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Junk is one area where we don’t want to follow developed economies. Eat health food and stay fit.

Astha Sharma

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Nice analysis, Sara. Keep up the good work.

Nikhil Shah

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Great job, concise and to the point.
Keep it up!
Radhika S

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Healthy body requires healthy food habits. JUNK food weaknes our health.
Thanks for creating awareness about JUNK food.
Keep it up SARA.

Damodar S. Zambaulikar.

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A very good and accurate analysis. A lot of important information as well. Especially today as the world is getting more and more obese.

Khushi

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Great analysis Sara,
It's good to know that millenials are aware of the dangers associated with junk food, obesity is just one problem but it leads a path to cardiovascular disease.
Keep up the good work.
Aditee Kulkarni

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Healthy body requires healthy food habits. Good review. Keep it up.

Malkit Singh Arora

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Thanks for creating awareness about junk food. Frequently eaten and most of times favourite food of newer generation. Time to revert back to olden ways of eating. No wonder it’s said ‘old is gold’

Lakshmi Iyer

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I also found this video on YouTube, which shows an experiment of conc. hydrochloric acid being added on a burger. Since HCL is also present in our stomach lining, eating excess of junk food can lead to similar consequences. You can take a look at it.

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Cheeseburger in Hydrochloric Acid - Periodic Table of Videos

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Very good post. Keep it up.

Vishwanathan S

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I had read in an article that "Sugar kills more than Guns"

Need a constant reminder that Junk food is a silent killer.

Good write-up, Sara

Vaibhav Velhankar

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Yes, it's true - but the real story goes beyond the headlines.

It's no surprise that news reports about health and food topics often confuse the public - from athletes to couch potatoes, and everyone in between. This is especially true of reports regarding scientific studies.

Media reports often sensationalize, lack accuracy, or don't tell the whole story. Likewise, for government recommendations, which have been flawed for decades and are often influenced by corporate concerns.

The newly published study in The Lancet about bad food being responsible for more deaths than tobacco, drugs, and high blood pressure, recently got major play in the mainstream media. Meanwhile, the response from those of us who already knew this information was a resounding "Ho-hum."

The knowledge and experience of clinicians, who are in the trenches treating patients and are often on the cutting edge, go unnoticed. Experiencing firsthand what works in practice, despite what we were taught in school, we are often left out of the big information highway that feeds misleading food myths to unsuspecting consumers every day. Sensationalized sound bites are not going to help people eat better. Thus, the reason for my backroad website and ongoing passionate production of educational information to encourage self-care.

While many published studies about food contribute to our scientific understanding of health and fitness, the media reports almost always leave out the most important person - you. Individualization is shunned in research. Personalization is more difficult to study. So while a population study is not applicable to a single person, a case history demonstrating how a certain approach helped them is likewise not necessarily applicable to the rest of the population. (However, case studies are becoming accepted again in scientific journals after a long tenure of taboo.)

Most of us will die suffering from some chronic disease, and in many cases it will be the actual cause of death.

Death from chronic disease is what The Lancet study demonstrated; but we should not focus on death but what affects us while living. Before we die there is often chronic disease and disability. Even before that, lower quality of life from aches and pains, injuries and illness, can develop for decades, often beginning in childhood. Most of these problems can be avoided or postoned, and food plays what has long been considered a most important role.

Eating a healthy diet is a primary lifestyle factor that can help people postpone and recover from disease, physical injury and disability. This was once referred to as prevention. People now have been conditioned to believe screening for disease, reactive care, rather than postponing it, being proactive, is "prevention."

Unfortunately, chronic disease is also big business. The global stock market is a major player as health is a key driver of economic growth. A 2015 Morgan Stanley Research report on Sustainable Economics, called The Bitter Aftertaste of Sugar, forecasts higher healthcare costs, lower productivity, and economic disaster - unless something changes. They cite sugar as the commodity doing the damage. Sugar really is the new tobacco - both substances being highly addictive and great business models.

Also note that stocks in healthcare businesses (best described as disease-care), have been booming for decades. But watch out - what would happen if enough people got healthy? Could it lead to another massive market crash?

