers for people to eat on the premises or to take away and eat elsewhere. The term trash food is occasionally used as a synonym for junk food. Created October 28, 2006. |