Running head WHY FACEBOOK MIGHT NOT BE GOOD FOR YOU1WHY FACEB.docx

Running head: WHY FACEBOOK MIGHT NOT BE GOOD
FOR YOU 1
WHY FACEBOOK MIGHT NOT BE GOOD FOR YOU 9
Why Facebook Might Not Be Good for You:
Some Dangers of Online Social Networks
James Gardiner
Seattle University
Why Facebook Might Not Be Good for You:
Some Dangers of Online Social Networks
Walk into any computer lab at any college campus across the
country and you’ll see dozen’s of students logged onto an
online social network (OSN). In the last few years, the use of
these networks has skyrocketed among Internet users, especially
young adults. These new virtual communities are significantly
influencing the way young people communicate and interact
with one another. A report titled “E-Expectations: The Class of
2007” went so far as to label upcoming college freshmen “the
Social-Networking Generation” (qtd. in Joly, 2007, para. 3).
In late 2006, the Pew Internet Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit
research group that examines the social impact of the Internet,
reported that 55 percent of online teens have created a personal
profile on OSNs and that 48 percent of teens visit social

networking Web sites daily, with 22 percent visiting several
times a day (Lenhart and Madden, 2007). The two most popular
OSNs are MySpace and Facebook.MySpace is a general
networking site that allows anyone to join, develop a profile,
and display personal information. In less than four years of
existence, MySpace has exploded to become the third most
visited Web site on the Internet behind only Google and Yahoo
(“Top Sites,” n.d.) with more than 100 million members (Joly).
Facebook is geared more toward college students (until recently
it required that a person attend a university to join the network)
and is the number-one site accessed by 18- 24-year-olds.
According to research studies cited in the Toronto Star, 90
percent of all undergraduates log on to Facebook and 60 percent
log on daily (George-Cosh, 2007). Facebook has also
experienced unprecedented growth in its relatively short
existence and now ranks as the seventh most visited site on the
Internet (“Top Sites”) and has a member base of more than 19
million (Joly).
With the use of OSNs increasing among young people, the term
“Facebook trance” has emerged to describe a person who loses
all track of time and stares at the screen for hours (Copeland,
2004). While “Facebook trance” might describe only an
occasional and therefore harmless phenomenon, it gives rise to
important questions: What are the possible negative
consequences of OSNs? What should youthful users be watchful
for and guard against? The purpose of this paper is to identify
the possible harms of OSNs. I will suggest that overuse of
OSNs can be a contributing factor to a decline in grades as well
as to other problems such as a superficial view of relationships,
and increase in narcissism, and possible future embarrassment.
I don’t mean to deny that OSNs have positive consequences for
young people. For one thing, they provide a “virtual hangout”
that acts as a convenient and cost-effective way to stay in close
contact with friends and family. According to the Pew survey,
91 percent of users use OSNs to keep in touch with their distant
friends (Lenhart and Madden). OSNs let young people regularly

view their friends’ profiles, leave short messages or comments,
and share personal information. OSN researcher Danah Boyd
also claims that these sites give young people a platform on
which to experiment with identities, voice their opinions, and
practice how they present themselves through personal data,
pictures, and music placed in their profiles (Bowley, 2006).
OSNs also assist them in learning more about people they’ve
met offline. Used as an investigative tool, OSNs offer quick
ways to get additional background information on someone. For
example, a student could use an OSN to decide whom to partner
with for a class project, to learn more about a new roommate, or
to find out more about someone he or she just met at a party, all
by browsing classmates’ profiles.
Despite these benefits, OSNs have a downside. One potential
harm is that OSNs could have a negative effect on grades. One
study shows a direct connection between the amount of time
spent on the networks and declining grades in school. A college
newspaper article entitled “Research Links MySpace Use to
Drop in Grades” reports a survey of high school students
conducted by Fresno State University professor Tamyra Pierce.
Pierce found that students with MySpace accounts were
significantly more likely than students without MySpace
accounts to report a decline in grades since the previous year.
According to Pierce, “We can’t know for sure that MySpace
caused the lower grades, but when compared to other after-
school activities (work, sports, video games, etc.), only
MySpace showed significance” (qtd. in “Research Links,”
2007). Pierce’s research also revealed that 42 percent of polled
students said they often had MySpace open while doing
homework, and 34 percent stated that they would delay
homework to spend time on social networking sites. Pierce adds
that 59 percent of students reported spending “between 30
minutes and six hours daily on MySpace.” such heavy usage
significantly takes time away from school work, extracurricular
activities, and sleep. Although this specific study focused on
high school students, it would be safe to assume that the results