Junk food, especially those containing sugar and other refined carbohydrates, is big business. In places like India, increased sugar intake has changed population health overnight. Our recent study showed that up to 80 percent of Indian adults are now overfat. (In the U.S., 91 percent of adults and 69 percent of children are overfat.)

Politics plays big business for food too. In the U.S., for example, the government subsidizes junk food ingredients, discouraging consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables . If people are encouraged financially to choose better food, they most often do. Unfortunately, last year the government relaxed rules again to allow refined grains, such as white breads, biscuits and white pastas, and other junk food, in school meals fed to children.

The philosophy of our modern medicine machine is to wait and treat the symptoms of chronic disease rather than address known lifestyle causes. Perhaps too much big business and politics in healthcare ensures this approach.

The Lancet study also mentioned that bad food kills more people than drugs. Most drugs are illegal - we have a War on Drugs. The prescription drug business, more deadly than street drugs, is booming, including polypharmacy, and is a very serious problem. Yet drugs kill fewer people than food. Shouldn't we have a War on Bad Food?

The study also encouraged eating so-called "healthy" foods, like whole grains. However, most people have never tasted real whole grains, and most products with ingredients listed as whole grains are packaged foods, made from processed wheat or other grains, often spiked with synthetic vitamins (which can be dangerous), typically containing sugar, vegetable oil or trans fat, or other unhealthy ingredients. In other words, most whole- grain products in the marketplace are junk foods in disguise. And, the body quickly converts these grains to sugar when consumed. (The tricks of the trade also now include gluten-free foods, most of which are also junk food.)

A major problem is that most people don't really know the definition of junk food. This thanks to mega-media distortion and massive propaganda-based marketing of junk food - it's global. But it's simple: there are two categories of food on earth: junk food, and natural food. And if you add junk food to natural food, it becomes junk food.

It's been known for decades that food influences our health and fitness in many significant ways. Today, more people are on the bandwagon, convinced, partly because science is catching up, and often because they've experienced the benefits of healthy eating firsthand as a remedy to personal problems. There is now a good consensus in the scientific community about avoiding sugar and other junk food. Unfortunately, junk food companies keep careful track of consumer ideas, countering with misinformation by adjusting food names and images, marketing, ingredients, and other factors that sell cleverly disguised new-and-improved junk food. Consider the increasing amount of organic junk food in health stores.

Food is a common trigger of chronic disease and disability. Chronic disease is the world's primary healthcare problem, a main cause of death and disability that comes with colossal costs. Addressing this problem should be a key focus, with less emphasis on individual conditions like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and others too often used as buzzwords (certainly we have to focus on them to make a diagnosis and provide care).

One reason for this is that most chronic disease and disability is preceded by food-induced chronic inflammation. Associated with this is also the condition of insulin resistance, which I have called carbohydrate intolerance throughout my career. Both of these underlying causes of chronic disease are promoted by excess body fat. This becomes a viscous cycle:

The bigger picture includes the many food-induced risk factors for chronic disease such as poor blood fats, hypertension, pre-diabetes, and others:

When it comes to chronic disease and disability, the myth of moderation is not applicable or acceptable when it comes to bad food. Like heroine, just a spoonful of sugar is deadly.

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Junk food kills more people than drugs and tobacco | Dr. Phil Maffetone

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It's no surprise that news reports about health and food topics often confuse the public - from athletes to couch potatoes, and everyone in between. This is especially true of reports regarding scientific studies. Media reports often sensationalize, lack accuracy, or don't tell the whole story.

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Loved it
-kritika

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Junk food weakens our health. Thanks for highlighting it’s adverse effects on body and mind. Keep it up.

Geetha Nair

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informative and to the point, very well written. keep up the good work!

- Anoushka

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Junk food contains large amount of fats so you’ll gain weight and later become obese. This puts you at risk for chronic diseases like arthritis, hypertension,etc. Thanks Sara for raising awareness on the topic.

