Ditch the junk

It’s quick and easy but the effects of processed food on your health can be devastating

- KIM ARENDSE

BY THE time Friday night comes around, you’ve probably done your fair share of cooking and you need a break.

So what will it be? Fish and chips? A big, juicy burger with all the trimmings? A pizza with a sausage-stuffed crust?

And what goes better with any of these than a sweet, ice-cold cooldrink?

We’ve come to think of junk food as convenient, happy-making treats – we deserve it!

But add to that weekend meal a few muffins for breakfast during the week, pies for lunch, microwave popcorn with that movie and a few more cooldrinks and you’ve spent a large part of your week filling up on foods that offer your body almost no health benefits.

In fact, their effects are harmful, causing weight gain, low energy and increased risk of heart disease and depression, just to name a few.

Ultra-processed foods account for 25-60% of a person’s daily energy intake throughout most of the world, according to a 2019 study in the British Medical Journal.

So why do we choose to eat highkilojoule, low-nutrient foods packed with ingredients we can hardly pronounce, let alone know what they actually are?

Here’s more about junk food, why we eat it and how to switch to nutrient-dense whole foods that are packed with health-boosting properties.

WHAT IS JUNK FOOD?

It’s the opposite of fresh produce and includes foods that are highly processed (mechanical or chemical processes that change or preserve food), and most fast foods.

“‘Junk food gets its name from the low nutritional value it contributes to the body,” says Jacinta Ndubane, a dietician at Manor Medical Centre in Sandton.

“When we eat, we eat not only for enjoyment but to take in nutrients that support optimal growth and functioning too.