Do you consider chips & salsa a junk food?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My plan is to each chips + guac for dinner once the kids are out of the house.

Terrible idea. You should start doing this immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay I have to say more about salsa. Nobody would put tomatoes, onions, cilantro, peppers, salt, and lime juice in a bowl and call it junk food. Why would throwing that in the food processor put it into the junk food category?

Lets be honest. The vast majority of people aren't making their own salsa. They're buying it from the store. Just take whole foods salsa as a standard example:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/organic-thickand%20chunky%20mild%20salsa,%2016%20oz-b07nsq98r9

Only 2 tablespoons alone has 6% DV for sodium! Most people will probably consume 2 tables spoons of salsa in 2-3 bites. In a session, everyone knows they'll probably have 10-20 bites. Salsa is often a highly processed salt bomb. Many also contain preservatives.

Sure, this is DCUM where absolutely zero people buy pre-made salsa though and only make it at home. Yeah, suuuuure.

This is why Americans are so fat and why cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America. Americans have an extremely hard time figuring out what is junk food. Oh, salsa must be healthy because all it is is tomatoes, onions, lime, and maybe olive oil and cilantro. Except they completely ignore the huge amounts of sodium that goes into many brands' salsas.

[Anonymous]

Chips are junk, low salt, homemade salsa and guac are healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay I have to say more about salsa. Nobody would put tomatoes, onions, cilantro, peppers, salt, and lime juice in a bowl and call it junk food. Why would throwing that in the food processor put it into the junk food category?

Lets be honest. The vast majority of people aren't making their own salsa. They're buying it from the store. Just take whole foods salsa as a standard example:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/organic-thickand%20chunky%20mild%20salsa,%2016%20oz-b07nsq98r9

Only 2 tablespoons alone has 6% DV for sodium! Most people will probably consume 2 tables spoons of salsa in 2-3 bites. In a session, everyone knows they'll probably have 10-20 bites. Salsa is often a highly processed salt bomb. Many also contain preservatives.

Sure, this is DCUM where absolutely zero people buy pre-made salsa though and only make it at home. Yeah, suuuuure.

This is why Americans are so fat and why cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America. Americans have an extremely hard time figuring out what is junk food. Oh, salsa must be healthy because all it is is tomatoes, onions, lime, and maybe olive oil and cilantro. Except they completely ignore the huge amounts of sodium that goes into many brands' salsas.

Whole Food fresh pico de gallo is not as high in sodium, and you can't fit 2 tablespoons of salsa on a chip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay I have to say more about salsa. Nobody would put tomatoes, onions, cilantro, peppers, salt, and lime juice in a bowl and call it junk food. Why would throwing that in the food processor put it into the junk food category?

Lets be honest. The vast majority of people aren't making their own salsa. They're buying it from the store. Just take whole foods salsa as a standard example:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/organic-thickand%20chunky%20mild%20salsa,%2016%20oz-b07nsq98r9

Only 2 tablespoons alone has 6% DV for sodium! Most people will probably consume 2 tables spoons of salsa in 2-3 bites. In a session, everyone knows they'll probably have 10-20 bites. Salsa is often a highly processed salt bomb. Many also contain preservatives.

Sure, this is DCUM where absolutely zero people buy pre-made salsa though and only make it at home. Yeah, suuuuure.

This is why Americans are so fat and why cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America. Americans have an extremely hard time figuring out what is junk food. Oh, salsa must be healthy because all it is is tomatoes, onions, lime, and maybe olive oil and cilantro. Except they completely ignore the huge amounts of sodium that goes into many brands' salsas.

Whole Food fresh pico de gallo is not as high in sodium, and you can't fit 2 tablespoons of salsa on a chip.

Wrong. WF pico de gallo is loaded with sodium - 115 mg in only single serving, which is defined as a paltry quantity of 2 tablespoons:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/pico-de%20gallo,%2014%20oz-b0785ykjd8


You’re literally proving my point. Americans have an insane time trying to figure out what is junk food. Before you know it- you’ve already consumed 10-20% of your entire allotted daily amount for sodium by simply using WF pico on your morning eggs, or eating with a few chips.


This is why Americans die so much from cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, etc. Even healthy looking foods are loaded with sugar and sodium.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't call it "junk food," but it's a treat we only have occasionally because of all the salt and fat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay I have to say more about salsa. Nobody would put tomatoes, onions, cilantro, peppers, salt, and lime juice in a bowl and call it junk food. Why would throwing that in the food processor put it into the junk food category?

Lets be honest. The vast majority of people aren't making their own salsa. They're buying it from the store. Just take whole foods salsa as a standard example:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/organic-thickand%20chunky%20mild%20salsa,%2016%20oz-b07nsq98r9

Only 2 tablespoons alone has 6% DV for sodium! Most people will probably consume 2 tables spoons of salsa in 2-3 bites. In a session, everyone knows they'll probably have 10-20 bites. Salsa is often a highly processed salt bomb. Many also contain preservatives.