would be generally similar for college students. In fact, the
results of the Fresno State study were reported in other college
newspapers (Scrabis, 2007; Jimenez, 2007); the writers for
these college newspapers usually included anecdotes from their
own campuses about college students obsessed with OSNs. One
Penn State student said of MySpace, “I keep getting rid of it and
then getting it back again because I’m addicted. It’s like
cocaine” (qtd. in Scrabis).
Another potential problem with OSNs is their tendency to
promote superficial or unsatisfying relationships. According to
Chou, Condron, and Belland (2005), for some users, “over-
dependence on online relationships may result in significant
problems with real-life interpersonal and occupational
functioning" (p. 381). When logged on to the network, students
may believe that they are “in touch” with people, when actually
they are physically alone with their computers. In a
controversial 1998 article cited by Matsuba (2006), Kraut and
his colleagues suggested that extensive Internet use “was
associated with declines in participants communication with
family members in the household, declines in the size of their
social circle, and increases in their depression and loneliness”
(qtd. in Matsuba, p. 275). Matsuba conducted an extensive study
to test Kraut’s conclusions. Matsuba found that persons who
scored high on measures of loneliness sent more time on the
Internet than persons who scored low on the loneliness
measures. In another facet of his study, Matsuba found that for
persons who established online friendships, these friendships
did not seem “as rich and diverse in quality compared to face-
to-face friendships” (p. 283). Matsuba concludes that while
online communication can be used to enhance relationships, it
can become a problem when it begins to replace offline
interaction. He found that face-to-face friendships scored higher
for both positive and negative aspects of relationships than did
online friendships. He then speculates, “While it is possible that
the internet is helping [lonely] people in their search, the
possibility remains that the internet is hindering them in facing

life in the ‘real’ world and thus preventing them from
developing an adult identity” (p. 283).
Matsuba’s finding that face-to-face friendships are more “rich
and diverse in quality” than online friendships has led me to
speculate that a possible problem with OSNs is the complete
lack of nonverbal communication exchanged between users.
According to communications professor Julia T. Woods (2007),
“Scholars estimate that nonverbal behaviors account for 65
percent to 93 percent of the total meaning of communication”
(p. 132). Since the people interacting on OSNs are unable to
view each other, they are unable to gauge the other’s subtle
body language, facial expressions, and voice tones that are such
vital ingredients of effective communication. Part of achieving
the “adult identity” called for by Matsuba is learning to
communicate nonverbally as well as verbally in an environment
requiring real contact.
For me, a particularly interesting yet subtle danger of OSNs is
their contribution to a rise in narcissism. in an article with the
subtitle “Study Says Many Students Are Narcissists,” journalist
E. Hoover (2007) reports on the unpublished research of Jean
M. Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State
University, who says that new technologies such as OSNs have
“stocked the self-loving tendencies of modern students” (qtd. in
Hoover). Twenge’s recent research shows that college kids
today are more narcissistic than college kids were in the 1980s;
she labels the current generation of youth as “the most
narcissistic in recent history” (Hoover). According to Hoover,
Twenge defines narcissism as “excessive vanity and a sense of
entitlement.” Narcissists, Hoover reports, “tend to lack empathy
for others, behave aggressively when insulted, and ignore the
needs of those around them.”
According to Twenge, narcissism finds expression on OSNs in
the way that young people on MySpace and Facebook compete
with each other to be heard. In another article reporting
Twenge’s research, Melissa Ludwig (2007) states that OSNs
have “gone beyond touching base with friends to an arena where

