JunK FooD JunkieS
The Top 10 Cities Most Obsessed with Junk Food
10. Minneapolis, MN
9. Milwaukee, WI
8. Birmingham, AL
7. Indianapolis, IN
6. Nashville, TN
5. St. Louis, MO
4. Little Rock, AR
3. Memphis, TN
2. Pittsburgh, PA
1. Oklahoma City / Tulsa, OKShoppers in these spots most enjoy cookies, chips and other sinful snacks
Pittsburghers, for example, scream for ice cream. This city was rated No. 1 in the category…
“Ice cream is more popular with Caucasians because most are not lactose intolerant..And in the Midwest, long winters encourage overeating.
In places like Birmingham, Ala., Witherly says that junk foods–like hot dogs–are popular with people who are less active because they’re convenient. It takes significantly less time to fry a frankfurter than to bake a chicken, which may contribute to Birmingham’s second-highest obesity rate in the country.
Since 1980, the number of obese adults in the United States has doubled, and an estimated $120 billion per year is spent combating obesity-related ailments, such as heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What do you consider “junk food” anyway?
Is it any food with limited nutritional value? 
Would you posit all foods that are high in sugar, salt, additives, fat, calories and are of low nutrient content.
Does that ’bout cover it? We hear all about “empty calories”. Do you know what that means.
Wer’e told to stay away from or go real eeeeeeeeeasy on salted snack foods, candies and gum, sweet desserts, fried fast food 
and carbonated beverages. Do ya suppose that has something to do with the fact that they offer no or very little in terms of protein, vitamins, minerals and tons of calories from sugar or fat.
Do you choose organic foods which are grown without added pesticides, fertilizers, sprays or chemicals.
Do you even bother to read the the list of ingredients and Nutrition Facts label found on most packages today. Do you notice if sugar, fat or salt is one of the first three ingredients..
..Hmmmmmm. Tsk tsk.
Of course there are a myriad of reasons to eat healthy foods.
Your day will be full of energy instead of the constant highs and lows that foods high in sugar offer you.
Healthy foods are usually high in fiber and complex carbohydrates. Those compounds are digested more slowly and will give you a constant energy release instead.
Your chances of avoiding diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes is markedly reduced. Saturated and trans fat has been shown to be harmfull to your cholesterol profile.
Eating foods often which are high in sugar puts stress on your pancreas which can lead to diabetes.
Less visits to the doctor.
Less sick days..well uh…take a “personal day” instead. Heh.
Some of the reasons, excuses Americans have given for not eating right are:
The Availability of heathy foods: Is it easier to buy a bag o chips than an apple?
The Cost: Is chocolate cheaper than a tomato?
The Time it takes: I reckon it’s faster to buy a hot dog than make a salad eh?
and finally:
Drumroll………The taste! Nothing beats a cream filled donut…but fresh strawberries, watermelon and honeydew..not bad either……..mmmmmmmmm.
Alright sweet friends. I know you don’t live on broccoli alone. 
What’s your weakness.
Is it chocolate?
Donuts?
Cake?
Cookies?
Fess up.
I hear….Confession’s good for the soul. Heh. 
Passing the vanilla ice cream sundae to y’all and my friends over at Rosemary’s Thoughts, 123beta, Right Truth, The Amboy Times, Cao’s Blog, Big Dog’s Weblog, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, third world county, Faultline USA, Nuke Gingrich, DragonLady’s World, The World According to Carl, Pirate’s Cove, Wolf Pangloss, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, , Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Anybody, per chance, have a cholesterol miracle other than a statin!? I’m eager to hear!
Loved these photos!.mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
May 7th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
But you gotta love fries, pizza and salty snacks, topped off with a Cola and a Krispy Kreme or two. Great post and images, keep up the good work….
May 7th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Soak all of these in Schlitz and THEN we have a treat!
May 7th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Angel, you’re killing me with those pictures of food. I live smack dab between Nashville and Memphis, sandwiched between them if you will, like the creamy filling of an Oreo cookie, or the filling in a Twinkie, or the cream inside an eclare’. YUM YUM
May 7th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
I’m proud of myself. I lost a whole dress size. It only took me a month. No fancy diets, just sensible eating (and occasional chocolate spurges).
And to top that my cholesterol level dipped again. I’m a 75! Doctor says it’s because of my genetic makeup. She’s doing a study on that.
May 7th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Katie, You’re a 75??? i didn’t know it could BE that low! If you don’t mind saying, how much did it drop with one dress size of weight loss? I’m really interested……. AND, could you tell me if you did a high-protein diet (lots of meat and very few carbs)? I’m beginning to think the SUGAR BUSTER Diet is right in suggesting eating fat and protein and no sugar is better against cholesterol than eating no fat ..they give some kind of chemical reason for that, but it escapes my chemistry understanding capabilities.
I’m REALLY interested in hearing if you consciously laid off cholesterol as much as possible or if you ate a lot of meat and few carbs.
May 8th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Empty calories are what I consider to make up junk food. I do LOVE donuts and chocolate cake with an ice cold glass of milk! These pictures are killing me girl!
