Junk for one, meal for another

VARIED TASTES

But even if a dietician may define what is good for the body and what is not, the idea of junk food differs vastly from one person to another.

The concept of junk basically implies lack of nutrition in the food being eaten.

So while a piece of cake might not qualify as junk if taken as a dessert, it would, if you plan to substitute it for dinner. Metrolife looked into the fast food lanes and asked people what junk food is.

“For me, fried stuff and food you can have on your table in 20 minutes is junk. Easy food is junk food, except for fruits, I guess,” says Anish, an IT professional. Others have their own definitions when asked.

“Junk is something that is usually had in the evenings and in-between meals, like a plate of noodles, chaats, rolls. But on account of it being extremely tasty and inexpensive, we gorge on it for meals too. Pizzas, burgers and fries qualify in this category too,” says Rahul, a student.

Junk food is anything that is unhealthy which basically means that it has low nutriti
onal value and high calories.

“For most people, the idea of junk food is fast food which is like a quick-fix for hunger. For instance, burgers, French fries, chips etc. But for me, even something like a chocolate is junk food as it doesn’t have nutritional value like vitamins or proteins,” says Abhinav, a market analyst.

Others feel home-cooked meal, even if fattening, is not junk.

“I think soft drinks, a pack of chips and sweet items like chocolate and cakes are junk food. Most of the items available outside are unhealthy while the food made at home is not,” says Farah Sefa Hameed, a student of St Joseph’s College.

One unique observation is that while youngsters don’t go beyond fries and burgers, the older generation has different answers.

 “For me, junk food would be eatables like bhujiya, samosa and pakoras, which are
deep-fried and can be quite addictive,” says Seema Gupta, a housewife.
And the answer doesn’t always depend on the food group.

“If chips are eaten as a snack, it’s alright but a meal of French fries, soft drink and burger is filling and devoid of nutrition, so I would call it junk,” says Swati, a professional. “Junk food is something that harms your body. It may not be the same for everyone. For a person, who has a sweet tooth, sugar-based food would be junk. But a person, who has a soft corner for red meat, is more likely to indulge in non-vegetarian food,” says Soumya, a nutritionist.