people vie for the most digital friends, the best videos, the
coolest sites, and the biggest audience” (p. A15). She then
quotes Twenge: “Now it all becomes a competition, seeking
attention and seeking status rather than a true connection
between people, or a meaningful connection.” The work of
Twenge and others suggests that the popularity of OSNs is
partly the result of young people’s finding an online way to
express their narcissistic tendencies. The sites may contribute to
self-expression more than to connection and friendship.
A final danger of OSNs is that persons will place on their sites
material that they will later regret. Young people tend to think
that their audiences are only their like-minded friends and
classmates. They often don’t imagine their professors, their
potential employers, or even their parents reading their sites.
One journalist describes a MySpace profile in which a college
student has posted photos of herself in “a skin-tight leather
Catwoman costume, two triangles of vinyl struggling to cover
her silicone-enhanced breasts” (Ludwig, p. A15). Ludwig
continues:
Much of the stuff floating around in cyberspace is tame,
mundane even. But there also is plenty that’s racy, embarrassing
or squeamishly intimate. Bad or good, Generation Next is living
out loud and doing it online, before a global audience, in a
medium where digital archives may linger for a long, long
time…[Generation Nexters] still are too young to fully grasp the
permanence of their online actions, and the possible
consequences down the road. (p. A15)
One indication of this danger has already surfaced in the case of
some sports teams. The University of Minnesota Duluth recently
barred all athletes from creating profiles on MySpace,
Facebook, and similar sites, a policy that, according to
journalist Chao Xiong (2007), aims to shield students and the
school from bad press that might occur from the posting of
inappropriate material. Xiong reports that athletic departments
across the country are considering similar bans. Once coach at
the UM-Duluth campus said, “It was amazing to me how

revealing people are with their lives on the Internet” (qtd. in
Xiong, p. 1A). (This coach had established her own Facebook
profile in order to police the activities of her team members.)
Xiong reports that across the country athletes have embarrassed
their programs by posting pictures of themselves drinking
blindfolded at parties or making disparaging comments about
coaches or teammates. It is unclear whether coaches have the
legal right to forbid their teams members to place profiles on
OSNs (some students are claiming violation of free speech
rights). However, the fact that athletic programs are concerned
about the impact of these social networks shows the potential
negative consequence of posting embarrassing material on
OSNs.
Although I don’t support the banning of Facebook or MySpace
profiles, for athletes or other students, I do think that young
people should be aware of some of the problems associated with
them. Two of the problems I have noted here—decline in grades
and narcissistic competition for the coolest sites—could be
avoided by students’ simply limiting their time online. Knowing
that OSNs can promote a superficial view of friendships might
encourage people to use OSNs to stay in touch face-to-face with
friends rather than try to find online substitutes for real
friendships. Finally, young people should be aware that the
materials they post on their profiles might one day come back to
haunt them. To gain the maximum benefits of online social
networks and avoid the pitfalls associated with them, my advice
to today’s students would be to use them as an advance e-mail-
type communication tool rather than as a place to loiter and
waste valuable hours that they will never get back.
References
Bowley, G. (2006, October 27). The high priestess of internet
friendship. Financial Times Weekend Magazine, 16.
Chou, C., Condron, L., &Belland, J. C. (2005). A review of the
research on Internet addiction. Educational Psychology Review,
17(4), 363-89.

Copeland, L. (2004, Dec. 28).Click clique: Facebook’s online
college community. Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com
George-Cosh, D. (2007, Jan. 20). Social net: Thousands of local
students build friendships on Facebook. Toronto Star. Retrieved
from http://thestar.com.
Hoover, E. (2007, March 9). Here’s looking at you, kid: Study
says many students are narcissists. Chronicle of Higher
Education, 53(29), A41.
Jimenez, E. (2007, Mar. 9). MySpace adds to overload for teens.
Fresno Bee. Retrieved from http://fresnobee.com
Joly, K. (2007, April 1). Facebook, MySpace, and co.
University Business. Retrieved from
http://www.universitybusiness.com.
Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2007, Jan. 7). Social networking
websites and teens: An overview. Retrieved from the Pew
Internet & American Life Web site:
http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2007/PIP_S
NS_Data_Memo_Jan_2007.pdf.pdf
Ludwig, M. (2007, Mar. 15). [email protected]: Generation Next
is living out loud and online. San Antonio Express News.
Retrieved from http://mysanantonio.com
Matsuba, M. K. (2006). Searching for self and relationships
online. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 9(3), 275-84.
Research links MySpace use to drop in grades. (2007, Mar. 9).
Fresno State News. Retrieved from
http://www.fresnostatenews.com
Scrabis, J. (2007, Mar. 23). MySpace usage may lower grades in
both high school, college students. Daily Collegian. Retrieved
from http://www.collegian.psu.edu
Top sites for United States. (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://www.alexia.com/site/ds/
Woods, J. T. (2007). Interpersonal communication: Everyday
encounters (5th ed.). New York: Wadsworth.
Xiong, C. (2007, Apr. 16). Not their space. Minneapolis Star
Tribune.