Sure, this is DCUM where absolutely zero people buy pre-made salsa though and only make it at home. Yeah, suuuuure.

This is why Americans are so fat and why cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America. Americans have an extremely hard time figuring out what is junk food. Oh, salsa must be healthy because all it is is tomatoes, onions, lime, and maybe olive oil and cilantro. Except they completely ignore the huge amounts of sodium that goes into many brands' salsas.

I mean, the fact that so many people think that salsa is junk food does make me agree that Americans have a hard time figuring out what is and isn’t junk food. First of all, it isn’t highly processed. It’s chopped up and canned. Second of all, yes it has a good amount of sodium but that’s merely something to be conscious of, not avoided entirely, assuming you’re generally healthy. Foods with a similar amount of sodium include milk, sauerkraut, and cheese. Tuna has 23% of your DV for sodium, and a slice of bread has 10. Spaghetti sauce and pre-made salad dressings have a ton too. And one restaurant meal, well, goodness knows. And let’s not forget that you actually need sodium to survive and most people obviously don’t have that problem, cutting it out entirely isn’t the goal. Plus it you don’t have salsa, you miss out on all those vegetables!

The worst foods are fried sweet goods, potato chips, French fries, and processed meats. If you avoid those, eat vegetables and healthy fats (hello guacamole!), smoke or drink, and exercise and you are doing great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay I have to say more about salsa. Nobody would put tomatoes, onions, cilantro, peppers, salt, and lime juice in a bowl and call it junk food. Why would throwing that in the food processor put it into the junk food category?

Lets be honest. The vast majority of people aren't making their own salsa. They're buying it from the store. Just take whole foods salsa as a standard example:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/organic-thickand%20chunky%20mild%20salsa,%2016%20oz-b07nsq98r9

Only 2 tablespoons alone has 6% DV for sodium! Most people will probably consume 2 tables spoons of salsa in 2-3 bites. In a session, everyone knows they'll probably have 10-20 bites. Salsa is often a highly processed salt bomb. Many also contain preservatives.

Sure, this is DCUM where absolutely zero people buy pre-made salsa though and only make it at home. Yeah, suuuuure.

This is why Americans are so fat and why cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America. Americans have an extremely hard time figuring out what is junk food. Oh, salsa must be healthy because all it is is tomatoes, onions, lime, and maybe olive oil and cilantro. Except they completely ignore the huge amounts of sodium that goes into many brands' salsas.

I mean, the fact that so many people think that salsa is junk food does make me agree that Americans have a hard time figuring out what is and isn’t junk food. First of all, it isn’t highly processed. It’s chopped up and canned. Second of all, yes it has a good amount of sodium but that’s merely something to be conscious of, not avoided entirely, assuming you’re generally healthy. Foods with a similar amount of sodium include milk, sauerkraut, and cheese. Tuna has 23% of your DV for sodium, and a slice of bread has 10. Spaghetti sauce and pre-made salad dressings have a ton too. And one restaurant meal, well, goodness knows. And let’s not forget that you actually need sodium to survive and most people obviously don’t have that problem, cutting it out entirely isn’t the goal. Plus it you don’t have salsa, you miss out on all those vegetables!

The worst foods are fried sweet goods, potato chips, French fries, and processed meats. If you avoid those, eat vegetables and healthy fats (hello guacamole!), smoke or drink, and exercise and you are doing great.

I mean, you are kind of half right and you’re getting to the core of the issue. Look how much food is total garbage. Yes, pasta sauces, dressings, salsas, sauerkraut, cheese……all salt and fat bombs. People completely ignore how much sodium they’re consuming per day, and it is why this country has so many problems with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Breads are one of the worst offenders out there. Yes, n9wmyiure getting it. Many people will consume something like two slices of bread, which is a sodium bomb. Take for example someone making a ham egg and cheese sandwich with some WF pico de gallo as a topping. That little meal right there alone probably has almost 30-50% of your entire daily allowance for sodium. We haven’t even gotten to snacks, lunch, dinner and drinks yet for more sodium and sugar.


A can of tuna might have 23% dv for sodium, but look at the portion size. Compare that to two table spoons of WF pico, which has almost no calories and 5% dv of sodium. The issue is portion size two. It is much better to spend 23% dv sodium on an entire can of tuna that is going to be far more filling than 2 tbl of pico with 115 mg of sodium. A typical person is going to easily consume 4-6 tbl of pico like nothing.


