Junk food is food that, though edible, is devoid of nutritional value. Some snacks may start as natural foods but after processing — which replaces the fiber and all of the nutrients with fat, sugar, and chemicals — they barely resemble their original form in nutritional content.

Most fried and packaged foods are full of ingredients that don't add any nutritional value. Even foods made with all-natural ingredients like homemade cakes and cookies can be considered junk. insofar as they are very high in calories (especially in calories supplied by fat and sugar) and contain few nutrients.

Why You Should Avoid It

Junk food includes almost any food that has a lot of calories but little nutritional value. A two-year-old needs only about 1,000 to 1,400 calories a day, depending on how active he is. That does not add up to much food.

For example, a handful of Cheerios, a glass of milk, and a piece of American cheese is about 200 calories. Include an apple and half a hamburger and you've added another 350 calories. Finally, a glass of juice, a cup of macaroni and cheese, some green beans, and yogurt will raise the total to about 900 calories.

The calories in junk food are a problem for two reasons. If your child watches an hour of Sesame Street and eats four cookies, she's consuming about 280 calories but only burning one-seventh of that. Those 280 calories are devoid of any vitamins, minerals, fiber, or protein. The carbohydrates are simple, which means that if they aren't burned quickly, they turn to fat.

Finally, because they lack nutrients, they don't really satisfy your child (even though they fill her belly). In other words, she still wants to eat more because her body is in search of nutritious food — so she eats more junk until something healthy comes her way.

Why Junk Food Sells

If you look at much of the food packaged for children (pushed through commercials and advertising), you'll notice it features gimmicks that appeal to small children (candy “dinosaur eggs” in oatmeal, cereal containing marshmallow treasures). Even though your two-year-old may be enticed by the playful features of junk food, you fortunately have complete control over what you buy and what she eats. Simply buy the healthier versions of these foods.