ENG176 Research Project
Stage 2: Exploratory Essay
200 points (as part of the 700-point Research Project)
Due Wednesday, April 2
This assignment is based on the “Exploratory Essay” discussion
in your textbook in Chapter 6.
Read about exploratory writing (pages 128-139) and, in
particular, the “Exploratory Essay”
Writing Project on page 132. You will turn in a narrative essay
that is similar to the “How Do
Online Social Networks Affect Communication?” essay on
pages 144-148. In addition, I have
given you another model, “What Are the Conditions Under
Which Quinoa is Grown?”, as a
sample of this assignment.
As the assignment description on page 132 notes, your goal is to
“write a first-person,
chronologically organized narrative accounting of your thinking
process as you investigate your
[food issue related-] question through research, talking with
others, and doing your own
reflective thinking.” Your essay should document your research
efforts as a process of
examining your research question(s) and learning about and
becoming an expert on your topic
by locating relevant articles in the GBC databases and on the
Web. Again, as noted in your

textbook on page 132 (in the “Exploratory Essay” writing
project description):
Your goal is to examine your question, problem, or issue from a
variety of perspectives,
assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different positions
and points of view. Your
goal is not to answer your question but to report on the process
of wrestling with it.
The essay you turn in should be at least 1200 words long, and it
should contain a discussion of a
minimum of five sources that you have found that will be useful
to you in your research
process. (The discussion can include the sources you used in the
Stage 1 Project.) The essay
should contain an APA-formatted References list for the
sources. The entire essay should be in
APA format.
For an idea of how you should structure your essay, look at
Figure 6.1: “Framework for an
Exploratory Essay” on page 137.
Your essay will be assessed on the quality of your exploration,
the quality of the sources you’ve
found, and the quality of your thinking processes.
ENG176 Critical Writing II
Research Project Stage 2: Exploratory Essay Evaluation Criteria

The criteria below are based on the details presented in Chapter
6, including Figure 6.1 (Framework for
an Exploratory Essay) on page 137, the model exploratory essay
presented on pages 144-148, and the
model exploratory essay handed out in class.
Introductory paragraph
the issue
problematic, and/or significant
Body section on first source
source
context (What exactly is it? Where is
it from? What periodical is it from? What website is it from?)
from a website, why is it credible?)
information

What is questionable?)
question. (What did you learn? What is
missing? Where does it lead you? What else do you need to
consider about your topic?)
Body section on second source
your research with this source
anding of the source and its rhetorical
ata and/or
information
Body section on third source

information
ce (What is valuable?
Body section on fourth source

information
w the source contributes to answering your
Body section on fifth source
continuing
t credible?)
information

Conclusion
thinking and/or focus on your topic has
changed
ve answer to your research question
based on what you have learned
so far, or explains why you can’t yet adequately answer your
research question
research you need to do.
References List
Includes a complete list of all sources used in your
exploratory essay, formatted according to
APA requirements
Miscellaneous
ling or word choice errors

HIRONS LIBRARY
DATABASE PASSWORDS
Ebsco databases
Username: s8485418
Password: lightning2012
Encyclopedia Britannica
Username: gol47dey
Password: bea01com
INFOTRAC (Gale)
ID: lightning2012
Mergent
Username: goldey

Password: beacom
Proquest
Username: goldey
Password: lightning2012
World Trade Ref
Username: HIR47ONS
Password: LIB01RARY
Running head: AVOIDING JUNK FOODS
1
AVOIDING JUNK FOODS
2
Avoid Junk Foods
Author
Institution
Abstract
Junk means something that has no value. Eating junk foods,
therefore, means eating foods that have no nutritional value to
the body whatsoever. Over the years the increase in
technological advancements has equally affected the nutritional
or feeding of families and individuals across the globe.
Historically women took their time to prepare food or supervise
its preparation however with the shift in roles and the rise of
modernism it is easy to find a woman who is the sole

