Say no to junk food

 

 

 

 If you talk to people around what junk food is, they will immediately be able to reel off
lists of items they consider to be junk. So if they know what junk food is, why are children – and adults – still eating it?Junk foods are energy-dense (as opposed to nutrient-dense) and this energy comes from fat and sugar (many of these foods are also laden with salt). The reasons why people continue to consume junk food,even when they know it is less than ideal, is a point of great speculation. The drives behind consumption go far beyond energy demand or need. In most cases, the energy imbalance that results from eating the food is not ven considered – and therein lies the biggest concern with children and teenagers and their habits relating to junk food .

 

Junk food  is of little nutritional value and often high in fat, sugar, and calories.

It is widely believed that the term was coined by Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in 1972.Junk foods typically contain high levels of calories from sugar or fat with little protein, vitamins or minerals. Common junk foods include salted snack foods, gum, candy, sweet desserts, fried fast food, and carbonated beverages.

 

 

Health effects

A study by Paul Johnson and Paul Kenny at the Scripps Research Institute (2008) suggested that junk food consumption alters brain activity in a manner similar to addictive drugs like cocaine or heroin. After many weeks with unlimited access to junk food, the pleasure centers of rat brains became desensitized, requiring more food for pleasure. After the junk food was taken away and replaced with a healthy diet, the rats starved for two weeks instead of eating nutritious fare.A 2007 British Journal of Nutrition study found that female rats who eat junk food during pregnancy increased the likelihood of unhealthy eating habits in their offspring.

A report published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology suggests that babies of mothers with a high-sugar and high-fat diet while pregnant are more prone to junk food themselves. The study was conducted on rats and suggests that "infants whose mothers eat excessive amounts of high-fat, high-sugar junk foods when pregnant or breastfeeding are likely to have a greater preference for these foods later in life.

 

 

 

Taxation

 

In an attempt to reduce saturated fat consumption, from December 2011 – November 2012 Denmark had introduced the first fat-food tax in the world by imposing a surcharge on all foods (including natural ingredients) that contain more than 2.3 percent saturated fat. Hungary has also imposed a tax on packaged foods that contain unhealthy concentrations, such as beverages containing more than 20 mg of caffeine per 100 ml. 

 

 

 

                                                             

 

 

 Interesting Facts About . . .    Junk food
 

•      Junk food is typically defined as foods with little nutritional value that are high in calories,  fat,  sugar, salt, or caffeine. Junk food can include breakfast cereals, candies, chips, cookies, French fries, gum, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, sodas, and most sweet desserts.

 

• The term “junk food” was initially used in the 1960s but was popularized during the following decade when the song “Junk Food Junkie” reached the top of the charts in 1976.

• The increase of junk food is directly associated with the increase in obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers, tooth decay, and other diseases.

• In 1979, in what has become known as the “Twinkie Defense,” Daniel White said he killed San Francisco mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk because he ate too much junk food, such as Twinkies, candy bars, and cupcakes, which caused a chemical imbalance in his brain. He was still convicted and, in 1981, Congress outlawed the Twinkie Defense.

• Fats from junk food trigger the brain to want more food. This effect can last for several days.

• More than $2 billion of candy is sold for Halloween, more than any other holiday.

During Saturday morning cartoons, children see an average of 8 junk food ads per 10 minutes of cartoons

• Almost 80% of food commercials aired on Saturday morning children shows are for junk food.

• Today the United States alone  has a $23 billion candy market. Candy sales have continued to increase despite concerns with junk food and obesity.

• Hostess makes 500 million Twinkies a year.

• The agent that gives Twinkies their smooth feel, cellulose gum, is also used in rocket fuel to give it a slightly gelatinous feel.

• Cracker Jack originated in Chicago and was the first to use toys to target junk food to children.

• During the 1930s, extruded snacks were invented by an animal feed technician, Edward Wilson, whose Korn Kurls, an early precursor to Cheetos, became popular after WWII.

• A Children’s Food Campaign (CFC) survey found that some baby food has as much, if not more, saturated fats and sugar as junk food.