Everything about food in the U.S. sucks. It is loaded with salt, fat, sugar, and empty cals. Even when people think they’re eating healthy they’re unwittingly consuming huge amount of sodium, because food makers have to cover up bland taste somehow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay I have to say more about salsa. Nobody would put tomatoes, onions, cilantro, peppers, salt, and lime juice in a bowl and call it junk food. Why would throwing that in the food processor put it into the junk food category?

Lets be honest. The vast majority of people aren't making their own salsa. They're buying it from the store. Just take whole foods salsa as a standard example:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/organic-thickand%20chunky%20mild%20salsa,%2016%20oz-b07nsq98r9

Only 2 tablespoons alone has 6% DV for sodium! Most people will probably consume 2 tables spoons of salsa in 2-3 bites. In a session, everyone knows they'll probably have 10-20 bites. Salsa is often a highly processed salt bomb. Many also contain preservatives.

Sure, this is DCUM where absolutely zero people buy pre-made salsa though and only make it at home. Yeah, suuuuure.

This is why Americans are so fat and why cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America. Americans have an extremely hard time figuring out what is junk food. Oh, salsa must be healthy because all it is is tomatoes, onions, lime, and maybe olive oil and cilantro. Except they completely ignore the huge amounts of sodium that goes into many brands' salsas.

I mean, the fact that so many people think that salsa is junk food does make me agree that Americans have a hard time figuring out what is and isn’t junk food. First of all, it isn’t highly processed. It’s chopped up and canned. Second of all, yes it has a good amount of sodium but that’s merely something to be conscious of, not avoided entirely, assuming you’re generally healthy. Foods with a similar amount of sodium include milk, sauerkraut, and cheese. Tuna has 23% of your DV for sodium, and a slice of bread has 10. Spaghetti sauce and pre-made salad dressings have a ton too. And one restaurant meal, well, goodness knows. And let’s not forget that you actually need sodium to survive and most people obviously don’t have that problem, cutting it out entirely isn’t the goal. Plus it you don’t have salsa, you miss out on all those vegetables!

The worst foods are fried sweet goods, potato chips, French fries, and processed meats. If you avoid those, eat vegetables and healthy fats (hello guacamole!), smoke or drink, and exercise and you are doing great.

I mean, you are kind of half right and you’re getting to the core of the issue. Look how much food is total garbage. Yes, pasta sauces, dressings, salsas, sauerkraut, cheese……all salt and fat bombs. People completely ignore how much sodium they’re consuming per day, and it is why this country has so many problems with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Breads are one of the worst offenders out there. Yes, n9wmyiure getting it. Many people will consume something like two slices of bread, which is a sodium bomb. Take for example someone making a ham egg and cheese sandwich with some WF pico de gallo as a topping. That little meal right there alone probably has almost 30-50% of your entire daily allowance for sodium. We haven’t even gotten to snacks, lunch, dinner and drinks yet for more sodium and sugar.


A can of tuna might have 23% dv for sodium, but look at the portion size. Compare that to two table spoons of WF pico, which has almost no calories and 5% dv of sodium. The issue is portion size two. It is much better to spend 23% dv sodium on an entire can of tuna that is going to be far more filling than 2 tbl of pico with 115 mg of sodium. A typical person is going to easily consume 4-6 tbl of pico like nothing.


Everything about food in the U.S. sucks. It is loaded with salt, fat, sugar, and empty cals. Even when people think they’re eating healthy they’re unwittingly consuming huge amount of sodium, because food makers have to cover up bland taste somehow.

I’m half wrong? What am I half wrong about? Where is my error? I just don’t see it.

Maybe I can make myself a little more clear this way:

If you’re going to say that salsa is a junk food, you also have to say that pasta sauce made at home with San Marzano tomatoes is too. Same with some canned and drained tuna drizzled with olive oil on a bed of greens. Etc etc.

[Anonymous]

It’s healthy junk food! 💯

[Anonymous]

I don’t think salsa (especially a pico style salsa, which is just a chunky salad basically) is junk food, but chips and salsa definitely is. It’s the chips. I wouldn’t snack on chips of any kind every day, I consider them to be a treat.

There are definitely worse junk foods out there, but yes, I would consider this junk food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay I have to say more about salsa. Nobody would put tomatoes, onions, cilantro, peppers, salt, and lime juice in a bowl and call it junk food. Why would throwing that in the food processor put it into the junk food category?

Lets be honest. The vast majority of people aren't making their own salsa. They're buying it from the store. Just take whole foods salsa as a standard example:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/organic-thickand%20chunky%20mild%20salsa,%2016%20oz-b07nsq98r9

Only 2 tablespoons alone has 6% DV for sodium! Most people will probably consume 2 tables spoons of salsa in 2-3 bites. In a session, everyone knows they'll probably have 10-20 bites. Salsa is often a highly processed salt bomb. Many also contain preservatives.