Pradnya  Jadhav

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Very delighted  that youngsters are aware and also leading change.
Thank you for taking the initiative and good luck

Anisha Mathur

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Crisp and pertinent. Well done. Keep it up.

Kimberley D’Souza

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Good article Sara. Looking forward to many more from you.

Santosh Karlekar.

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Nice article. Very relevant in today’s time. Time to rethink about our food habits.

Vaishali Melkari.

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Concise and to the point. Let's all strive to avoid junk food

Harshad Patil

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Great Article. Covid has taught us that it is time to reverse some of our bad habits and junk food is one of them

Thanks Sara for sharing this

Anurag Bhatia

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A small lifestyle change can help save lot of money later (which will be spent on health)

Thanks for highlighting this Sara on this platform

Lavanya Lakshmi

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Very informative. Eat healthy to be healthy.

Deepali Dalvi

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Healthy Food and Regular Exercise are key drivers for good health.

Great effort, Sara

Srishti Malhotra

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Well-articulated. Would love yo hear from you on other topics in future

Sudhakar R

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Impressive review. Good work Sara

Ameya Saxena

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Nice summary. I suggest that you follow this up with another article on making regular exercise as a way of life.

Neha Wagle

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Good review Sara. Suggest you submit this for inclusion in your school magazine.

Hari Shankar

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Important topic to increase awareness on. I believe schools should also take a lead in educating students at the right age and develop healthy habits.

Shreyas Zaveri

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Good review covering all impacts of junk food. Keep up the good work

Manish Desai

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Very good article.  I have myself experienced the ill effects of junk food. Appreciate your effort

Ashish Sharma

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Excellent write-up. Time well spent reading it.

Vaibhav Sarpotdar

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Thanks Sara for writing this. Would want to share another relevant article on this.

Natasha Kamat

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​ By: Suanne Kowal-Connelly, MD, FAAP

Have you ever wondered why it's so difficult to get kids to eat their vegetables? Not wanting to eat broccoli is rooted in a great deal of more complicated issues than just not liking green food. How we come to like certain foods is associated with many factors and is referred to as food preferences.

How Food Preferences Are Developed:

In the first 2 years of life-when learning is constantly taking place-food preferences are also forming. Most are learned, but some are innate. A child's food preferences directly affect eating behavior, which in turn is linked to overall health, wellness, and the formation of obesity.

For years now, the food and beverage industry has used this knowledge to their advantage and encourages the development of unhealthy food preferences in children of all ages through various marketing and advertising techniques.

The Food and Beverage Industry's Role in the Formation of Food Preferences:

How often have you seen a food advertisement for broccoli? Healthy foods are advertised less than 3% of the time in comparison to their counterparts. This has a direct impact on children's food preferences-considering food and beverage companies spend $2 billion dollars a year on food marketing campaigns directed at children.

The fast food industry spends nearly 5 million dollars a day marketing products high in sugar, fat and salt, while also suggesting portion sizes grossly disproportionate to a child's energy needs. Increasingly, fast food companies are also using toy tie-ins with major children's motion pictures to try to attract young people. Remarkably, studies demonstrate that even very young children exposed to persuasive ads can develop food cravings for unhealthy foods that they have never even tasted!

This has a direct consequence on the formation of potentially lifelong, unhealthy food preferences associated with the development of obesity and all that comes with it. Although food preferences can be unlearned, this is often a monumental task as we age.

Regulation-or lack thereof

The marketing of food to children on media is unregulated in the U.S. Instead, major food and beverage manufacturers have voluntarily pledged to limit child-directed marketing of unhealthy foods as part of the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative. However, independent research groups have highlighted several limitations of that program, and young children remain highly exposed to advertisements for foods and beverages that may contribute to unhealthy food preferences.

The Problem with Baby and Toddler Snacks:

Reducing sodium and sugar intake early on can help set taste preferences and help children make healthy food choices later in life. However, a report from the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity found only 4 out of 80 baby and toddler snacks met nutritious standards. In addition, 50% of baby food snacks and 83% of toddler food snacks contained added sweeteners.

