toldailytopic: Junk food. Is it immoral to eat junk food? What about feeding junk foo

[Nathon Detroit]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for February 8th, 2010 10:42 AM

toldailytopic: Junk food. Is it immoral to eat junk food? What about feeding junk food to your kids?

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[nicholsmom]

It all depends on frequency and amount, doesn't it? Clearly, junk food is ... well, junk, and therefore bad for you in quantity. An argument could be made that since it is junk it ought not ever to be placed in the Temple.

Then there is the question of who gets to define "junk food"...

 

[Nathon Detroit]

No, it is not immoral to eat junk food. Unwise? Maybe.

 

[nicholsmom]

Is gluttony immoral? Absolutely. So one instance of eating junk food being immoral would be eating it in excess, which, it could be argued, could mean "at all" since none of it is, strictly speaking, necessary to health.

Of course that all depends on what one calls "junk food." My definition would be: stuff you can eat that is not food, or is no longer food. With food being the stuff you can eat that your body knows how to burn as fuel and/or how to collect from it valuable nutrients.

Some examples: twinkies are not food - they started with some food stuff, but converted the food so much that it is no longer recognizable by the body as fuel or nutritive source, and so the body is left just storing it as fat. Diet foods are mostly not food because they have been divided and substituted so much that the body no longer knows how to use the stuff.
Cake made with cake flour, butter, sugar, eggs, etc is food even though there is lots of excess fat and sugar in there, because the body recognizes the butter as fat that may be burned or stored in soft fat for later burning, the flour and sugar as carbohydrates that may be burned and the eggs as protein that may be burned or stored in muscle. Nutrients may be easily taken from these largely whole foods. So cake is not "junk food" even though it should be taken in moderation

 

[death2impiety]

It's immoral to feed your kids...






to lions.

 

[Dr.Watson]

No, it is not immoral to eat junk food. Unwise? Maybe.

I agree. However, gluttony, I believe, is a moral subject. But that applies to all food and not just junk food.

 

[nicholsmom]

"Gluttony", according to The American Heritage Dictionary, is "excess in eating or drinking" and "excess," according to the same, is "The state of exceeding what is normal or sufficient."

If we go by the "normal," then eating junk food is only gluttonous only if it's more than the norm. But if sufficiency is our standard, then consumption of any junk is gluttony, and therefore immoral.

All based on my earlier definition of junk food.

 

[Memento Mori]

Some examples: twinkies are not food - they started with some food stuff, but converted the food so much that it is no longer recognizable by the body as fuel or nutritive source, and so the body is left just storing it as fat. Diet foods are mostly not food because they have been divided and substituted so much that the body no longer knows how to use the stuff.

I'd just like to point out that Twinkies were very important for people of low income during the depression. Now, however, that importants may be lost. Also, those sugars and food stuff can be burned. That is essentially what a calorie is (a unit of heat).

 

[Cracked]

If it causes you to fail in your Christian duty or causes others to stumble, then it is immoral.

If not, then not.

1 Cor. 10:31-33
Romans 14:19-21

However, there is this:
Matthew 11:18-19
Basically telling us that people may have their mind made up about you no matter what you do.

 

[Selaphiel]

Constantly eating it yourself arguably makes you an idiot, but the only arguable point of immorality is that it burdens the health care systems. Constantly feeding it to your children however is immoral.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

... ___ ...

 

[lucy]

If it is, I'm very morally corrupt, haha! :rotfl:

I can't resist kettle corn, corn chips and bean dip, tostitos with salsa, etc.

 

[Peripatetic]

Abuse of junk food (or any food, for that matter) is immoral. The occasional Big Mac, chocolate bar, etc.? No.

 

[Rusha]

Immoral ... it depends. Where children are concerned, if it is only on special occasions and does not adversely affect their health, then no.

If, OTOH, parents are allowing their child to destroy their body by providing what is a cheap and easy alternative for meals, then yes, I see it as immoral.

I also believe it would be immoral for a parent to allow their eating habits to put their own health at risk in such a manner that their child may end up burying them.

 

[Thunder's Muse]

I don't think there is anything wrong with junk food, if it's eaten occasionally. We do treat our kids to a Happy Meal from Maccas at times. As a general rule, though, I cook meals at home.

Any food eaten to excess can be bad for your health. It's about balance.

 

[Thunder's Muse]

I just remembered....

A friend of ours spent several years living in the UK. For a period of time, all he ate was maccas etc...not only did he put on weight but he actually gave himself scurvy!!!

 

[kmoney]

No, it is not immoral to eat junk food. Unwise? Maybe.

:thumb: That sums it up.

 

[Poly]

:thumb: That sums it up.

I'll second that.

 

[nicholsmom]

I'd just like to point out that Twinkies were very important for people of low income during the depression. Now, however, that importants may be lost. Also, those sugars and food stuff can be burned. That is essentially what a calorie is (a unit of heat).

Twinkies are barely food. The "cake" is made light by the addition of limestone - ew - and the "cream" is made of hydrogenated animal and vegetable oils - bleh. The sugar is real, except the part that is high fructose corn syrup, but is suspended in all that hydrogenated oil that your body can't use, and so stores. The flour is stripped of all its natural nutrients, so they "fortify" it for you - I wonder what the body does with that... Have a look at this article.

Twinkies are junk. If you really want a bit of sponge cake with cream filling, just make it in your kitchen with real food ingredients.

 

[Ktoyou]

Constantly eating it yourself arguably makes you an idiot, but the only arguable point of immorality is that it burdens the health care systems. Constantly feeding it to your children however is immoral.

I agree, parents should not feed it to their kids unless exception, but not as a reward, for that is reinforcing. Selling it might be a moral issue, but eating often is stupid.