• Western diets often include snacking on junk food filled with sugar. Consequently, insulin remains high throughout the day, which can cause metabolic problems including type 2 diabetes. Over 250 million people worldwide have type-2 diabetes, constituting more than 90 percent of global diabetes cases. Most people will eventually become disabled or die from the disease.

• Doughnuts most likely originated in Germany and were brought to New York by Dutch settlers who called them olykoeks (oily cakes). . Dunkin Donuts sells 6.4 million donuts per day (2.3 billion per year).

• Annually, Americans buy nearly $2 billion in Easter candies, including 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies, 16 billion jellybeans, and 700 million marshmallow Peeps.

• For 3,000 years, natural licorice was used as medicine to treat ulcers, sore throats, coughs, and other diseases. The first licorice “candy” was an attempt to disguise the bitter flavor of the medicine, though now most American licorice “candy” does not have licorice’s historic therapeutic qualities.

Corn dextrin is not only an ingredient in many junk foods, it is also the glue on envelopes and stamps

• Corn dextrin, a common thickener used in junk food, is also the glue on envelopes and postage stamps.

• Alloxen, a byproduct of bleaching white flour which is often found in junk food, leads to diabetes in healthy experimental animals by destroying their pancreatic beta cells.

• Snickers is the most popular candy bar in America, due in part to advertising that highlighted its healthful aspects. In the UK, Snickers was initially named Marathon Bar because “snickers” rhymes with “knickers,” a British colloquialism for someone’s underwear.

• Young women who eat a junk food diet are at a higher risk for developing Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

• “Conversation hearts” started in the 1860s, and currently the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) produces about 8 billion Sweethearts per year, all within the six weeks before Valentine's Day.

• The creamy middle of a Twinkie is not cream at all but mostly Crisco, which is vegetable shortening.

• In 1891, William Wrigley Jr. began selling soap in Chicago. To increase sales, he gave away gum to his customers. When his gum became a hit, he decided to make and sell the now popular gum, which was later included in rations for soldiers.

• Junk food became a part of the American diet during the 1920s, but it was through television advertising after WWII that junk food became more ubiquitous and nutritionists subsequently became concerned.

Eating junk food while pregnant or breast feeding raises the risk of producing obese children

• Mothers who eat junk food while pregnant or breast-feeding have children who are prone to obesity throughout life. The children are also more prone to diabetes, raised cholesterol, and high blood fat.

• Female cockroaches that ate junk food in a research study became fatter and took longer to reproduce than cockroaches that ate a healthier diet.

• Researchers suggest that breast cancer rates in China are rising because of an increase in Western-style junk food and increasing unhealthy lifestyles.

• Additives and preservatives such as common food dyes and sodium benzoate can cause children to become more hyperactive and easily distracted than usual.

• Daily candy and junk food intake in children has been linked to violence later in life, though experts are not sure if it is the candy itself or the way it is given to children that creates the assocation.

• Vending machines were developed in the United Kingdom in the 1880s and were used to sell gum at train stations in New York. By 1926, there was one vending machine for every 100 people in America.

•  7-Eleven to reflect its original hours of operation, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. 7-Eleven now sells about 144 million Slurpees, 33 million gallons of fountain drinks, 100 million hot dogs, and 60 million donuts and pastries per year.

• Today, Americans consume approximately 70 million “tator tots” a year. The film Napoleon Dynamite (2004) popularized them even more.

 

                              

 

Fast food is a driving force behind the epidemic of diet-related health conditions, setting our kids up for a lifetime of health problems. Nearly one out of every three children  is now overweight or obese.

 

But that’s not the end of it. The negative effects of fast food on our health include:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancer
• Liver disease
• Asthma
• Type-2 diabetes 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                    

Kid-Focused Marketing Fuels Illness

A growing body of scientific evidence shows reducing junk-food marketing to kids could reduce the rates of diet-related conditions such as childhood obesity and diabetes, sparing the health of millions of children.


Simply put, the less kids are exposed to fast food marketing, the less likely they are to be susceptible to diet-related diseases as adults.
So we’re leading the call to protect our children’s health. We demand the industry’s most aggressive marketer to children, McDonald’s,kfc, burger king ,jack in the box, and other fast food chains  retire its iconic clown and the suite of marketing practices it uses to build kids’ life long brand loyalty.