May 8th, 2008 at 1:41 am
7 I was a size 24 and now a 22. I lost 30 lbs. Yes it can go that low, but my doctor told me it was probably due to genetics (all the women on my mother’s line have extremely low rates). My diet is easy. A sensible breakfast (no cereal, poached eggs, salad, fruit, yogurt), a sensible lunch (sandwich, yogurt or salad) and a sensible dinner (meat, 2 veggies, a starch, salad can be 1 veggie). For deserts I can have a small piece of cake or pie. If I get hungry first I drink a glass of water or 3, then I will have a piece of fruit. I drink 8-12 glasses (12 oz) of water a day, only 4 cups of coffee (yes with cream and sugar) and only 1 soda a day. Nothing low cal, just senible. Oh yes, I walk 3 miles every day. 2 in the morning and 1 in the evening. I haven’t laid off meat, cheese or anything. I just changed my eating habits a little bit. I don’t eat a lot of cakes and cookie. But tomorrow I’m making strudel. Having company for dinner.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:18 am
we’re #7 here in Indy! I’m going to Hardees for a Monster Burger:
Two quarter pounders
Bacon
Cheese
Mayo
and a free coupon for a stint
May 8th, 2008 at 6:24 am
Nice new site!!! Much better layout, too. I just returned from Oklahoma City. The mayor has put the city on a diet challenge. When I lived there in the early 80s, the main street into Edmond (north of OKC) had the most fast food outlets per mile in the U.S. People are dying for a Whole Foods and all of my friends there complain about the crummy grocery stores and how the produce just sucks.
One of my friends said, when you can buy a hamburger for less than you can make it, what do you expect.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Angel, what’s my weakness? Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate…all in moderation, of course. We have a Jewish man who’s opened franchise chocolate cafes all over Sydney, Max Brenner. Ooooh….good! Warning. Do not go too often.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:24 am
My taste buds need retraining. I love certain junk foods.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I think of this as ” comfort food.”
May 8th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I may not live on broccoli alone, but I sure do eat a lot of it. That may have something to do with the fact that we grow a lot of it. We also grow squash and a lot of other veggies. Have you ever eaten “Yellow Squash Bread”? Delicious! Billy, our hired hand, hates squash, but he eats that bread and loves it. You can type in “recipe for Yellow Squash Bread” in your browser and get the recipe. Trust me, it’s good.
I’m surprised no Texas city is included on this list with as many junk food restaurants that are here!
May 8th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Okay, now I’ve got a munch on…
May 8th, 2008 at 9:49 am
HEH….Thanks alls for sharing….dang this is makin me hungry too and its only 11AM!
May 8th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I’m not a real junk fooder or sweets guy, though I do love chocolate…the Mrs., well that’s another story.
Give me some moist beef jerky sprinkled with some chile and that’s all I need…..smoked herring and a beer seals the deal!
May 8th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Hey hey hey — leave my hometown alone.
We Pittsburghers might eat lots of ice cream, but that’s only to wash down the pirogies, Polish sausage, and Iron City beer.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Sinful snacks!?!?
Them’s fightin’ words, Angel.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Evil, Evil woman!!! Did you have to post all those pix????
May 8th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
M&Ms, Baby! M&Ms!
Whoo-Hoo!
May 8th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
thanks, Debbie..It’s funny, because if your chol. went down through walking and losing weight, it’s probably less genetic and you’re lucky enough to have one which reacts to “surroundings”, so to speak. Thanks for the information, I really appreciate it.
Angel…though I’m not a big sweet eater, the orange frosting’d cupcakes are the only thing that doesn’t look REAL REAL good to me!! STOP IT!!!
May 8th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
What’s MY weakness.
You have them all pictured above.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Yep, I am with DD2. You covered them all.. I crave them all..
Depending on special ‘moods’ may be chocolate or chips..but me likes them all, gosh blame it!
May 8th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
GREAT post!
The “scourge” of “junk food” is a byproduct of our prosperity. There are always challenges. Amazingly enough, the human body, as well as the human psyche seem to deal better with deprivation than with abundance.
The key to almost everything (including eating) is moderation. The ONLY “diet” that really works is expending more calories each day than you take in….either limit your caloric intake, or increase your output, or a little of both.
Katie (above) has the right idea….just eat sensibly and increase your output (walking, swimming, etc)
May 8th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
after looking at the pictures I’m hungry.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Pass the cherry pie — and would you put a couple of scoops of ice cream on it?? It’s not junk food, it’s nutritionally balanced with dairy, bread and fruit! It’s ideal after a big juicy sizzlin’ ribeye steak.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
I wonder how they made those cauliflower lambs. They would be perfect for a baby shower. Any one know how they made them?
May 8th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
My weakness are simple fried foods, i’m not that into chocolates and sweets, don’t mind a good ice cream. But i like my fried chicken and chips, some would call me a simple man, but i don’t get the big deal about gourmet food and fancy presentations. Don’t leave a bag of chips near me and expect it to be there when you return though, unless it’s salt and vinegar, you can take that with you.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:38 am
My cholesterol and blood pressure are perfect… but i do eat very healthfully. i love salt, though.. but really don’t have to worry about it.. thankfully!
May 9th, 2008 at 9:30 am
one of my sinful little junkfood pleasures has JUST been realized right before reading this - SCHWAN’S pork potstickers! then in make a hot sauce with teriyaki, brown sugar, seasoned rice vinegar, and hot pepper sauce for dippin’! oooooooooeeeeeeeeeee!
joe - my husband makes THE BEST jerky with hot pepper flakes on it. ask elbro…
May 10th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Those cauliflower sheep look very tasty! Thank goodness I don’t live near any of the top 10 cities…
Has anyone else tried subsisting on carrots, boiled potatoes, apples, and the occasional pasta salad for an entire school year?
May 10th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
You shouldnt post pictures like that!