Did You Celebrate National Junk Food Day?

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

Junk food. What do those two words bring to mind? How ‘bout potato chips, pizza, Pop Tarts and doughnuts? Funnel cakes, Twinkies, and Tastykakes? Cheese puffs, candy bars and double-stuff Oreos? I bet you could list even more too!

Yeah, when someone says junk food, I get this instant clip art visual in my brain—one that leaves me with that I’ve-eaten-but-I’m-still-hungry feeling. It’s kind of like when I’ve eaten at McDonald’s: the food tastes good while I’m eating it (and I’m usually very hungry by the time I resort to fast food), but why is it that the fries always leave me craving more (what do they put in ‘em?) and I always feel like I could eat way too many before I’m satisfied. And even if I do feel full after that fish fillet (and exactly how many calories was in that one sandwich?), it’s not a satiated, healthy feeling of fullness. It’s more like “my belly’s got something to manage” … hmmm, I could still eat something else …

It’s that off feeling that has me wondering about the whole concept of National Junk Food Day. Did you celebrate this recent national food holiday? What—you missed it? Or is every day a national junk food holiday at your house?

Most national food holidays are meant to bring the food of subject to higher visibility. Eggs. Whole grains. Even blueberries and cherries.
It’s a day to remember and revisit all the positive qualities and remind us of some good ways to incorporate this flavor into our lives.

So, maybe we should take a different slant on National Junk Food Day. What if we used this day to refresh and remind ourselves of the hows and whys of avoiding junk food?! Could this day have been created to commemorate the avoidance of junk food?

While I seriously doubt that’s the case (I read recently that it’s just a day to eat junk food in a guilt-free way), it got me thinking on the whole modern food category we now know as junk food.

So in honor of helping our kids stay at healthy weights, avoid premature heart disease and diabetes (and yes, even get out there and move everyday), here’s a handful of reasons to let this national food holiday inspire both you and your kids in making smarter, more healthful selections for snacks and meals:

• Trans Fats: Sure, labels are now making it easier than ever to spot these nasties. But stay on the alert for crackers and crunchy, crispy items that can hide these unhealthy fats—especially items that may sit on the shelf for a long period of time.

• Empty Calories: It’s like that McDonald’s meal. You eat, but don’t feel 100% satisfied (and have downed more calories than you ever dreamed). Be aware and make informed, smart choices. Just the other day when I was going to choose a Wendy’s Twisted Frosty, I took a look at the nutrition facts posted on the wall and decided to go for a straight-up chocolate kids-size one instead. It was a small change, but it saved me hundreds of calories.

• Can’t Get No Satisfaction: The Rolling Stones aren’t the only ones afflicted. It’s that lingering feeling of dissatisfaction, that not-quite-full feeling (“oh, what else can I eat?”) that is high sugar, high-fat food’s lingering trademark. And it’s a nasty double whammy: not only do you end-up with a high daily calorie tally, you really don’t feel satiated. Or even worse, you keep eating, eat too much, and end up over-full, bloated and uncomfortable (not to mention growing new fat cells).

• Long-term Effects: Kids are now being tested for high cholesterol and high blood pressure. HELLO?! Our kids?! If that isn’t the biggest warning sign (hey, a flashing red light) that our society’s eating habits are out-of-kilter, what is? Come on, let’s help our kids make smarter choices. Help our kids get off this crazy cycle.

There’s only one way off that crazy wheel: Find time in your days to make smarter choices. It can be as simple as buying some different items when grocery shopping to setting aside some evening or weekend time to do some home-cooking and exercising outdoors together. The best thing about both of these is that they don’t cost much (and often cost less than the high junk food options), and they’ll have you feeling better quickly. (And as far as feeling satisfied after a meal that doesn’t involve fast junk food—that’s an instant bonus.) And gradual, natural weight loss (and normal weight equilibrium) is a bonus side benefit.

Even if you only make one change in your family’s diet this week, that’s one week that can build and grow to 52 a year. And that means that your kids’ chances of ending up a statistic are weighted in their favor.

Go ahead, talk with your kids and see what you can do together in commemoration of National Junk Food Day—it just might kick off a whole new way to celebrate and start the new school year on a better foot.