Effects of Junk Food & Beverages on Adolescent’s Health – a Review Article

Junk foods are rich in calories, salt and fats. Excess consumption of junk foods leads rise to wide variety of health disorders. School canteens are offering foods high in fat and sugar which actually contributing to the youth weight gain along with other problems like infections, food poisonings and dental diseases. Consuming junk foods might stop the children from taking healthy meals either at school or at home. The practice of high consumption of junk foods like maggi noodles, burgers, pao-bhaji, sandwiches, hot dogs, patties, pastries, pop-corn, potato chips, carbonated drinks, biscuits, muffins, toast, kulcha-channa, samosa, chocolates etc have become common feature of adolescent’s diet throughout the world.. They frequently over consume fast foods and under consume fruits, vegetables and dairy products. According to WHO, in India, more than 3 per cent of the population is in the obese category. Obesity is an emerging major public health problem throughout the world among adolescents. It is one of the most effective tool of changing the food habits without affecting their sentiments. Nutrition counseling regarding the importance of balanced diet, harmful effects of junk foods will help to curb the junk food addiction and improving their nutritional status. Iit should be suggested that there is a need to focus on nutrition counseling to facilitate the intake of healthy junk foods like fermented foods, wheat noodles by adding lots of vegetables, sprouted pulses, sprouted tikki, vegetable samosa & cutlets, wheat and multigrain bread..