Executive Summary
Junk foods can be found in many fast food shops globally. Nevertheless, the question of junk food’s value is rather controversial. It is possible to concentrate on such advantages of junk foods as the taste, convenience, and quick source of calories to cope with people’s hunger. However, the hazardous effects on the people’s health are more obvious.
Junk food is the cause for people’s obesity, the development of such illnesses as diabetes and heart diseases, and for problems with metabolism. Junk food cannot be the part of the persons’ everyday diet because of containing a lot of harmful elements which can be discussed as risky for people’s organisms.
Introduction
Junk food is the notion used to define foods which are rich in calories but have low nutritional value. Junk food can be full of sugar or fat, but it lacks vitamins, minerals, and proteins necessary for the human organisms. The term ‘junk food’ was proposed by Michael Jacobson during the second half of the twentieth century in order to distinguish between the healthy food and products which have low nutritional value and cannot be discussed as healthy ones.
This term is used to classify such popular products as burgers, fish and chips, pizza, soft drinks, cookies, chocolate, ice-cream, sausages, snacks, and donuts. If these products are regularly eaten, they do not provide the organism with the necessary microelements that is why this food is usually discussed as unhealthy. However, the popularity of these products among the public is closely associated with the taste qualities of junk food.
Enormous amounts of sugar, fat, and spices make this food tasty. As a result, nutritionists focus on the negative effects of eating junk food when people continue to buy tasty burgers and hot dogs. Although the products discussed as junk food can be tasty because of much sugar, fat, and salt, these components and products are harmful for the people’s organisms because of a low nutritional value, and this fact allows speaking about junk food as unhealthy.
The Reasons for Junk Food and Its Popularity among the Public
Junk food and fast food as its variant is popular among the public all over the world because of its taste qualities and relevant cheapness in comparison with the healthy products. Moreover, fast food responds to the tendencies of the world’s development, and people pay more attention to the ready food which can be easily purchased in fast food restaurants.
Thus, typical clients of fast food restaurants are commercial drivers, office workers, children, and city dwellers who like to eat tasty food without spending much time for cooking or waiting for the dish (Wiles et al. 2007). Fast food is also popular with children because it is usually very tasty, having different spices and a lot of sugar (Mooney 2011, p. 67). Eating tasty products, people are inclined to forget about their nutritional value.
Junk food is not only easily cooked and prepared for eating, but it is also an effective alternative to the complex breakfast and dinner because of overcoming people’s feeling of hunger quickly. Junk food is cheap, and it is more appropriate for many people belonging to low-income categories. They prefer to consume these foods as they are economical and tasty rather (Wiles et al. 2007, p. 491).
A burger or a donut is also the preferable variant of the lunch for many busy workers who intend to cope with the feeling of hunger, and they do not focus on the problem of the healthy diet. Such food as pizza and pasta became the part of the everyday diet of many people round the globe, and few of them discuss these products as unhealthy or as junk food (Trapani 2006, p. 78). Furthermore, junk food can be regarded as fashion in relation to definite situations. Thus, people in many countries prefer to visit fast food restaurants or pizzerias without thinking about the nutritional value of the dishes eaten there.
Junk food attracts a lot of people not only because of taste and specific atmosphere of fast food restaurants but also because of the successful promotion campaigns. Advertisements promoting junk food are usually colorful and attractive, focusing on the image of the vivid life. The advertisements do not point out the possible risks of consuming these advertised products because they concentrate only on attractiveness of the product (Trapani 2006, p. 78).
Many people do not know about the risks of purchasing fast food and concentrate on attractive advertisements and presentable packages of these products (Smith 2006, p. 125). A lot of marketing approaches are developed to increase the public’s interest to junk food and even to stimulate their appetite.
However, certain products discussed as junk food can be really healthy for the people’s organisms, if they are not overeaten. Thus, popcorn is not harmful for the men’s organisms, if it is cooked without additional spices, sugar, and salt. Moreover, popcorn made at home is better to eat because of lower percentage of spices and fats used (Gray 2000).
