Agnieszka Magoń Not So Fast… Food

Junk foodjunk foodJunk food is ubiquitousubiquitousubiquitous, and we can’t do much about it. It is practically everywhere: in shops, restaurants, cinemas, vending machinesvending machines [vending machine]vending machines, even in our lunchboxes. Generally, it is food which is high in calories, fat, and sugar, but lacks important nutrientsnutrients [nutrient]nutrients like fibrefibrefibre, vitamins, and minerals. Unfortunately, it is not only commonly available, but also convenientconvenientconvenient, and it usually looks very appealingappealingappealing. The problem with junk food is that it doesn’t make you feel full, so it is easy to end up overeating and, even worse, it tends to replace good food. When you eat snacks or cookies, you forget about fresh fruit and veggiesfresh fruit and veggiesfresh fruit and veggies.

Junk food usually falls into two categories: snack foodsnack foodsnack food and fast foodfast foodfast food. There is also a special category of junk food in disguisein disguisein disguise, that is food considered to be healthy, but when its nutritional value is checked more closely, it falls in the category of junk food. You will find breakfast cereals, breakfast bars, fruit and sports drinks here, or even gluten‑free products, all of which contain large amounts of sugar or high‑fructose corn syrup, and a lot of calories. Snack food includes crisps, chocolate bars,chocolate bars [chocolate bar]chocolate bars, snack cakes, biscuits, American cheeseAmerican cheeseAmerican cheese (which legally is not cheese, as it is processed and often contains less than 50% of real cheese), or doughnutsdoughnuts [doughnut]doughnuts, and is usually commercially prepared and packed. Fast food is readily available at restaurant chains all over the world in the form of burgersburgers [burger]burgers, chipschips [chip]chips, chicken nuggets, onion ringsonion rings [onion ring]onion rings, and soft drinkssoft drinks [soft drink]soft drinks. It is not only very unhealthy, but also highly addictivehighly addictivehighly addictive, and may lead to obsessive gorginggorging [gorge]gorging.

While we all know that healthy food is good for us, not that many people would pick a celery stick over a pack of fries. It seems that what’s most obviously bad for us, tastes so good, and what’s good for us is about as attractive as dog food. However, there is a way to combine both visual and health benefits, and still enjoy great taste. The trick is to find healthy alternatives to your favourite junk food that just taste as good. Here are some suggestions.

If you like to snack a lot, the good news is that there are healthy options that can satisfy your cravingscravings [craving]cravings and serve as nutritious additions to your diet. For example, try swappingswapping (for) [swap]swapping white or milk chocolate forswapping (for) [swap]for an organic dark version, which contains lots of micronutrients, fiber, and antioxidantsantioxidants [antioxidant]antioxidants. Instead of eating some cake, go for whole‑wheat crackerswhole‑wheat crackers [cracker]whole‑wheat crackers or banana bread, which taste just as good, but are also healthy, as they have fibre, zinc, potassium, and magnesium. Crisps are quite delicious, but they are also full of saturated fatsaturated fatsaturated fat and salt, so why don’t you replacereplace (with)replace them with fat‑free potato chipsfat‑free potato crisps [fat‑free potato crisp]fat‑free potato chips, home‑made popcorn, or vegetable crisps, which are made from vegetables such as kalekalekale, seaweedseaweedseaweed, or parsnipparsnipparsnip instead of potatoes. You can also choose dried fruitdried fruit dried fruit like apples, mangoes, and berries, which are sweet and rich in micronutrients, or eat frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, as it is high in protein and probiotics, so good for your digestive systemdigestive systemdigestive system.

There are also many healthier fast food alternatives. Although chips are among the most popular comfort foodscomfort foods [comfort food]comfort foods, we know that they are not good for us, so why not substitute them with something more healthy, like sweet potato wedgessweet potato wedges [wedge]sweet potato wedges? They contain plenty of beta‑carotene and vitamins, like B6, protecting you from heart attacks. Another popular fast food choice, burgers, also has a good alternative: a veggie burger or chicken burger, which contains only 220 calories. If you can’t imagine your life without pizza, you can still have it, but opt foropt foropt for a whole‑wheat version, topped with lots of veggies, or try making some homemade pita pockets, filled with spicy chicken and salad. For those of you who have savourysavourysavoury cravings and often eat instant noodlesinstant noodlesinstant noodles, miso soupmiso soup miso soup might be the best solution. This Japanese soup, based on fermented soybeans and grainsgrains [grain]grains, is not only tasty and low in calories, but is also a good source of fibre, protein, beneficial plant compoundsplant compounds [plant compound]plant compounds, minerals, and vitamins.

Is it possible to eat more healthily in our junk‑food‑filled world? Of course it is! And it can be fun!  All you need to do is make this first step and look for alternatives, and there are plenty of them out there.

1 Źródło: Agnieszka Magoń, dostępny w internecie: Katie Gladwell, 11 Deliciously Healthy Snacks to Replace Junk Food, https://www.dailyhealthybody.com/nutrition/healthy-snacks-alternatives-to-junk-food/ [dostęp 7.01.2021], Elaine Magee, Junk‑Food Facts, https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/junk-food-facts#1 [dostęp 7.01.2021], licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.