Too much junk food?

[cupcakechef]

I read an article today about Australians and the consumption of junk food.

Here's a snippet from the article:

Australians were consuming junk food every day rather than as an indulgence, said the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) report.

Among other things, the study of 40,000 Australians found, on average, people consumed 32kg of chocolate a year.

Australia scored 61 out of 100 in the CSIRO's Healthy Diet Score Survey.

32kg of chocolate blows my mind - I don't think I would be anywhere even remotely close to that!

What do you think about your country, or yourself personally? Of the food you cook or consume, is it for the most part healthy or does it lean towards more junk food?

 

[L_B]

I have seen article where Canada is referred to as the fast-food country. So I would guess that we rank high in the junk food too.
I think, sadly, it has become a way of life for a lot of people. The cost of junk food is so much cheaper compared to the price of fresh fruit and veggies.
In my family we try our best to eat the majority of our food healthy but we do eat junk food too. We just limit the amount that we allow ourselves.
It is more of a treat then something that is consumed on a regular basis.

 

[Morning Glory]

Not sure if I worked this out correctly but to eat 32kg of chocolate a year would be about five bars of chocolate a week. It does seem a lot - but perhaps not quite as much as it seems. I eat chocolate once in a blue moon and I'm not tempted by junk food (except perhaps chips (fries) occasionally). But junk food is just as much an issue here in the UK.

One recent study found:

The UK has higher levels of obesity and overweight people than anywhere in western Europe except for Iceland and Malta, according to an authoritative global study that raises fresh concerns about the likely health consequences.

In the UK, 67% of men and 57% of women are either overweight or obese, according to the Global Burden of Disease study, published in the Lancet medical journal. More than a quarter of children are also overweight or obese – 26% of boys and 29% of girls.

About 2.1 billion people – nearly 30% of the population of the planet – are overweight or obese, raising the risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancers. Although the rise in obesity rates seems to be slowing in some countries, it has yet to be reversed in any.

 

[classic33]

On the chocolate side, used to eat nine an hour(mars Bars, 51g) whilst at work or travelling to/from work.
That's 51g X 9(bars) X 8(hours) = 3672g. Converted to kg = 3.672kg a day on a four day week. For 2 & 1/2 years.

I was on the other hand cycling 250 miles over those 4 days.

And I live to tell the tale!

 

[Berties]

Britain appears to be the best at eating chocolate in Europe
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-147227/Britain-chocoholics-league.html

 

[sidevalve]

I think, sadly, it has become a way of life for a lot of people. The cost of junk food is so much cheaper compared to the price of fresh fruit and veggies.

CHEAPER ??!! Where exactly - burger outlets, kebab shops, fried chicken, in fact any 'fast' food is not cheap. Where does this idea come from ? It's easy to pay £5 [or whatever your equivalent is] for a burger and fries - try comparing that to, for example, a baked potato with anything you want to put in it. I can go to my local supermarket and buy everything for a salad [and not just a lettuce either] for half that AND probably get more than one meal from it. In fact cost of two burgers and fries = about £10. Cost of a full roast dinner at home [meat veggies potatoes etc] for wife and self [allowing for fact that most of the ingredients will do more than one meal] is half that.
No, it is laziness not cost.
PS - still love a burger once in a while though.

 

[Corzhens]

If you mean by junk food are the chips and the fries in the fastfoods, I guess children are addicted to those foods. Ask any kid for snacks and they will immediately mention the name of their favorite fastfood. What worries me is the addiction of children to soda. What more when the fastfoods would launch a promo of upsize, that means they will give you a large cup instead of the regular for no additional cost. Children would bite that promo, of course.

 

[MyExWasAChef]

The only junk food I eat is chocolate and dark chocolate with berries and nuts are actually good for for you. Junk food is bad only because it has lots of sodium and heavily processed for a longer shelf life. I choose to eat foods that are farm fresh and organic just so it will be easy for my body to digest it. Too much junk food really is bad for you because the trans fat stays longer in the body and is close to poison.

 

[classic33]

@MyExWasAChef, Like this lot?

 

[L_B]

CHEAPER ??!! Where exactly - burger outlets, kebab shops, fried chicken, in fact any 'fast' food is not cheap. Where does this idea come from ? It's easy to pay £5 [or whatever your equivalent is] for a burger and fries - try comparing that to, for example, a baked potato with anything you want to put in it. I can go to my local supermarket and buy everything for a salad [and not just a lettuce either] for half that AND probably get more than one meal from it. In fact cost of two burgers and fries = about £10. Cost of a full roast dinner at home [meat veggies potatoes etc] for wife and self [allowing for fact that most of the ingredients will do more than one meal] is half that.
No, it is laziness not cost.
PS - still love a burger once in a while though.

Junk food such as chips, chocolate bars, pop, candy, etc. is cheaper to buy at the grocery store then milk, fresh fruits, veggies, etc. Fast food is a way more expensive to buy then to prepare a healthier meal at home. I was referring to junk food and not fast food. I agree it is laziness when it comes to eating fast food.

