Junk Food Essay Example

Before I came to college I ate a lot of junk food. I have since cut back just a little bit but not a lot. Ways I have cut back are not to eat junk food everyday but sometimes I tend to break that rule and eat a lot of snacks I have in my dorm room. It is easy to eat junk food all the time because of how it tastes and how affordable it is especially when it is the only thing around you to eat.

Junk food is unhealthy food that we love to eat but it is high in calories from sugar, salt, and fat. The reason people tell you it is bad for you is that it has few nutrients that your body needs. I think that junk food has benefits and I also believe it can harm your health if you eat too much of it. Yet some readers may challenge my view saying junk food is basically trash that harms our bodies in different ways. The main thing that junk food harms our health is gaining weight. Michael Moss who wrote The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food states “More than half of American adults were now considered overweight, with nearly one-quarter of the adult population-40 million people-clinically defined as obese” (658). In other words, Moss beleieves food manufactures should be blamed for the problem of people becoming overweight and obese. I disagree with Moss because people have a choice whether or not they want to eat junk food. Another choice people have is how much junk food they consume and if they consume too much it could lead to more weight gaining. I think the only thing the manufactures should be blamed for is making good junk food that makes people eat their products. While I understand eating junk food makes you gain weight and obese, my own view is that you should still eat it because some junk foods are good for your health and help you not to gain as much weight. Though I concede that junk food is something I am not completely against, I still maintain that junk food is a good snack to eat and enjoy. 

In today’s issues junk food is high in obesity, depression, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. I understand that today’s issues surrounding junk food are bad but I also believe there is good in eating junk food even though there are consequences of eating junk food. When I was young my mom told me if you eat too much junk food it will make you sick. Even though that junk food can make you sick and gain weight we still eat it. Stephanie Brookshier who wrote How Does Junk Food Affect Your Weight & Energy? is giving us a reason on how junk food can affect our weight. According to Brookshier, “eating snack foods that are high in fat and calories also contributes to weight gain”(Brookshier). Brookshier’s point is watch how much fat and calories you are eating because if you eat a snack that has high calories it could result in you never being satisfied. 

When I was a child, I used to think that pork rinds were the best thing to eat because my granddaddy always would feed me pork rinds. As I got older I thought pork rinds were just like every chip I would eat. Come to find out the fats in pork rinds are good for you. Amy Ahlberg who wrote Junk Food that's Good for You is letting us know what fats are included in pork rinds. The first fat you find is “oleic acid, which is the same healthy fat you’ll find in olive oil” and the other fat is “stearic acid, is a type of saturated fat that doesn’t raise blood cholesterol levels”(Ahlberg). I am not saying you should eat pork rinds all the time because you do need to watch how much you eat. Anything you eat has some type of bad effect on your health. Going back to Moss’ quote in the 2nd paragraph talking about gaining weight you still can when you eat pork rinds. Also, pork rinds can lead to high blood pressure. Another junk food item I always eat is popcorn and I eat it almost every weekend. When I eat popcorn I think it is a tasty snack. Yet some readers may challenge my view by saying that it is too salty and buttery making it bad for your health. You would think those people that say it is bad for your health were right but popcorn is actually a healthy snack. Amy Ahlberg who wrote Junk Food that's Good for You gives a reason why popcorn is a healthy snack. The reason it is considered a healthy snack is one it is low in nutrition but the major reason it is healthy is that it is “full of fiber and has high levels of polyphenols, antioxidants that can protect against heart disease and certain cancers”(Ahlberg). Ahlberg is pointing out the ingredients that make popcorn a healthy snack. The only bad thing about popcorn is fattening. What sets popcorn apart from other junk food is that popcorn helps you lose weight. The way popcorn helps you lose weight is if you eat air popped, unflavored popcorn since it is low in calories, fat, and sugar, and high in fiber. If you are apart of those 40 million people who are obese like Moss states and you are trying to lose weight while trying to enjoy eating popcorn insert air popped popcorn into you diet to help you lose weight. You see, every junk food you consume is not that bad to eat. 

Even though junk food has some benefits there are still things that make junk food bad to eat. Sarika Rana who wrote What Is Junk Food? Why Is It Bad For You? talks about how bad junk food is when it comes to nutrition. Junk food can lead to “rejection of healthier food options like fruits, vegetables, salads, etc. leading to further lack of nourishment”(Rana). Rana’s point is that if you consume too much junk food then it will lead to you rejecting healthier food. If you are a kid and eat junk food all the time it is not good for you because it does not nourish your body. So if you are a kid or a parent to a child you need to make sure they are eating their fruits and vegetables so they can grow and their health is not affected. The reason I say that is because it is often said when you go to your pediatrician are you drinking milk, eating your fruits, and vegetables. The reason your pediatrician asked you that is because they want to make sure you are growing and you are a healthy kid. As a kid and an adult, we all eat pizza because it is so good but it is also bad to eat. The reason it is unhealthy is because of the ingredients in the pizza. Kris Gunnars who wrote 20 Foods That Are Bad for Your Health states the ingredients in pizza are “highly refined dough and heavily processed meat”(Gunnars). Gunnars is pointing out the important ingredients that are in pizza. These ingredients result in high calories just like any other junk food you eat. The only way we can cut back on the ingredients we choose to eat on our pizza is by choosing a healthier pizza or making a homemade pizza with healthy ingredients. 

Consumers should be given more information about the good and bad effects of junk food. It can be surprising how many calories, fats, and salts we consume everyday. As someone who eats junk food, there should be warning labels for those that have health problems. If we do not have more information about junk food will people’s health start declining?