Why is junk food so good?

Hi Sarah!

I really enjoyed your post about our cravings for junk food. You spurred a thought in my head about when and why I crave junk food- whenever I have a little, I tend to want more, whereas when I don't eat it at all, I don't crave it.

I also had no clue that junk food was chemically enhanced to be more enticing to us humans. It was interesting to point out that back when we were evolving, it was essential for us to find foods high in fat and calories as a survival mechanism.

But, I am also left wondering if there would be any way to chemically enhance healthy foods to make them better as well?

Next time I eat Ben & Jerry's, I will think of you.
Katherine

Sarah,

Thank you for enlightening me about why I cannot stop eating chips and ice cream. I really liked the personal anecdotes about your struggles with craving junk food. I also liked the science-ish stuff you mentioned, like how the pleasure in eating comes from "a perfect mixture of sodium, fat and sugar." The part about how people get addicted was also very cool.

I love eating ice cream, and never seem to be able to stop. The stuff you wrote about how junk food is actually physically addicting was very interesting, and should help me overcome my Ben & Jerry's addiction, one day at a time.

Thanks for writing this informative piece, I will keep reading what you post because it is fun to read and you have a very lively writing style and unique voice!

Dear Sarah,
I'm excited about your post, "Why is junk food so good?" because I too often wonder about this same subject! I'm glad you included your personal opinion about the topic as well as included links with actual facts.

I liked that you started it by saying, "I think the reason junk food tastes so good is because of the amounts of sugar and fat," because it shows you're not blind to how unhealthy junk food actually is for us.

To be honest, your post made me hungry! The adjectives you included were eye catching and fit the topic perfectly, such as: mouthwatering, sugar, fat, chemically enhanced, etc.
With you being a soccer player, I think it's good that you're aware of what you're eating and how it can affect your everyday life.

Thanks for sharing your opinion with me and the rest of Youth Voices. I look forward to reading some of your other posts.

People rush and pick the easiest thing there is to find.  However the easiest thing to eat isn't always the most healthy.  After eating more and more of the unhealthy food, you slowly get hooked on eating eat and it doesn't really matter to you hoe bad it acutally is.  That is why I think people should take more time in deciding what to eat.  It may seem unimportant to some people but too much fat is very bad for your diet.  Aside from weight gain there are also a lot of other negative side effects to eating junk food.  In conclusion I think that junk food is so good because you slowly become more and more addicted to it.

I agree junk food does taste so good! It is also a good snack to have every once an a while. I think its normal espcially for kids to be craving junk food. I have to agree I do crave junk food, even more when I have it at my house. However, if I don't have junk food for a while I will be just fine without it. But there are some good healthy foods that I crave too. For example, fruits, almonds and vegetables, but there is so much more healthy foods that you can have. I was actully just having some candy as a little snack before I wrote this. I was at a party the other day and the theme was a carnival, you can imagine how much junk food was there. But a good substitute for junk food is gum. I love gum and literally have it everyday. I remember when I used to have fast food too. At the time I thought it tasted so good. And if I could I would describe it the same way you did at that time. But as I got older I relized what I was putting in my body. For some fast food places I ate at I would get sick after shortly eating there. I now do not eat at fast food restraunts and haven't been. I toally get that we crave all these types of food and thats what all humans do.  

I think that junk food is so good because it has ingredients that are apealing to the taste buds, they have a lot of fat, and companys advertise them really well so people will buy the junk food.

Some ingredients that the food makers add are sugar, salt, and fat. Those are 3 things that our taste buds love to have on them. People don't realize what is actually in the "meat" and other food. But it tastes good because it either has fat, salt, or sugar. And that's why our taste buds like them.

When you taste the rich creaminess of a chocolate smoothie it's because of substance called fat. Fat is something that is in almost very food we eat besides fruits and vegetables. Some people like a lot more fat in there diet. If they eat all the junk the they want in their diet this will lead to being overweight or obese.

When you see a big Mac you know you just have to eat it. Or what you think your eating. What you are actually are eating is sugar, salt, and fat. With a bun that has more calories than little bites and a under cooked, fridge, fake burger. Through a craft single piece of cheese on there, some lettuce and some secret sauce. There it is fat as a burger there is nothing more the state buds would want. 

In conclusion you can tell why junk food is so good. And next time you eat a big Mac think what you are actually eating.