breadwinner for a family. Such factors and others that will be
discussed in the ensuing sections have contributed to the rise
poor feeding habits among the human fraternity. The essay will
cross reference articles on research carried out by experts in the
field. Additionally it will examine the effects junk food
consumption has on the economy, and the measures taken by
government to counter the rising trend. The most important part
of this essay is to show the reader why people need to mind
what they consume as food. The research will also highlight the
overall effect of poor feeding on the demographic outlay of the
country as well as challenges faced by nutritionists when it
comes to dealing with the issue at hand.
Introduction
A healthy long life emanates from consuming healthy foods.
However, the idea of feeding right in the contemporary society
seems farfetched. With changing lifestyles new concepts and
relationships have come up. This has resulted to changes in
feeding habits. Perhaps we could argue that the changes in
lifestyle and relationships are positive, but can the same be said
for the changes in feeding habits? No reason being people in the
modern society people do not care about what they eat. Women
in the traditional setting were home caterers their major role
being preparation of food for their families. This has since
changed, with the rise of feminism and empowerment; women
too have thronged the career road. As a result, there is no one to
care about the dietary needs of the family: anything hurriedly
prepared is enough to keep the children going until mom is out
of work. While this is not an attempt to taint working women as
bad parents it a place to start. The hurriedly prepared food is
nothing but junk food while it may be enough in filling an
empty stomach it has no value in the body. In most cases
children have been left to feed on what they feel they want. As
a result many have opted for junk foods which are sweet yet
dangerous. This is called junk because it has no nutritional
value in the body. Good feeding habits boost the body’s immune

system enabling it to have the ability to fight diseases. On the
contrast junk foods do the opposite they lower the body’s
immune system and raise the risk of falling ill. Some of the
diseases that may arise out of poor feeding habits are; heart
conditions, obesity, cancer and a myriad of other diseases. In
the scheme of things the underlying philosophy of healthy
eating cannot be sidelined. For a healthy lifestyle it is important
to avoid junk food altogether.
Literature review
The issue of healthy feeding has been around for around for
sometime it is an ever current which draws attention from
numerous walks of life. Healthy feeding is not only an issue
affecting human medicine it affects other sectors of the
economy as well. Books, magazines, journals and television
programs have been dedicated to the issue at hand. All this and
more in an effort to let people know about the nature of the
looming danger of not feeding right. This section looks at some
of this cases it examines the existing literature to strengthen the
point of view of this paper.
This part reviews several articles published in peer reviewed
journals in an attempt to give a profound perspective around the
issue under discussion. Discussed below are the articles in
question.
1. Karimi-shahanjarini, et. Al, (2012). Parental Control and
Junk-Food Consumption: A Mediating and Moderating Effect
Analysis. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2012, 42, 5,
pp. 1241–1265.
In this article, the authors have noted ever increasing need for
healthy eating among the adolescence the reason for is that
during the adolescent age period of an individual the body
undergoes different changes. These changes come across as
physiological, psychological, biological and emotional changes.
Sadly during this time when healthy eating is critical, poor

feeding habits are largely evident. The concern of unhealthy
feeding habits among adolescents has also been noted by
Martens, Van Assema, & Brug (2005). Junk foods have highly
become popular among this age bracket and also alarmingly
spilling over to children below ten years. Junk foods are foods
characterized by high fat concentration, high sugars and low
nutritional value. Frequent consumption of the so called snacks
has been identified as the major cause of tooth decay, chronic
illnesses and obesity among young people. Sadly, Karimi-
shahanjarini notes that this problem is no longer exclusive to
the developed country but it has also taken route in the
developing world.
A study by Ghassemi, et .al, (2002), revealed that the case of
nutritional transition is common in Iran following a speedy
demographic restructuring as well as urbanization. Nutritional
transitioning is where people diverge from the consumption of
whole nutritious meals to readily highly sugary snacks.
Shocking evidence from studies revealed that children aged
between 2 and 19 years in the United States and Philippines
derived a fifth of their energy from snacks. This means that a
child takes five meals a day 1 meal is a snack. The trend
however was reported to be much lower in china and Russia
where the level of energy derived from such meals was 16%
compared to the 20% in U.S Karimi-Shanjarini, et. al, (2012).
Researchers have connected cultural behaviors to feeding
habits. As a result, Karimi-Shanjarini (2012), argues that if any
intervention programs are to be put in place they have to
incorporate the cultural perspective that influences such issues
as snack choice. In this literally work the author captures the
theory of practical behavior as the basis of understanding some
social aspects nutrition being amongst them.
2. Ashakiran & Deepthi, R., (2012). Junk Foods and their
Impact on Health. Journal of Krishna Institute of Medical
Sciences University. Vol. 1, No. 2, ISSN: 2231-4261
In this literally work, the authors note the paramount nature of

