Fast food or junk food: to eat or not to eat

Dunk ‘em; sink ‘em, for they are fast or junk. Fast food and junk food are on the run with health buffs going hammer and tongs against them. Restaurant food is what's popularly termed as “fast”. But before one hastens to condemn it, quite a lot of truths need to be factored in, especially the way the food is cooked. This precisely explains why not all fast food can be shooed away as unhealthy. Hence, GenNxt goodies like pizza, taco and sandwich are recommended as healthy stuff as they contain no processed elements.

It's a totally different outlook when things are fried. These are the villains, the true health hazards and hence clubbed as junk. The saturated fat in these food items is way below the normal calorie count. With very little nutrient content they are called empty calories.

All fried and packed stuff including the immensely popular potato chips come under the class of junk food. Whatever calories you get come only from the sugar and the fat in such food packs. There's very little of fibre, protein, minerals and vitamins in junk food. All meat items made with saturated fat are definitely junk.

Processed food contains more of sugar, fat, and salt. The flip side of too much such food is that it wreaks havoc with the insulin ratio of the body resulting in fat accumulation leading to Type 2 diabetes. While hooked on high fat, high calorie food, the tendency is to hog on food and overeat. The high salt content in junk stuff jacks up blood pressure and hastens body water retention. This in turn adds to the cholesterol count, ultimately paving the way for coronary ailments.

Junk food addicts tend to shy away from fruits and vegetables. The vice-like grip of junk food is like an addiction as bad as that of drugs and dope.