Junk food is an empty calorie food.

These foods have little enzyme producing vitamins

and minerals and contain high level of calories from fat.

Junk Food Facts

What is a Junk Food?

Any food that has poor nutritional value is considered unhealthy and may be called a
junk food. A food that is high in fat, sodium, and/or sugar is known as a junk food. Junk food is
easy to carry, purchase and consume. Generally, a junk food is given a very attractive
appearance by adding food additives and colors to enhance flavor, texture, appearance, and
increasing long self life.

A junk food has little enzyme producing vitamins & minerals and contains high level of
calories. When we eat these empty calorie foods, the body is required to produce its own
enzymes to convert these empty calories into usable energy. This is not desired as these
enzyme producing functions in our body should be reserved for the performance of vital
metabolic reactions.

Remember, junk foods are empty calories. An empty calorie lacks in micro-nutrients
such as vitamins, minerals, or amino acids, and fiber but has high energy (calories).

Since junk food is high in fats and sugars, it is responsible for obesity, dental cavities,
Type 2 diabetes and heart diseases.

Junk Food & Cholesterol

Fried and processed food, particularly fast food, contains high amounts of
oxycholesterol, Reports Scientists from China in the National Meeting of the American Chemical
Society in August 2009. Oxycholesterol is a little-known type of cholesterol which may prove to
be the lethal to heart health.

A healthy diet rich in antioxidants can counter these effects.

Some junk food pictures of beef burger, french fries, coco cola, and potato chips and
cinema popcorns are given below.
 Junk Food Beef burger, French fries, Cola, Chips, Popcorn

Cinema popcorn: Popcorns are healthy but the one sold in cinemas are nutritional
horror. The Center for Science in the Public Interest compared in Nov 2009 some popcorn and
drinks combos sold at key movie theater chains in USA and found the following:

A medium popcorn and soda combo at Regal, the United States' biggest movie theater
chain, contains 1610 calories and 60 grams of saturated fat.

At AMC theaters, a large popcorn contains 1030 calories and 57 grams of saturated fat.

The high calorie counts could be due to the fact that corn was popped in coconut oil.
Popcorn cooked in canola oil showed lower levels of saturated fats but similar levels of calories
and sodium.

List of Junk Foods

Given below is a list of junk food (empty calorie) items that you should avoid. It is now
up to you how you can keep your four trillion cells happy.

Sugars, Refined foods, like sugar and plain flour (maida) based items like white bread
and most packaged goods, like Twinkies and sugar donuts, etc. (Sugar Substitutes)Our body
eventually turns sugars into fat. If you consume just 3 tsp of sugar daily, imagine how much
sugar you would have consumed by the time you are 50 years of age; it will be about 275 kg !,
about 5 time your weight !!

Fats & Hydrogenated oils They are found in cookies, chips, candy bars, fried foods,
muffins, bologna, etc. etc. Many snacks, such as potato chips, cheeseburgers and fries, have
high levels of fat, sugar or salt-ingredients that are usually best limited to a small portion of
your diet. The saturated fat mainly comes from animal products. Remember there is nothing
that is useful for our body in foods with hydrogenated or trans fat.
 The excessive fats stick to our arteries and cause the blockages leading to heart disease
and strokes. They can also aid to cancer, arthritis, PMS and sexual dysfunction.

Some fats like Omega-3 fatty acids are good for our bodies.

Salt: Excessive salt is not good for our body (Daily Salt Recommendation). However,
sodium in moderate amount, along with potassium, maintains the water balance in our body.
But too much sodium can cause high blood pressure. Pretzels, chips and many canned food
items contain excessive salt. (High sodium food list)

Fiber Content of Foods

List of High Fiber Foods

1. Legumes & Lentils: Dried beans, peas and other legumes including baked beans, kidney
beans, split peas, dried limas, garbanzos, lentils, pinto beans and black beans. Green beans,
snap beans, pole beans, lima beans and broad beans

2. Dried fruit such as figs, apricots and dates

3. Fruits like raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, cherries, plums, pears, apples, kiwi
fruit, guava, banana. Pears contain more fiber than prunes.

4. Vegetables like Fresh or frozen green peas, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Sweet corn, beet root,
baked potato with the skin, carrot

5. Greens vegetables including spinach, beet greens, kale, collards, Swiss chard and turnip
greens.

6. Nuts such as almonds, Brazil nuts, peanuts, pistachios, and walnuts (Nuts are also high in fat
content, read calories in nuts.). But pistachios are the lowest in calories and fat of all nuts, and a
one-ounce serving has three grams of fiber.

7. Whole wheat and barley products

8. Rye, oats, buckwheat and cornmeal

9. Coconut (this is also high in saturated fat).

For the list of soluble fibers in foods, see Soluble Fiber Foods.
 The following table gives the amount of dietary fibers in foods. You can select high fiber
foods to make a high fiber diet.