 

[Morning Glory]

CHEAPER ??!! Where exactly - burger outlets, kebab shops, fried chicken, in fact any 'fast' food is not cheap. Where does this idea come from ? It's easy to pay £5 [or whatever your equivalent is] for a burger and fries - try comparing that to, for example, a baked potato with anything you want to put in it. I can go to my local supermarket and buy everything for a salad [and not just a lettuce either] for half that AND probably get more than one meal from it. In fact cost of two burgers and fries = about £10. Cost of a full roast dinner at home [meat veggies potatoes etc] for wife and self [allowing for fact that most of the ingredients will do more than one meal] is half that.
No, it is laziness not cost.
PS - still love a burger once in a while though.

Well I think you can get a hamburger for under £1. But it would be cheaper and better to make your own. But, for example, the cost of cakes and biscuits in the UK is really low (I don't mean high end stuff) . You can buy a Tesco's 'everyday value' chocolate and vanilla Swiss roll for 25p! Ghastly, I should think. But filling, if you are on a poverty line budget.

 

[Dianemwj]

CHEAPER ??!! Where exactly - burger outlets, kebab shops, fried chicken, in fact any 'fast' food is not cheap. Where does this idea come from ? It's easy to pay £5 [or whatever your equivalent is] for a burger and fries - try comparing that to, for example, a baked potato with anything you want to put in it. I can go to my local supermarket and buy everything for a salad [and not just a lettuce either] for half that AND probably get more than one meal from it. In fact cost of two burgers and fries = about £10. Cost of a full roast dinner at home [meat veggies potatoes etc] for wife and self [allowing for fact that most of the ingredients will do more than one meal] is half that.
No, it is laziness not cost.
PS - still love a burger once in a while though.

I agree. Folks who are on food stamps or whatever they're calling them these days get their funds on the first of the month. If I forget and go to Walmart on the first, I see very large people with carts full of frozen pizza, chips and other foods one might consider "junk". Believe me, fresh vegetables don't cost anywhere near what frozen pizzas cost. Many stores sell carrots, three pounds for a dollar on sale, or celery two for a dollar. And if one checks the supermarket ads, which come out on Wednesday, one can find boneless, skinless chicken breasts for as low as $1.77 a pound. I check the sales every week and buy my food according to what is on sale. I honestly do not believe that fresh food is more expensive than junk food. Last night, after I had spent all day with my Dad in his skilled nursing facility, my huband ordered sandwiches from a great shop called Capriotti's. Two large sandwiches, which could last us through two meals each cost $38.00. That is not cheap. Even a meal from McDonalds can cost around $10.00 per person depending on the choices one makes. I do think it is laziness. It's easier to throw a frozen pizza in the oven than to cut up vegetables and a couple of chicken breasts into a stir fry.

I also like a Big Mac and fries on occasion, but no more than once a month. If that. I think the problem is that people just don't cook meals the way they used to. We all like to cook, or we wouldn't have sought out a cooking forum, but a lot of people just don't cook. I know a fellow who, he and his wife, only ever eat frozen meals at home. It's a shame.

 

[winterybella]

On the chocolate side, used to eat nine an hour(mars Bars, 51g) whilst at work or travelling to/from work.
That's 51g X 9(bars) X 8(hours) = 3672g. Converted to kg = 3.672kg a day on a four day week. For 2 & 1/2 years.

I was on the other hand cycling 250 miles over those 4 days.

And I live to tell the tale!

Exactly what I was thinking. "No problem there, that will be cycled away".....Thankfully I don't have a problem consuming too much junk..if only I could get the exercise thing going and be CONSISTENT.

 

[purplepen88]

Here is Canada there is definitely a growing obesity problem. I find that children these days love sugary processed foods. I do my best to feed my kids healthy nutritious foods. I buy most food fresh and try not by processed foods. I limit the soda in the house as well candy and chocolates. I do admit our families weakness is chips. We love potato chips. As a teacher I see many kids bringing completely packaged/process lunches. Not a piece of fresh fruit or vegetable in it. Some parents send their kids to school with candy, chocolate, kool aid, chips and a sandwich made with deli meat. And you wonder why kids can't concentrate in class. I think some of it is due to the food dyes and sugars in their diet.

 

[kgord]

I read an article today about Australians and the consumption of junk food.

Here's a snippet from the article:

Australians were consuming junk food every day rather than as an indulgence, said the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) report.

Among other things, the study of 40,000 Australians found, on average, people consumed 32kg of chocolate a year.

Australia scored 61 out of 100 in the CSIRO's Healthy Diet Score Survey.

32kg of chocolate blows my mind - I don't think I would be anywhere even remotely close to that!

What do you think about your country, or yourself personally? Of the food you cook or consume, is it for the most part healthy or does it lean towards more junk food?

I read an article today about Australians and the consumption of junk food.

Here's a snippet from the article:

Australians were consuming junk food every day rather than as an indulgence, said the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) report.

Among other things, the study of 40,000 Australians found, on average, people consumed 32kg of chocolate a year.

Australia scored 61 out of 100 in the CSIRO's Healthy Diet Score Survey.

32kg of chocolate blows my mind - I don't think I would be anywhere even remotely close to that!

What do you think about your country, or yourself personally? Of the food you cook or consume, is it for the most part healthy or does it lean towards more junk food?

I would say in terms of meal preparation usually what I eat is pretty healthy, but my snacks can be quite junk foody at times. The one thing about what I eat is that it has too much salt in it..and processed meats are heavily salted..full of nitrates and really not good for you. I do eat them much more than I should, but I eat a variety of fruits and vegetables too. Sadly, most of the healthier foods, tend to be on the expensive side.