healthy feeding in the human life. On a sad note, the author
melancholy points out how healthy and nutritious foods have
been replaced by new junk foods. The authors note with due
concern that people are consuming junk foods across the world
at an unimaginable rate. Sadly, the authors also mention that
while the problem is not age specific, it is still common with
school going children. The authors raise grave concerns voiced
by almost every behavioral change observer and like
aforementioned above the authors note lifestyle (read culture)
as the key driver of the issue at hand. The authors single out the
constant high incidence of diseases such as diabetes mellitus
and coronary artery disease in the developing regions as the
result of junk food consumption. Ashakrin & Depthi (2012),
notes that to eradicate the global problem of junk food
consumption and its effect on health calls for health education
and emphasis. This will have the effect of inducing reverse
nutritional transition.
The authors of this article note that India too has caught up
with the rest of the world in consumption of junk foods. The
Indian fast food industry is increasing at a speedy rate of 40%
yearly. This means that more and more people are demanding
fast foods, which is characterized by how households spend
their incomes. According to a study by National sample survey
organization of 2005 people in Delhi spent Rs 371 on processed
foods. India is placed at 10th position in fast food consumption
with 2.1% of per capita expenditure going to fast foods. This
means that if the distributable income per head was Rs 100000
hypothetically, Rs 2100 is spent on junk foods.
Problem statement
As evidenced in the articles above, junk food consumption is
rapidly becoming a global issue. If governments ever cared
about the health of its citizenry now would be the appropriate
time to act on the issue of junk foods. The sad part is that as
humanity contemplates in the manner to deal with the issue of
junk foods, the problem is getting worse. Children are born into
a world of happiness, but that happiness will be short lived if

the issue of junk foods is not dealt with especially for children
in ages 2 to 6. It is, therefore, necessary for adults to control
what children eat, as well as, training the adolescents on how to
feed right (Grudnik, 2014).
Avoiding junk foods
Effects of junk foods
Junk foods have been associated with a host of illnesses. The
presence of diabetes among children is believed to stem form
consuming junk foods as a result a child’s life is cut short. This
is attributable to consumption of sodas and other ready to drink
juices. According to Dr. Rashid of University of Cambridge,
most of these drinks as well as foods contain high content of
sugars fats and salts which induces diabetes and raises the risk
of cardio vascular diseases. To deal with this issue the U.S
government has banned any kind of sweet food advertisements
during children programs. Good nutrition is necessary for
children in the age between 6-12 years if they are to get a good
start in life. A good example is the soda ban in New York which
has somehow managed to alert people on the dangers of
consumption of soda.
Junk food consumption has also been noted to affect learning
among school going children. In a school feeding survey in
Ireland shocking results indicated that almost half (48.6) of the
lunch consumed by children was junk (O’Connor et. al, 1993).
This has the impact of lowering the concentration required in
learning which is derived from meals rich in nutrients. In the
long run the kid may become inactive during school thus being
unable to interact with other children or even family members
after school. This results to low self esteem and
underachievement in life. It is, therefore, necessary to foster
good feeding habits in children from a tender age.
The sweet taste often encountered in junk foods is as a result of
hydrogenated fats. The hydrogenated fats in turn lead
hypertension, atherosclerosis, obesity and heart failure.

