Introduction
Junk food has become an important health concern for Australia in recent decades, causing active discussion in the media. With the advent of food production technology, junk food has transformed into a relatively affordable alternative to home-cooked and healthy meals in Australia, and its popularity remains extremely high. According to the CSIRO survey that measures the popularity of healthy nutrition, almost 80% of Australian citizens report consuming junk food daily, which cannot go unnoticed for our health (Australian Dental Association, 2021).
Discussion
As of now, the situation is almost critical; Partridge et al. (2020) assessed Sydney citizens’ preferences when they use UberEATS and found out that almost 86% of popular products were discretionary foods. Considering the outcomes of excessive junk food consumption, the failure to address the situation with Australians’ nutritional choices can be costly, whereas the removal of junk food would create significant benefits for the population.
First of all, how would the removal of junk food benefit Australian society? To answer this question, one should clearly understand the core issue peculiar to Australians’ current dietary choices. Junk food can be defined as high-calorie alimentary products that are usually low in satiation and nutritional values and typically contain too much sugar, fat, or sodium. Insufficient nutritional content, as well as appetite-stimulating ingredients and flavor enhancers, makes junk food something that is addictive and promotes overeating. Nevertheless, by eating junk food in large quantities, we do not derive enough nutrients required for the human body’s healthy functioning.
Junk food has various adverse effects on Australians’ physical and even mental health, which cannot be ignored if we strive toward raising a healthy nation. The health outcomes make the removal of junk food the first step toward improving public well-being in Australia. First, it is universally recognized as a contributor to weight gain and obesity, the presence of which increases a person’s risk for diabetes and cardiovascular conditions (Singh et al., 2021). Aside from the physiological effects, obesity acts as a risk factor for mood dysregulation and depression (Bodden et al., 2021). With that in mind, the abundance of junk food can indirectly expose Australians to the risks of severe psychological suffering. Second, oral health is another area of concern for Australians; high sugar content in junk food, such as sweet beverages or candy, is cariogenic or conducive to tooth decay (Australian Dental Association, 2021). Third, from correlation research, it is known that low junk food consumption has protective effects against hypertension (Zhang et al., 2021). Conversely, eating unhealthy meals daily could increase such risks, affecting cardiovascular health in general.
Disorders connected to junk food are extremely prevalent in Australia, so getting rid of junk food would help support the nation’s health. In Australia, as of 2021, hypertension affected 6.7% of the population, diabetes was present in 5.3% of citizens, and heart disease affected up to 23% of people (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2022). As of 2018, more than 65% of Australians were obese or overweight (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2022). Of course, junk food is not the only contributor to these conditions, but making it less accessible and unpopular would decrease Australians’ risks of developing these diseases.
Conclusion
On a final note, embarking on a path to rejecting the fast food culture and replacing junk food with healthier alternatives are important national health improvement goals for Australia. Considering the health effects of junk food, removing or banning it in Australia would improve the nation’s health to a large extent. Knowing the various harmful impacts of such preferences on Australians, especially youth, we should recognize junk food as an actual threat to the nation’s well-being and future and treat the problem accordingly.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022). Health conditions prevalence: Key findings on selected long-term health conditions and prevalence in Australia. ABS. Web.
Australian Dental Association. (2021). New approach to combating junk food overconsumption. ADA. Web.
Bodden, C., Hannan, A. J., & Reichelt, A. C. (2021). Of ‘junk food’ and ‘brain food’: How parental diet influences offspring neurobiology and behaviour.Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, 32(8), 566-578. Web.
Department of Health and Aged Care. (2022). Australia’s first national obesity strategy launched on World Obesity Day. Web.
Partridge, S. R., Gibson, A. A., Roy, R., Malloy, J. A., Raeside, R., Jia, S. S., Singleton, A. C., Mandoh, M., Todd, A. R., Wang, T., Halim, N. K., Huyn, K., & Redfern, J. (2020). Junk food on demand: A cross-sectional analysis of the nutritional quality of popular online food delivery outlets in Australia and New Zealand. Nutrients, 12(10), 1-16.
Singh, A., Dhanasekaran, D., Ganamurali, N., Preethi, L., & Sabarathinam, S. (2021). Junk food-induced obesity: A growing threat to youngsters during the pandemic. Obesity Medicine, 26.
Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Chen, Y., Zhou, J., Xu, L., Xu, K., Wang, N., Fu, C., & Liu, T. (2021). Associations of dietary patterns and risk of hypertension in Southwest China: A prospective cohort study.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), 1-10. Web.