Sure, this is DCUM where absolutely zero people buy pre-made salsa though and only make it at home. Yeah, suuuuure.

This is why Americans are so fat and why cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America. Americans have an extremely hard time figuring out what is junk food. Oh, salsa must be healthy because all it is is tomatoes, onions, lime, and maybe olive oil and cilantro. Except they completely ignore the huge amounts of sodium that goes into many brands' salsas.

Sodium doesn’t make you fat.

Too much is bad for your heart and salty foods can make you want to eat more than you would. But in and of itself sodium is not loading you up with calories.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think junk food/not junk food is the best way to look at it. View it from the perspective of serving size (usually 1 oz chips and 2 tbsp salsa) compared to how people actually consume chips and salsa (for example, as multiple servings at a restaurant). The junk food question seems less relevant if you keep to a single serving of chips. You’ll probably still consume multiple servings of salsa with a single serving of chips, but that is less of an issue (maybe the amount of sodium for a store bought salsa).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay I have to say more about salsa. Nobody would put tomatoes, onions, cilantro, peppers, salt, and lime juice in a bowl and call it junk food. Why would throwing that in the food processor put it into the junk food category?

Lets be honest. The vast majority of people aren't making their own salsa. They're buying it from the store. Just take whole foods salsa as a standard example:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/organic-thickand%20chunky%20mild%20salsa,%2016%20oz-b07nsq98r9

Only 2 tablespoons alone has 6% DV for sodium! Most people will probably consume 2 tables spoons of salsa in 2-3 bites. In a session, everyone knows they'll probably have 10-20 bites. Salsa is often a highly processed salt bomb. Many also contain preservatives.

Sure, this is DCUM where absolutely zero people buy pre-made salsa though and only make it at home. Yeah, suuuuure.

This is why Americans are so fat and why cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America. Americans have an extremely hard time figuring out what is junk food. Oh, salsa must be healthy because all it is is tomatoes, onions, lime, and maybe olive oil and cilantro. Except they completely ignore the huge amounts of sodium that goes into many brands' salsas.

I mean, the fact that so many people think that salsa is junk food does make me agree that Americans have a hard time figuring out what is and isn’t junk food. First of all, it isn’t highly processed. It’s chopped up and canned. Second of all, yes it has a good amount of sodium but that’s merely something to be conscious of, not avoided entirely, assuming you’re generally healthy. Foods with a similar amount of sodium include milk, sauerkraut, and cheese. Tuna has 23% of your DV for sodium, and a slice of bread has 10. Spaghetti sauce and pre-made salad dressings have a ton too. And one restaurant meal, well, goodness knows. And let’s not forget that you actually need sodium to survive and most people obviously don’t have that problem, cutting it out entirely isn’t the goal. Plus it you don’t have salsa, you miss out on all those vegetables!

The worst foods are fried sweet goods, potato chips, French fries, and processed meats. If you avoid those, eat vegetables and healthy fats (hello guacamole!), smoke or drink, and exercise and you are doing great.

I mean, you are kind of half right and you’re getting to the core of the issue. Look how much food is total garbage. Yes, pasta sauces, dressings, salsas, sauerkraut, cheese……all salt and fat bombs. People completely ignore how much sodium they’re consuming per day, and it is why this country has so many problems with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Breads are one of the worst offenders out there. Yes, n9wmyiure getting it. Many people will consume something like two slices of bread, which is a sodium bomb. Take for example someone making a ham egg and cheese sandwich with some WF pico de gallo as a topping. That little meal right there alone probably has almost 30-50% of your entire daily allowance for sodium. We haven’t even gotten to snacks, lunch, dinner and drinks yet for more sodium and sugar.


A can of tuna might have 23% dv for sodium, but look at the portion size. Compare that to two table spoons of WF pico, which has almost no calories and 5% dv of sodium. The issue is portion size two. It is much better to spend 23% dv sodium on an entire can of tuna that is going to be far more filling than 2 tbl of pico with 115 mg of sodium. A typical person is going to easily consume 4-6 tbl of pico like nothing.


Everything about food in the U.S. sucks. It is loaded with salt, fat, sugar, and empty cals. Even when people think they’re eating healthy they’re unwittingly consuming huge amount of sodium, because food makers have to cover up bland taste somehow.

You are now not in any way talking about an answer to OP's question.

I'll agree with you that as a general rule the average American diet is bad. But that isn't the question. The specific is whether a generic "Chips and salsa" is junk food. There are only two answers to this, either:
1. no, or
2. really depends on the quality and quantity of chips and salsa you are eating (which would be true of any food this question is asked about)

[Anonymous]

Good god, no. Salsa has fruits and vegetables in it! That’s good enough for me…

Hope I didn’t give anyone anxiety right there.