Objective: To estimate the carbohydrate, energy, fat, protein, and sodium content of commonly consumed junk food items and to compare these to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) of children.
Methods: A list of eight common junk food categories was made, and the median nutritional content of carbohydrate, energy, fat, protein and sodium was determined from the commonly consumed brands in these categories. It was compared to the RDA and EAR for two different age groups viz., age 4-6 year, and male adolescents aged 13-15 years.
Results: The junk food groups with the highest carbo-hydrate were packaged potato chips and cakes, the group with the highest fat content was packaged potato chips, and the groups with the highest salt content were burgers and packaged potato chips. The %EAR of one packet of some items was 80-90% of daily fat requirement, and more than 60% of daily sodium requirement.
Conclusions: Junk foods contribute substantially to the daily intake of carbohydrates, free sugars, total fats, saturated fats, and sodium of children.