Differences between "FAST FOOD" & "JUNK FOOD"

[Cute Wolf]

Just recently, I order a pizza to my office, and decided to eat there as dinner since I has some extra works to do. It was actually a common thing since delivery services are really nice (and free of charge for extra large seafood and cheese with sausage crust pizza that I ordered - im actually eat half, and intend to keep that other half for breakfast today).

The problem is, the person that meet with the pizza delivery guy was a senior lecturer, and while i still ate the pizza, he start lecturing me on why we should eat healthy food, and avoid "junk foods", such as pizzas. Of course, I tried to say that it was only "fast food" instead of junkg but he said that pizza breads are pre packaged and frozen, and the toppings are preserved with nitrite salts. I tried to argues that the bad effects of nitrite consumptions is negligable at pizza level, and they are water soluable (drinking will flush them quick outside the body system). But apparently, he insist that nitrite will be deposited in the protein parts of the body. (mind you, Im working at chemistry departments at university here)

ok, put aside molecular debate of preservatives, and his opinion that the best food is simple steamed rice with properly cooked stuffs accompanying. I really feel he's quite insisting that all commercial fast food chains are selling junk foods. Even when the real differences are pre-freezing things and some miniscule ammounts of preservatifes. Giving the small differences of price compared with more traditional food stalls / eat stalls at the same ammounts, and they have 24 hours delivery services. Why bother with going outside at midnight and lookin for any open stalls, when you can just reach the cellphone and speak?

And uh, who else also has habits of ordering fast food delivery when working extra at night in the office?

[Centurion1]

sorry your still eating junk food.

[InsaneApache]

There's no such thing as bad or junk food. Just bad or junk diets.

[Fragony]

I don't feel bad after eating a pizza, that's good. Screw health-quaida extra cheese plz

[PanzerJaeger]

The problem isn't really the preservatives, but the unnecessarily high amounts of things like calories, cholesterol, sodium, and saturated and trans fats common in commercial pizzas combined with the portion sizes. Compared with, say, steamed rice with grilled fish and other vegetables, yes, commercial pizzas are generally a far less healthy choice, especially considering the way most people eat pizza (who eats just one slice of pizza in a sitting?). Add to that the fact that most people do not seem to realize that metabolism slows with age and eat in their 40's like they did in their 20's.

As IA says, though, it's all about diet. You can eat pizza every day and be completely healthy if you balance those indulgences out in your other meals, keep your portions under control, and exercise. The problem is that the proliferation of cheap, high calorie fast food has made it much harder for people to achieve that balance. I know people who eat fast food three times a day, hit the gym at night, and wonder why they're fat.

[stratigos vasilios]

Junk food? Or delicious food?

[A Nerd]

I recall, for my birthday last year, my mother took me clothes shopping for a gift (salvation army!), and afterward we stopped for pizza. It was a greasy bacon and roasted red pepper pizza. We also shared an order of onion rings as an appetizer. When I returned home I tried all the clothes on (I don't like to use dressing rooms), and one of the shirts fit, but was a tad too snug. The following day I tried the shirt on again and it fit much looser and rather well actually. I assmumed the pizza and onion rings and whatever salts and such that they were dressed with caused bloating and such hence making the shirt too tight. Also, such food causes me to feel somewhat ill and sluggish afterward, perhaps even the next day. Very yummy at the time, but after it has been digested and allowed to travel thru your system, the physical sensation seems to outweigh the yummines of the pizza.

Though for my birthday this year, mother and I will probably do the same!