                                                                     

 

Health Professionals Help Curb Health Crisis

Health professionals have a critical role to play in compelling the fast-food industry to change the way it does business. Thousands have already taken a stand with us.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended a national policy prohibiting junk-food marketing to kids.
• More than 2500 institutions and health professionals have signed an open letter to McDonald’s CEO, calling on the burger giant to end its kid-focused marketing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                 

Fast Food Feels the Pressure

Already, we can see the impact health professionals are having on the industry. Just a year after hundreds of health professionals stood with us to release an open letter to McDonald's we have seen a dramatic shift in the public climate. Public dialogue and media coverage of this issue have increased multifold, and local policies curbing fast-food influence are being advanced around the country. As a result, the industry is feeling the pressure:

• Jack in the Box, the country’s fifth largest hamburger chain, discontinued toy giveaways.
• Leading food corporations including Olive Garden and Red Lobster voluntarily committed to reduce the amount of fat, salt, sugar, and calories in kids’ meals over the next decade.
• McDonald’s added apple slices to all Happy Meals and is reducing the portion size of its kids’ fries (though, notably, it is still spending hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing its unhealthy brand to children).

Corporate Accountability continues to work with leading health professionals to create a healthy food environment for all our children

All About Side Effects of Carbonated Drinks

Carbonated beverages may have ill effects on those with lung disease, reports the American Lung Association. People with a lung disease medically known as "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease" have difficulty breathing; drinking carbonated beverages may make these symptoms worse. Because breathing requires more energy for people with lung disease, eliminating carbonated beverages may make breathing easier .

Ingredients in Carbonated Beverages

The effects of carbonated drinks on the lungs stem from the chemical makeup of carbonated drinks. There is a slight tingling sensation experienced in the throat and esophagus area while drinking a carbonated beverage, which may cause breathing problems. The ingredients in carbonated beverages cause this tingling sensation, which can cause discomfort, coughing and a burning feeling. The tiny bubbles in soda are formed from the carbon dioxide present in carbonated beverages. Carbon dioxide is an incombustible gas that is odorless and colorless; it is breathed out by the lungs when you exhale. It is considered a waste product of the body. This waste product that the lungs expel from the body during normal breathing is placed back into the body when carbonated drinks are consumed.

                                                                            

 

 

Carbonate Beverages and the lungs

Carbonated beverages can be detrimental for those with lung disease, but it causes minor issues with healthy individuals. According to the American Lung Association, COPD is the most common lung disease in the United States. COPD includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis; it involves airflow blockage and other breathing-related problems. With this disease, it takes about 10 times more effort to breathe normally. It is preventable through diet and lifestyle alterations, including the elimination of carbonated beverages. According to the American Lung Association, a COPD diet should avoid carbonated beverages because of the extra gas they bring into the lungs. This extra gas makes it that much more difficult to breathe for someone with COPD. The CDC states that there is no link to ill effects from carbonated beverages and healthy individuals as far as lung function, but carbonated beverages can cause other health-related problems.

 

 

Carbonation and Puffiness

The introduction of air into your body can influence puffiness and bloating. Eating too fast, chewing gum and/or drinking carbonated beverages can all add air into your gastrointestinal tract. The result can be bloating that adds as much as 3 inches to your stomach, according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, a physician.

 

Carbonated Drinks & Coffee Causes Burning With Urination.

The Effects of Carbonated Beverages on Kidneys

Drinking soda or other carbonated beverages each day may be a recipe for high blood pressure, reduced kidney function and kidney stones. This setup for kidney disease happens through a number of actions that take place when you consume just two carbonated beverages a day for a long period of time. You may think sugar-free diet soda may shield you from these adverse health effects, but you'd be wrong. Be it a cola, non-cola, diet soda or other sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage, carbonated beverages can increase your risk of serious health issues.