Chocolate as well as candies is also considered as junk food, but the adequate amount of dark chocolate eaten by persons every day is useful for people because of containing antioxidants which decrease the risks of heart diseases (Dixon et al. 2007, p. 1311). Furthermore, dark chocolate changes the persons’ mood stimulating the work of certain hormones.
That is why, it is important to pay attention to the fact that not all the products and foods discussed as junk are harmful for the people’s health. The question is in the persons’ everyday diet and frequency of eating junk food (Garemo, Lenner, & Strandvik 2007). Some dark chocolate or a burger prepared at home with vegetables and properly cooked meat cannot be considered as risky for the men’s fitness and health. As a result, a lot of people rely on junk food as the source of their everyday energy.
The problem is in the fact that junk food cannot be discussed as the source of energy because of sugars and fats containing, and it provokes the loss of people’s productivity and their passivity. However, a lot of people every day choose junk foods in order to overcome their feeling of hunger with the help of tasty burger or pasta. Thus, the tendency to eat junk food is characterized by advantages and disadvantages which depend on the specifics of the people’s eating habits.
The Risks of Eating Junk Food
The majority of nutrients and elements containing in junk food is not required for the healthy development of human organisms. Junk food contain a lot of calories, and these calories are not usually used by people as the source of energy, and the lack of correlation between calories and energy can lead to obesity.
Furthermore, junk food cannot provide people with all the necessary useful elements and vitamins, and the organism can suffer from such an unhealthy diet. This problem is urgent in relation to children who prefer to eat a lot of candies, donuts, and burgers, but their organisms do not receive the necessary nutrition.
Children like soft drinks and sodas. Containing high levels of sugar, such drinks cause the problems in the metabolism processes (Gray 2000, p. 187). The pancreas begins to produce a lot of insulin to prevent high levels of sugar in the blood. This situation is a health hazard for many people who are accustomed to eating junk foods and prefer soft drinks which have high levels of sugar. This is the first step to the development of the diabetes.
Many junk foods contain a lot of glycemic, sugars and refined starches in sweets, and it leads to the body’s failure to sustain the healthy levels of sugars in the blood. The negative effect of soft drinks and eating a lot of candies is observed with references to the rise of diabetes among children at the age of 8-12 years (Fitzpatrick 2004).
The connection between eating much junk food and developing diabetes among children and adults is discussed by many researchers, and the majority of physicians and nutritionists are inclined to agree that the different types of sugars used in candies, soft drinks, ice-cream, and cookies can provoke the development of diabetes (Tammam et al. 2012).
The next controversial question is the problem of obesity. Today, a lot of nutritionists agree that increased levels of obesity among children and adults directly depend on the popularity of junk food in society. Junk food is the part of an unhealthy diet which can lead to many problems connected with the people’s health.
Thus, the most typical problem is obesity provoked by eating many calories and spending little energy. Those people who prefer burgers, pasta, and pizza as the main components of their everyday diet consume a lot of fat and calories which are rather difficult to spend in the form of energy (Yaniv et al. 2009).
Furthermore, the lack of vitamins and other useful elements leads to the development of associated diseases such as heart diseases and arthritis. From this point, a person begins to suffer not only from obesity but also from a lot of other diseases which are provoked by the unhealthy diet and lifestyle. The connection between obesity and junk food is clear and supported with the help of scientists’ study results. Thus, people suffering from obesity state that their favourite products are chips, burgers, pizza, soft drinks, cookies, and candies.
The other negative effects of junk food on people’s organisms can be classified in relation to the impacts caused by the lack of useful elements and by containing harmful components. Junk food often lacks proteins but has high levels of carbohydrates. Those people who eat a lot of cookies and burgers begin to compensate the lack of definite minerals and vitamins focusing on eating more unhealthy products. Researchers concentrate on the idea that certain types of sugars containing in junk food cause a kind of addiction.
Those persons whose favourite products are cookies and candies continue to buying them in spite of necessity. Their organism also needs more sugars containing in soft drinks (Mooney 2011). The situation can result in many health problems because the risk of diabetes increases, and soft drink can lead to reduction of bone strength. A lot of sugars and other harmful components in soft drinks contribute to reducing the bone mineral density and to probability of bone fracture and problems with teeth.