Junk food is one of those things that kids and even adults can't live without. I agree that the sugary taste makes it so good. I also enjoy junk food, although it is really bad for you. America is known for having many fast food resteraunts. That is probably why we have an obesity problem. If you even out the amount of junk food to fruits and vegetables it wouldn't be as bad. The problem is that junk food is so addicting that no one can resist it.

Why is junk food so satisfying? Junk food is something that children and even adults crave. I love junk food although I know its not good for you. People say that too much junk food can cause obeasity, and it does if you have too much. Many people crave fast food which is also very unhealthy. Junk food is full of calories and sugar (which is why it tastes so good). If a child was to choose from a fruit or vegetable, and a junk food, I am sure that they would go right to the junk. I know I would. Junk food is highly processed which makes it very unhealthy to eat. 

I totally agree with this article about Junk Food. I think junk food does taste better than healthier foods do because they contain more sugars and fat, while only some healthly foods contain natural sugars. Most people in America (espically kids) go for the more unhealthy foods when they snack. I think they do this people they think it tastes better. Even though most junk food tastes good and are satisfying, they are horrible for you and do nothing good for your body. Also, something that a lot of kids and parents don't know is that snacking healthy and making it taste awsome is so easy! Some easy great tasting healthy snacks are granola bars, pita chips, rice cakes, fruit salad, veggies and dip etc. Having junk foods on occasin is completely fine, however, snacking on junk everyday can turn into a problem. Therefore, healthy snacks are the way to go! Remember your body will thank you in return!

Dear Sarah,
I am surprised by your post “Why is junk food so good?” because it is a question that everyone is asking. Craving for junk food is a big problem that most people have but why is it people don't crave for healthy food?

One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is “This pleasure come from a perfect mixture of sodium, fat, and sugar.” I think this is interesting because it is weird how something so unhealthy can interest peoples mood for junk food. Healthy food does not crave you as much as junk food because it does not contain the amount of sugar and fat that junk food has.

Another sentence that I liked was “junk food is often much more satisfying.” Junk food is made out of a big amount of sugar and fat. People do not realize this because of the craving that it gives people. People get addicted to healthy food because of what is in it.

I really do agree with you that you can only crave junk food when you constantly eat it. One reason I say this is because once you stop the bad habit, you would not have the same craving for it that you had before. Another reason I agree with you is because it is like a drug. If you continue you do it, worse will just go upon you.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because I would like to read more about his subject if you ever do so. This informed me a lot about junk food.

Dear Sarah,

I am interested by your post, "Why is junk food so good?," because I have always asked myself the same question, and never remembered it when I had time to research, and now you have answered that question for me.

One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "... a perfect mixture of sodium, fat, and sugar... releases certain chemicals in the brain that are gratifying and addicting." I think this is true because of past experience that we all have had with food. Those foods with low sodium, fat, and sugar, in other words, healthy food, usually do not taste as well as those with lots of these delicious enemies to our health.

Something you stated," Back when the only thing people worried about was survival, they needed foods high in calories and fat to stay alive... our taste buds still crave these types of foods," stands out for me because I find this very strange, and it makes everything make so much sense now. Although we still worry about survival now, most of us do not struggle as much as we did before. It is funny that even though we do not need as much calories anymore, parts of our body still ask for it.

Dear Sarah :

I am very fascinated by your post, "Why Is Junk Food So Good," because I am a very big fan of fast foods. Also, I always wondered myself what makes these foods taste so good. I thought it was the chemicals that they put in the foods when they are made.

One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: " The tastes that you encounter while eating fast foods are far from natural. They are chemically enhanced to taste pleasing to our senses." I think this is interesting because I myself didn’t know that the foods were chemically enhanced. I always thought this was just a flavor that was formed when the sugar, salts, and fats were put together.
Another sentence that I liked very much was: " This mouthwatering combination that the fast food industry generates, releases certain chemicals in the brain that are gratifying and addicting" This stood out for me because now I understand the cravings that I get often for eating junk food. Sometimes, I have really strong urges for chips, candy, and soda. Now I know why and it’s because of the chemicals that are being put into these foods.

Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. One time when I was getting out of school, I went to the store and bought a large variety of different kinds of junk food. From chocolates, to juices, to chips, to sodas, I had it all. The next day after school, I did the same thing again, and then again. Your post now helped me realized that these cravings happened because of the chemical that are put in the junk food.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because we share the same taste in food. Also, since food is a very interesting subject to me, I enjoyed reading your research and opinions on it.