Diabetes is obesity is becoming common occurrences among
children this is solely due to increased intake of junk foods.
While the problem can be blamed upon behavioral aspects, as
explained in the theory of planned behavior, still the larger
burden lays with the parents they need to protect their children
from junk foods.
Junk foods have been found to be similar to narcotics such as
marijuana. This is through chronic alteration of brains activity
thus causing an addiction. The craving for these foods is caused
by sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin which cause
cancer. Avoiding junk foods would, therefore, help an
individual from contracting such illnesses as cancer.
Pande, (2013) also notes that also cause liver diseases as well as
cancer of the pancreas and the liver. In fact, the damage caused
by junk foods to the liver is greater than that caused by alcohol.
This again is due to the chemicals used in the processing of fast
foods. The high prevalence of illnesses such as bronchial
asthma in the western countries is solely attributable to the
consumption of junk foods.
Methodology
Evidently many authors have based their reports on survey
conducted by consumer organizations or governmental organs. I
chose to use research analysis from social scientists because
these understand what to include in a sample as well as
behavioral changes falls in their docket.
Government Involvement
As mentioned earlier, the United States government has put in
place some measures to curb the spread of junk food
consumption. Such a measure was the soda ban in New York, as
well as, the ban of sweet foods advertisements during any
children program. The effect this has cannot be established as at

now but it will reduce the consumption of junk foods among
children, but the button entirely rests with the parents who
control what their children eat. In addition to the above
measures, the United States government is also reviewing the
goods labeling rules. This is so as to protect consumers from
making wrong food choices due to misleading labels of nutrition
on these goods (Carly, 2014).
It is important to educate parents on the basic mechanisms of
oral health. If they were to learn how every feeding choice
affects the quality of their life as well as that of their children,
they would be at a better position to make a decision and
transfer the same knowledge to their children thus putting an
end to nutritional transition. Below are some of the foods that
are rich in nutrients and would guarantee a healthy life;
Foods, which contain low contents of; cholesterol, saturated
fats, and fats.
Foods that are rich in fiber; vegetables, whole-grains foods and
fruits
Foods containing only little or moderate sugar
Foods rich in calcium, which is needed in the body, to counter
sodium levels.
Foods rich in iron contents
Conclusion
Junk foods have penetrated to almost every corner of the world
thereby affecting the developing and developed countries in
equal magnitude. They have almost become an integral part of
life contributing to the economy while at the same time
destroying the economy by depriving it a healthy human capital.
As a result much education on the topic needs to be carried, as
well as, regulation of the activities of companies when it comes
to children. It is also critical to teach children the need to eat
healthy food from an early age. For instance they could be
taught on the essentials of obtaining plant based nutrients as
opposed to processed food (Lois, 2014). Despite the entire help

one might receive in fighting against junk food, the last
decision rests with the individual consumer.
Reference
Ashakiran & Deepthi, R., (2012). Junk Foods and their Impact
on Health. Journal of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences
University. Vol. 1, No. 2, ISSN: 2231-4261
Carly, w., (2014). U.S. to revamp labeling on packaged food.
The globe & Mail: Canada. Available at products
http://search.proquest.com/cbcacompletehealth/docview/150297
9089/64D34425428047D8PQ/3?accountid=38531
Ghassemi, H., Harrison, G., & Mohammad, K. (2002). An
accelerated nutrition transition in Iran. Public Health Nutrition,
5, 149–155.
Grudnik, L., (2014). "U.S. children snacking more; junk
calories leading the rise." Health Science Spring 2010: 6.
General OneFile. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. From
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA259792343&v=
2.1&u=wilm19808&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=a404eaacc34cfc
6e571ec53ae33f1aa4
Karimi-shahanjarini, et. Al, (2012). Parental Control and Junk-
Food Consumption: A Mediating and Moderating Effect
Analysis. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42, 5, pp.
1241–1265.
Lois, A., (2014). Plant-based diet can raise energy level and
contribute to well-being. Canadian press: Toronto, Ontario.
Available;
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1500681700?accountid=385
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Martens, M. K., van Assema, P., & Brug, J. (2005). Why do
adolescents eat what they eat? Personal and social
environmental predictors of fruit, snack, and breakfast

consumption among 12-14-year-old Dutch students. Public
Health Nutrition, 8, 1258–1265.
McNamara J., R., & Green J., P., (1991). Decreasing junk-food
consumption through the use of self-management procedures: A
case study. Psychol Rep; 69:19-22.
O.Connor et. al, (1993). School nutrition survey. Ireland
Medical Journal 1993; 86: 89-91
Pande, R., (2013). Avoid Junk Food. Retrieved on 28th April
2014 from http://www.theservicemag.com/index.php/feats/your-
wellbeing-matters/341-avoid-junk-food
SAGE Publications (2013, December 2). Junk Food, Poor Oral
Health Increase Risk of Premature Heart Disease, ScienceDaily.
Retrieved From
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131202105301.htm

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