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food and drink

Junk food

JUNK food is just that. Food that is going to do your body no good at all.

You are putting in junk and your body has to get rid of it, hoping it does not do any damage on the way. Crisps, burgers, bright sugary drinks and processed ready snacks have little nutritional value.

Jan Dawson, head of nutrition with the Mancunian Healthcare Trust, said: "Eat a burger and chips and you are loading your system with an awful lot of fat and an awful lot of salt. Add cheese and relish and you are increasing both.

"Recent research at Dundee found that children as young as five have some fatty deposits in their arteries which could lead to potential heart problems in the future and high levels of salt raise the blood pressure.

While an occasional burger will probably not do long-term damage regular consumption, say one or more a week, probably will.

"Bright sugary drinks have no food value at all. They are purely water, sugar and food colourings and can rot teeth and make some children hyperactive.

"Most junk food is fast food, aimed at children. As well as being very poor nutritionally it teaches them nothing about good eating habits, enjoying their food and eating to fuel their bodies. It is instant food, often eaten on the go or even while doing something else.

''Good food need not take a long time. A vegetable pizza, grilled fish fingers and boiled potatoes are all much better alternatives. And for a fast snack encourage children to open a packet of dried apricots rather than a packet of crisps." Junk food and fast food eaten with fingers has another spin-off problem - A whole generation of children unable to use cutlery.

The problem is so bad that some schools are having to teach pupils how to use a knife and fork, because many have simply no idea.

And supermarket giant Tesco is asking food scientists if they can develop a larger, easier-to-eat pea!

A spokesman said: ''Children are so used to eating pizzas and burgers with their hands and stabbing bite-sized chicken nuggets they find peas almost impossible.

''Fast food culture is threatening the survival of the British garden pea!'' And TV chef Clarissa Dickson Wright, said: ''Children have no concept, not only of how to eat properly, but of how to communicate at the table. The whole ethos of eating a meal with other people at a table is something they don't know when they get to 18 and that is frightening.''

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