Junk Food Facts

• Junk food is typically defined as foods that are high in calories, fat, sugar, salt, and caffeine but with hardly any nutritional value.
• Junk food include candies, chips, cookies, French-fries, gum, hamburger, pizza, hot dog, corn dogs, ice cream, sodas, and almost all desserts.
• The term “junk food” was initially used in the 1960s but was popularized during the following decade when the song “Junk Food Junkie” reached the top of the charts in 1976.
• Fats from junk food trigger the brain to crave for more of it.
• Almost 80% of food commercials aired on weekend morning shows for children are of junk food.
• As per Children’s Food Campaign (CFC) survey, some baby foods have as much amount of sugar and saturated fats as in junk food.
• Corn dextrin, found in the form of glue on envelopes and postage stamps, is a common thickener used in junk food.
• Experimental studies on animals have shown that Alloxen (a byproduct of bleaching white flour), which is often found in junk food leads to diabetes in them.
• Young women who eat a junk food diet are at a higher risk for developing polycystic ovarian syndrome.
• Although junk food had become a part of the American diet during the 1920s, it wasn’t until after the period of World War II that it became a more accepted form; courtesy television advertising.
• Pregnant woman who eat junk food or are breast feeding run a high risk of giving obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood fat to their babies.
• A can of cola contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.
• One large order of French-fries contains approximately 610 calories and 29 grams of fat.
• It is also estimated that over 500 cans of soft drinks are consumed by an average American of any age, per year.
• Obesity, which is the next best option after smoking to give oneself a bundle of diseases and possible death, is caused by the regular consumption of junk food.
• Heart diseases, high blood pressure, cancerous formations, and tooth decay are directly related to a diet rich in junk food.
• Long term liver damage can result from regular consumption of junk food that’s high in cholesterol.
• Increasing breast cancer rates in China have the researchers attributing this cause to the increase in adopting the Western lifestyle, and inclusion of junk food to the regular diet .
• Common food dyes and sodium benzoate, which are used as additives and preservatives in much of the junk food items, can cause children to become more hyperactive and easily distracted than usual.
• It is estimated that around the Easter time, Americans spend nearly $2 billion in Easter candies, including 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies, 16 billion jellybeans, and 700 million marshmallow Peeps.
• Cellulose gum, which is used in rocket fuel to give it a thick feel, is also the agent that gives Twinkies (an American snack cake) their smooth feel.

Do share these facts about junk food with other foodies out there!