Junk food is an ever-present temptation to many of us. Simple, tasty and easily available, it can offer a meal in a hurry or a treat at the end of a hard day. However, junk food is often high in calories, sugar and fat. Cutting it out is a simple way to start losing weight, but you also have to increase your physical activity, while decreasing your calorie intake, to shed excess fat. Spot exercise focusing on the belly won't work either. To shrink your waist size, you need to adopt a healthy eating plan along with aerobic exercise and strength training, notes MayoClinic.com
Understanding Junk Food
"Junk food" is a slang term for food which is high in calories, fat, salt and/or sugar, but which provides only minimal nutritional benefit compared to the number of calories. Fast food is a form of junk food, as are donuts and packaged snacks like candy bars and potato chips. Soft drinks are an ultimate junk food. A 12-ounce can of a sweetened soft drink typically contains around 140 calories, but provides no other nutritional value.
Nutrition and Weight
Food provides your body with energy to function properly and engage in physical activity. This energy is measured in calories. When your intake of calories is more than your body is using, the excess energy is stored as fat. When less you take in less energy than your body needs, it turns to fat reserves to make up the difference. Maintaining a healthy weight means balancing the number of calories consumed and expended, while losing weight means expending more calories than you consume.
Fast Food and the Obesity Epidemic
Since consuming too many calories leads to weight gain, it's easy to see how fast food contributes to obesity. High-calorie foods served in large portions result in meals that can provide more calories than a diner might suspect. A double bacon cheeseburger, large fries and a large soda can contain nearly 2000 calories. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends a total daily intake of 2,200 to 2,600 calories for most active women and 2,400 to 2,800 for most men. Sedentary individuals and women over age 50, should consume even less calories. Fast food can easily lead individuals to over-consume.
Cutting Out Junk Food
Cutting junk food from the diet is not the only path to weight loss, but it can definitely help. Replacing candy bars and potato chips with healthier snacks, such as fruit and nuts, cuts down calories and improves the body's intake of necessary vitamins and minerals, while drinking water instead of sweetened soft drinks reduces your calorie intake and improves hydration. Cooking for yourself replaces junk food with healthier ingredients and allows simpler portion control.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Profiling Food Consumption in America
- CBS News; Fast Food, Fat Children; Thalia Assuras; February 2009
- The Coca-Cola Company: Nutrition Connection - Coca-Cola 12 fl oz Can
- Jack in the Box: Nutrition
- MayoClinic.com: Belly fat in men: Why weight loss matters
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