                                                                   

Carbonation and Kidney Stones

Soda, especially colas, contains high levels of phosphoric acid, which is closely linked with the development of kidney stones and other renal problems. A seminal study published in 2007 in the journal "Epidemiology" reckoned that drinking two or more colas per day was associated with increased risk of chronic kidney disease. The two-fold risk was there whether the soda contained common sugars or artificial sugars. Phosphoric acid gives food a tangy taste and beverages the acidic taste you've come to associate with soda. Phosphoric acid also has preservation qualities and acts as a mold deterrent. The acid, if consume regularly, can tax kidneys as they do their job of filtering out waste material.

 

 

According to "Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics," children and the population as a whole continue to drink more and more carbonated beverages. Many of the ingredients found in carbonated beverages such as sugar and high-fructose corn syrup contribute to health problems, and several studies show that simple carbonation may have adverse effects on your bones.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                  

 

 

The Effects of Carbonated Drinks on Bones

Osteoporosis

According to "Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics," there exists an association between lowered bone mass density in children and consuming carbonated beverages. These findings apply to both the diet and the regular carbonated cola formulations. Additionally, there is also positive correlation between bone fracture risk in children and carbonated beverage consumption. Carbonated drinks also contribute to bone loss in children. A decreased intake of milk in combination with an increased consumption of soda also contributes to an increase in cases of osteoporosis observed in pediatric medicine.


Reduced Bone Strength

If you are a woman, consumption of cola-type, carbonated drinks may reduce your bone strength. In an October 2006 article published in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," nutrition scientist Katherine Tucker, Ph.D., and colleagues report that women who consume regular and diet cola tend to have weaker hipbones compared to those who do not drink these beverages. The authors note that the degree of bone weakness correlates to the amount of cola consumed.

 

 

 

 

 

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On average, Americans consume more than 50 gallons of carbonated soft drinks each year, according to the 2005 USDA report, "Contributions of Nonalcoholic Beverages to the U.S. Diet." Although the ingredients in carbonated drinks are deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration, these beverages may cause side effects, especially if you consume them on a regular basis. Familiarizing yourself with the possible side effects of carbonated drinks can help you make informed nutrition choices.

Belching and Heartburn

Carbonated beverages contain dissolved carbon dioxide, which becomes a gas when it warms to body temperature in your stomach. Consuming carbonated soft drinks may cause repeated belching as your stomach stretches from the accumulation of carbon dioxide gas. Food and stomach acid may come up your food pipe as you belch, causing heartburn and a sour taste in your mouth.

 

 

                                          

 

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Increased Risk of Obesity

 

 

Consuming sugar-sweetened, carbonated drinks adds calories to your diet, which may increase your risk of overweight and obesity. In an April 2007 article published in the "American Journal of Public Health," Lenny Vartanian, Ph.D., and colleagues report that the risk of overweight and obesity associated with consumption of sugar-sweetened, carbonated beverages is greater for women than men and for adults compared to children and adolescents. Overweight and obesity are significant risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and osteoarthritis.

Poor Nutrition

Consumption of carbonated soft drinks can adversely affect your overall nutrient intake. Drinking these beverages may reduce youconsumption of proteins, starch, dietary fiber and vitamin B-2, also known as riboflavin. People who drink carbonated beverages also tend to eat less fruit and drink less fruit juice compared to those who do not drink sodas.

                                                                         

Tooth Decay

Regular and diet carbonated soft drinks can harm your teeth. Your mouth contains bacteria that feed  on sugar, producing chemicals that can break down the hard enamel of your teeth. A cavity forms when erosion of the enamel exposes the soft, inner core of your tooth. When you drink sweetened, carbonated soda, the sugar remains in your mouth, promoting the processes that lead to tooth decay. The acid in these carbonated drinks further increase the likelihood of developing cavities, because these chemicals also slowly erode the enamel of your teeth.

                                                       


Educate and bring awareness about eating disorders and junk food

 

Strategies To Get Children and  YouthThinking

Below are some strategies and activities to get your students thinking about junk food and the connection it has to their health and wellbeing.