Food Amount Fiber

(gram
)
Apple 1 medium 3
Apple juice 1 cup 0
Apricot 3 dried 4.5
Artichoke 1 6
Asparagus 2 spears 1
1/2
Avocado medium 2
Banana 1 medium 2.4
Barley, raw 40 g 5
1 cup,
Barley, cooked 180 g 6.5
Beans, Black-eyed,
cooked 100 g 6.5
Beans. Green, cooked 1 cup 2
Beans, Mung, cooked 100 g 6.5
Beans, Soya, cooked 100 g 7.5
Beet Root, canned 100 g 4
Bitter Melon 100 g 2
Black Berrids, fresh 100 g 5
Blue Berries, raw 100 g 5
Bread- Chapati 100 g 3
Bread- Naan 60 g 1.5
Bread- Loaf, Black Rye 1 slice 7
Broccoli, raw 100 g 4
Cabbage 40 g 2
Cantaloupe 1 cup 1
Carrot, raw 70 g 2
Cereal- All Bran 45 g 13
Cereal- Oat Bran 22 g 3.5
Chick Peas, dried, boiled 180 g 20.5
Cucumber, sliced 1/2 cup <1
Figs, dried 75 g 10.5
Flour- Barley 100 g 10
Flour- Besan (Chickpea) 100 g 11
Flour- Soya, low fat 100 g 15.5
Flour- Wholemeal 100 g 11
Flour- Wheat, plain
(Maida) 100 g 4
Grapes 1/2 cup <1
Kiwi fruit 1 medium 5
Guava, 100 g 5.5
Lemon 1 2.5
Lettuce 1 cup 1
Mango, peeled 150 g 2.5
Nashi Pear, unpeeled 130 g 4.5
4
Nuts- Almonds, raw numbers 1.5
Nuts- Cashew, raw 75 g 4.5
Orange 1 medium 3
Peach 1 medium 2
Onion 1 large 0.6
Pear with skin 1 medium 4
Peas (cooked) 1 cup 6
Pistachios 1 oz 3
Popcorn (air popped) 3.5 cup 4.5
Potato, baked with skin 1 medium 4
Raspberries 1 cup 8
Rice 1 cup 1.6
Strawberries 1 cup 4
Spinach (raw) 1 cup 1
Spinach (cooked) 1 cup 4
Sunflower Seeds 1 ounce 4
Tomato 1 medium 2
Whole wheat bread 1 slice 1.3
Are you looking for foods high in calcium? Calcium rich foods are recommended to overcome
calcium deficiency. A table giving a list of foods with calcium is given on this page.
Why Calcium is Important?
Calcium is an essential mineral for our body. Most people think that calcium is essential for
strong bones and teeth, but it is also important for many other functions of the body.
Daily calcium requirement
Calcium rich foods
Calcium deficiency symptoms
Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency symptoms
Vitamin D Foods
Calcium Use
for strong bones and teeth
minimise bone loss
prevent osteoporosis
for muscles
for nerves
blood clot
manage weight
manage high blood pressure
colon cancer
kidney stones
cardiovascular disease
Vitamin D helps to absorb and properly consume calcium.
Daily Calcium Requirement
Who need calcium? When you need calcium?
The optimal intake of calcium is crucial for children, men and women of all ages. The calcium
is needed throughout the lifetime and its daily intake value increases with age. The growing
children needs good amount of calcium for their growing bones. After adulthood, the calcium
is needed to keep the bones strong.
Pregnant and Lactating women require more calcium. Women after menopause also need
more calcium to prevent osteoporosis.
For babies, breastfeeding is the best way as a source of calcium. Formula milk also provides
adequate calcium for babies.
The recommended daily calcium intake for men and women is as under.
Age

0-6 month
7-12 month
1-3 year
4-8 year
9-18 year
19-50 year
Over 50 year
Calcium Absorption
Eating calcium rich foods is not enough because calcium absorption in the the digestive tract
can be affected by the various factors. It depends on your age, pregnancy, and the amount of
calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K2, magnesium and trace mineral in your body.
The calcium absorption declines with age.
Vitamin D and vitamin K2 help in improving calcium absorption, while magnesium deficiency
affects calcium metabolism.
Calcium Rich Foods
Dairy foods are very high in calcium, see the values given in the following table.
Food

Calcium in Dairy Products

Skim Milk 1 cup
Whole Milk 1 cup
Plain Low fat Yogurt 1 cup
Cow Milk Cottage Cheese (Paneer) 1 cup
Baffalo Milk Cottage Cheese (Paneer) 1 cup
Feta cheese 40 g
Whipped Cream, 15 g
Calcium in Beans & Grains
White beans 3/4 cup
Navy beans 3/4 cup
Black Turtle beans 3/4 cup
Chickpeas (Chhole) 3/4 cup
Tofu 150g
Soy bean curd slab 150g
Cooked Soy bean 1 cup
Instant oats, 1 pkt
Calcium in Nuts
Almonds roasted 1/4 cup
Brazil Nuts 20 g
Hazlenuts 20 g
Walnuts 20 g
Almonds butter 2 Tbsp
Sesame seeds 12 g
Rice, plain, boiled 180 g
Calcium in Vegetables & Fruits
Cabbage/bok choy 1/2 cup
Turnip greens 1/2 cup
Broccoli 1/2 cup
Okra 1/2 cup
Orange 1/2 cup
Orange juice fortified with calcium 1/2 cup
Calcium in Fish
Sardines in oil, tinned, 100 g
Salmon, tinned, 100 g
Fish paste, 35 g
Calcium in Breads, Pizza
White bread, 1 slice 30 g
Wholemeal bread, 1 slice 30 g
Muesli, Swiss style, 50 g
Lasagne, 400 g
Pizza, cheese & tomato, 410 g
Pasta, plain, cooked, 230 g
From the above list you can chose foods high in Calcium.

Following is a list of foods that give you more than 300 mg of calcium per 100 gm of that
food.
1. Milk and milk products
2. Cereals and Grains
3. Vegetables: Green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of calcium. Beetroot greens,
Drumstick leaves, Fenugreek leaves, Turnip greens, Lotus stems, Curry leaves
4. Spices:Cumin, Coriander, Cloves, Asafoetida (Hing), Oregano (Ajwain), Mustard seeds
 5. Fish

Researchers have suggested that the obesity epidemic is substantially due to growing
insecurity, stress, and a sense of powerlessness in societies where high-sugar and high-fat foods
are increasingly omnipresent