Parents need to look carefully at nutrition labels when selecting commercial toddler foods and infant or toddler snacks, desserts, and juice drinks. Choose products lower in added sugar and sodium. Get tips here for taming your child's sweet tooth in a world of sugary treats.

The Problem Continues as Children Grow:

Older children are bombarded with ad campaigns through every existing marketing vehicle. Walk through any supermarket and notice where the children's cereal is located. It invariably sits enticingly at a child's eye level. Point-of-sale placement of candies and sweets are another well-thought-out marketing tactic.

Food marketing and media use

Children are also exposed to countless ads on TV, streaming services, through video games, social media, and most internet websites. This is one of many important reasons why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that screen time be avoided from birth to 18 months (except for video chatting with loved ones). Here's why. Parents of children 18 to 24 months of age who want to introduce digital media should choose high-quality programming/apps and co-watch limited amounts together. For children 2 to 5, media limits are very appropriate and should be limited to 1 hour or less per day of high-quality programming. The AAP screen time guidelines also emphasize the role that media can play in disrupting healthy eating habits, such as when media is on during family mealtimes. Create a family media plan that includes screen-free zones, like the dinner table.

And what about celebrity endorsements? A study in the July 2016 Pediatrics examined the food industry's use of music celebrities to endorse sugary soft drinks and nutrient-poor foods through multi-million-dollar campaigns. Results also showed these celebrities are highly popular among teenage audiences-considering adolescents ages 12 to 18 report spending almost 2 hours listening to music each day!

Food marketing in schools

Advertising, serving, and promoting unhealthy foods continues to occur in schools across the US. Many groups are actively pursuing innovative methods of enhancing food literacy for children and their families, which include improving food choices, as well as learning how to grow, cook and properly identify healthy foods.

The AAP policy statement, Snacks, Sweetened Beverages, Added Sugars, and Schools, explains the three categories of foods and beverages kids eat at school and where there is opportunity for parents, pediatricians, and students to raise awareness about the importance of healthy choices. It's understandable given the food preferences they have become accustomed to-and they are generally less expensive than healthier alternatives.

A study published in the August 2016 issue of Pediatrics suggests that marketing tactics, often blamed for popularizing nutritionally poor foods, can also lead more kids to select vegetables at lunchtime. Elementary school students were offered vegetables in their cafeteria from a large salad bar. In some schools, the salad bar was decorated with banners showing cartoon characters gaining "superhuman" powers by eating the salad bar veggies. Other schools showed the same scenario on a TV monitor set up nearby. Some schools used both the banners and the monitor to entice the kids. The control group had just the plain table of fresh veggies. In the group with the monitor and the banner, 3 times the vegetables were chosen. When either the banner or monitor was used, twice the healthy foods were taken as compared to the control group. Clearly, advertising can be manipulated to present messages of value capable of impacting the development of healthy food preferences and behaviors.

What Parents Can Do:

Parents need to be well-informed about the potential negative health consequences of most current food marketing practices. This information can help them plan accordingly in reference to media exposure and the introduction of unhealthy foods in their child's diet.

If you're not satisfied with the choices available in your child's school cafeteria, get involved in your school's parent-teacher organization and brainstorm some healthful alternatives, as parents and teachers all over the country are doing.

Additional Information & Resources:

About Dr. Kowal-Connelly:

Suanne Kowal-Connelly, MD, FAAP is a pediatrician with 30 years group practice experience and is a voluntary faculty staff physician at Nassau University Medical Center mentoring residents. She also cares for private patients at the Long Island Federally Qualified Health Centers (LIFQHC) in Nassau County. Within the American Academy of Pediatrics, she sits on the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, the Council on School Health, and the Section on Obesity. Dr. Kowal-Connelly is a USAT (USA Triathlon) Level I Certified Coach and a USAT Youth & Jr. Coach. She is also founder of www.Healt​hPoweredByYou.com, where families and organizations can learn strategies for successful lifelong health and wellness and read her blog. She is also the very proud mother of three grown sons. Follow her on Twitter @healthpby.