                                              
                                                                       


Brainstorming

Depending on the age of the students and their level of understanding, it is useful to begin by brainstorming what junk food is and developing a clear understanding of why some foods are indeed labeled as ‘junk’. For example, if you search Wikipedia, ‘junk’ is defined as “Waste, any undesired thing or substance”. Definitions of this nature are a good place to begin when you are trying to formulate a clear understanding in your students’ minds. Once a clear definition and understanding has been established, challenge them to think about why they would put waste into their body. To illustrate this concept, use role models – such sporting role models – who have had very specific goals that they have achieved throughout their careers. Ask your students if they believe that these role models would have achieved these goals by putting junk in their bodies.

The ‘Sometimes Foods’ Versus ‘Everyday Foods’ Discussion

 

 

 

 

 

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This discussion does not suggest that a child’s favourite treat should banned for life but it does suggest that it should only be consumed occasionally. You can use the national health campaign, Swap It, Don’t Stop It (www. swapit.gov.au) to further elaborate on this discussion. The campaign website has a number of good suggestions about how people can ‘swap’ their choices and change their diets. Lead this discussion to create a level of understanding around why and how we should change lifestyle behaviours in relation to food choices.

Understanding The Desire To Eat Junk Food And Finding Alternatives

 

If a child’s reason for eating junk food is its flavour, begin by asking students to think up (and test) some recipes that are just as tasty but tick the box of being an everyday food. For example, these might include chips that they make themselves or sweets made with less sugar and more fruit. If their driving force is convenience, then promote a strategy that encourages them to eat regular mini-meals, which are small meals that can be eaten on the run. These include rice crackers, fresh fruit, cheese and biscuits, milk drinks, tubs of yoghurt, dried fruit bags, air dried popcorn, veggie muffins, homemade healthy Anzac biscuits, and ready-made meals that just require heating, such as soups, tuna and baked beans.

Changing The Approach

Adults are forever trying to convince children not to eat junk food because of what it does to a growing body. Excess sugar, fat and salt will have detrimental effects on a child’s health, growth and development. The direct impacts of excess salt are dehydration and high blood pressure (hypertension); obesity has little to do with physical appearance and more with health and longevity. Nowadays, many ‘lifestyle diseases’ that have historically been experienced in middle age are now becoming adolescent diseases.

 

 

                                                        
Changing the approach could make all the difference. For instance, rather than telling students to stop eating junk food all together, inspire them to want to be healthy and feel great. Students should understand that they can have those foods, just not every day.

You can also be graphic – do not underestimate how powerful visuals can be. Exposing children to pictures of organs that have been infiltrated with fat, or of the complications of Type 2 diabetes or heart disease, will be confronting but it is a useful part of a larger strategy.

You should also try the simple question-and-answer approach. Simply ask students why they should drink water or plain milk instead of juice or soft drink. The answer is that water and milk will address the body’s need for hydration – mention the correlation between that and the body being composed of 70 % water – and calcium needs without adding unnecessary kilojoules of energy. Ensure that your students know what the answer is, and most importantly, the reasons behind it.

Here is an example of a practical lesson that is simple but very effective. Ask your students how many teaspoons of sugar are in a can of soft drink (some soft drinks have up to 10). Add the number of teaspoons of sugar they decide is in a can of soft drink to a glass of water. By visualising the amount of sugar in a soft drink, students will come to understand why that amount is too much.

There is one exception to the practice of sometimes foods and that is energy drinks. These drinks have no place in a child’s diet or in a growing body. They should not be considered sometimes foods as they are not safe for children – the warnings on the can even suggest so. Caffeine, sugar and the energy boosting additives are not designed to be handled by a developing metabolism. These drinks are often dressed up as a can of soft drink (which is indeed a sometimes food), however, it is really the same as a double or triple shot of espresso coffee, which you would not offer to a growing child.

Teachers and parents must focus on teaching children why junk food is bad for them rather than simply telling them not to eat it without explanation or reason. The aim is to inspire children and teenagers to want to lead a healthy lifestyle that involves them making their own healthy food choices. Children must understand the foundations of healthy eating and the positive effect that it will have on their life, as well as the activities and journeys they pursue in the years to come.

 

Food Mafia n their multi billion dollar business decide to terminate our life span n lifestyle