Junk food can become life-threatening for definite categories of population for whom fast food is the only source of the everyday nutrition. It is important to emphasize the fact that junk foods usually lead to developing cardiovascular disease. Many junk foods contain saturated fats which can raise LDL cholesterol increasing people’s chances of cardiovascular disease.
High blood pressure is the other associated disease which is the result of junk food consumption (Fitzpatrick 2004). Eating pizza, French fries, and potato chips containing a lot of fats and salt, people often do not think about the consequences of such an unhealthy diet.
If junk food is the main part of the people’s diet, these persons can be chronically ill and suffer significantly from disease complications. The nutritional deficiencies can lead to the problems with the people’s immune systems (Trice 2010). The weak immunity and poor nutrition make the person’s organism too weak to resist certain diseases. As a result, people become vulnerable in relation to some illnesses such as colds and fevers which have a disturbing effect on these people’s lives (Mooney 2011). These illnesses reduce people’s concentration, attention, and productivity.
Lacking some important enzymes, junk foods often provoke digestive problems and liver diseases. A lot of elements are necessary for digesting food effectively, without any harm to people’s microflora of the mouth and stomach. Junk food is digested with difficulties, and a lot of elements are not absorbed appropriately causing many digestive problems.
Such junk food as biscuits, chocolate, chips, ice-cream, and crisps is usually highly processed and contain a lot of harmful elements. People have little knowledge about specific additives and their presence in products as well as about possible harmful effects on health (Trapani 2006, p. 78).
However, it is important to pay attention to the fact that junk foods can be the part of the people’s diet if the most appropriate products are used along with the accents on the healthy food (Mooney 2011). Burgers as well as pizza and pasta can be eaten by adults not regularly. If people have no severe problems with the health, junk foods cannot be discussed as a single source to provoke different illnesses (Cobb 2006). Such junk foods as chocolate, popcorn, ice-cream, and cookies can be integrated with the healthy foods in the everyday diet in order to provide people with the necessary amount of calories.
Meat in combination with fats is the stress for people’s stomach, pancreas, and liver as well as much sugar. Nevertheless, people often pay attention to their health problems when it is too late, and they rarely associate their problems with the specifics of the everyday diet. However, junk food can provoke a lot of negative symptoms preventing people form comfort and wellness.
Those people who ignore the principles of healthy diets and eat a lot of junk foods are at risk to suffer from the slow development of many diseases which cannot be diagnosed immediately. Each portion of fast food with a lot of chips and candies can be discussed as the step toward the weak immunity and lack of energy necessary for performing everyday functions. Many people who prefer junk food and soft drinks suffer from a lot of chronic diseases which can be treated successfully if the persons’ diet is changed.
Conclusion
The health of the people’s organism depends on a kind of food eating regularly. That is why, healthy diet can provide people with all the necessary microelements and vitamins. However, many people today prefer to eat junk food because it is tastier, and the cooking process is more convenient. Junk food cannot be discussed as the healthy food because of a lot of negative effects on the people’s organisms.
Most of junk foods can lead to severe illnesses because the human organism cannot cope with many harmful elements containing in junk foods. Thus, junk food is the cause for many people’s obesity, for the lack of energy and productivity, and for problems with the immunity.
Today, junk food is the problem which is typical for many nations because of the cheapness of these products or because of the necessity to respond to the speed of the life and spend less time for cooking. To be healthy, people cannot rely on junk food as the main part of their daily diet. There are few products belonging to the junk food category which can be considered as healthy that is why eating many burgers or chips, people are at risk of developing health problems.
Definite approaches should be realized to educate and inform people at all levels about possible health risks of consuming a lot of junk foods. People should also be very cautious in relation to what they eat and drink because a lot of attractive products are really harmful for health of children and adults. Healthy eating habits should be emphasized in order to minimize the health risks of consuming a lot of junk foods.
It is important to focus on altering people’s unhealthy eating habits and promoting the idea of healthy diets which are useful for people’s organisms. Junk food is the real hazard for the people’s health because of the low nutritional value and a lot of negative consequences which cannot be immediate, but they can provoke the development of a lot of chronic diseases.
Reference List
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