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how children develop unhealthy food preferences:~ baby food~ cafeteria~ school cafe~ sugar beverages~ soda~ toddler snacks~ added sugars~ food marketing~ food advertising~ food and beverage sales~ fast food~ veggies~

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How Children Develop Unhealthy Food Preferences

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​ By: Suanne Kowal-Connelly, MD, FAAP Have you ever wondered why it's so difficult to get kids to eat their vegetables? Not wanting to eat broccoli is rooted in a great deal of more complicated issues than just not liking green food.

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Nice and concise summary of impact on Junk food.

Good work Sara

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Good Article, Sara. Keep up the good work

Sumanta Dutta

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Thanks for sharing this wonderful article.

Wishing everyone a healthy lifestyle.

Aakash Kumar

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Superb Article. Thanks for sharing

Saurabh Rana

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Sara, Great Article. Please do continue writing. The young generation has to lead the way in creating awareness.

John Varghese

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Good article.
Fast food is not considered food at all in some cases. Recently Subway bread was declared as "not bread" by Irish Supreme Court as it has high sugar content.

Thanks for spreading awareness

Bernard Solomon

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Outstanding summary of a pertinent topic. Thanks Sara

Aritro Chatterjee

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Relevant article especially when younger population is getting increasing addicted to Junk food.

Good work, Sara

Ketan Khandagale

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Nice write-up Sara. Keep up the good work

Samiksha S

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Smart concise Analysis. You should write similar analysis on Vegan food as well

Shruti Gupta

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Very relevant topic in today's time when the pandemic has exposed the impact of low immunity and risk that obesity causes. Poor food habits is one of the causes of low immunity.

Ashish Gokhale

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Good job on providing a lot of information in a few lines. Keep up the good work, Sara.
Samayukta Gadiyar

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A well-written, concise insightful and to-the-point review. Given that we are in a semi house-arrest circumstance with minimum mobility and exercise opportunity, it is more relevant now than ever. Researchers say that our body is 95% - what we eat and remnant 5% - what we do to burn the surplus calories. Thus, it is important for us to be mindful and cautious about what we ingest. To be simplistic as a gizmo manual and concise as a dictionary, junk food can do us more harm than good. So, the lesson is to be funk about the junk(food).
Well done Sara ! Great Effort !
Piyush Rai

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Great Analysis, this will create an awareness in people who have junk food frequently. Yes obesity occurs mainly due to high consumption of junk food, inappropriat routine and unhealthy diet. It's difficult to stop eating junk food completely but having it once in a while is okay only if your daily diet is healthy enough.
Aakash Sapatnekar

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Great Analysis. Most junk food causes obesity which can lead to infertility and hormonal imbalance in females. Also high cholesterol level can lead to myocardial infarction.i.e. heart attack.
Sana Kodkani

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If you want to enjoy junk food once in a while but are concerned about the impact on your health, take a look at your overall health habits. Are you exercising regularly and eating plenty of nutritious foods such as vegetables, fruit, legumes, fish, nuts and seeds, and whole grains? When it comes to your health, it seems you can “get away with” the occasional junk food more easily when you follow a healthy lifestyle most of the time. So think about your ratio of healthy to less healthy foods.
Annie Dennis 😍

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Harmful effects of junk food
It causes memory and learning problems.
It lessens one’s ability to control their appetite.
It can cause chemical changes that can lead to depression.
It makes you impatient and cause uncontrollable cravings

Great topic for creating awareness.
Seher Lalwani

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Eating a poor quality diet high in junk food is linked to many serious diseases. Loved your awareness and analysis. Well done !!!
Ishita Thakkar

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It is important to increase awareness on this topic

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Good information Sara.
Yes making healthy choices with your meals and snacks will allow you to concentrate better throughout the day.
Ajita Bhoir
CAS Coordinator.

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Good Analysis. Junk food is a large industry in itself. So reversing the habit also has a commercial impact on many businesses. It’s a slow change that needs support from all stakeholders.

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Most of junk foods are high in sugar content thus altering pH of saliva, which is root cause of many dental problems.

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Feel free to share your opinions about this.