Why are hot dogs, hamburgers, pizzas, and potato chips classified as

junk food, although they're also made from healthy sources like
wheat, meat, and potatoes?
Because they are not made from healthy ingredients most of the
time.

Let’s go down the list.

Hot dog buns, hamburger buns and pizza crust are generally made
from refined wheat flour. That would be wheat that has had the
bran and germ removed. As the bran and germ are the parts of the
wheat that are nutritious, all we’re left with are “empty” carbs that
provide no health benefits besides filling a person’s stomach.

Hot dogs are a processed meat product and are universally

considered unhealthy. They are a mix of meat, fat and other things I
don’t want to think about… the end result being a product that has
half the protein and twice the fat of whatever it claims to be (beef or
pork.) Most major health organizations (Harvard Health, etc.) say
to avoid processed meats of this sort entirely or… at most… limit
your intake to one or two servings per month. The World Health
Organization classifies them as a Class 1 Carcinogen in the same
category as tobacco, asbestos and arsenic.

Hamburgers (red meat) are considered a Class Two Carcinogen by

the World Health Organization. Most major health organizations
recommend limiting red meat to 2–3 servings per week… with a
serving size of 3oz. The only good thing that can be said about
hamburgers is that they provide protein and… in much of the
world… people consume way more protein than they need anyway.

Pizza cheese (and cheese in general) is extremely salty and high in

bad fats. The American Heart Association recommends people limit
their dairy (all types, including cheese) consumption to between 3 to
4.5oz of low fat dairy per day. Most pizza cheese is not low fat and
two slices could easily amount to all the dairy a person should eat in
a day… leaving no room for cheese with any other food, no room for
milk or sour cream or ice cream for desert.

Pizza toppings are almost always processed meats (pepperoni,

sausage, bacon) or red meats (ground beef, ham) and the amount of
veggies used as toppings is so small a person would have to eat a
whole medium pizza to get one serving of veggies.

Pizza sauce is generally watered down, sugared craqp and provides

little to no tomato nutrients.

The only healthy part of a potato is the skin. They’re similar to

grains in that way… once you take off the skin, all you are left with
are empty carbs. Potato chips have little to no skin and therefore
little to no nutrition. They are made unhealthy by the deep frying
(anything deep fried is unhealthy) and the copious amounts of salt
typically added.

The downsides in terms of long term health for all of these products
far outweigh the little nutrition they provide. Therefore… junk food.

Peace be with you, my friend.