This list covers 22 junk foods, running alphabetically from “Garlic Bread” to “Gushers.” You’ll find fried snacks, candies, cookies, sodas, and packaged treats that share a few things in common: they’re heavy on sugar, salt, or fat, and light on nutrition. People reach for these foods as quick snacks, movie-theater treats, or indulgent sides rather than everyday staples.

Junk food are foods and drinks made mainly for taste and convenience rather than nutritional value, usually packed with sugar, salt, fat, or refined carbs. They’re cheap, easy to find, and hard to stop eating once you start. Gummy bears, one of the most popular candies on this list, were actually invented in Germany in the 1920s before becoming a snack-aisle staple worldwide.

Below you’ll find the table with Food, Category, Main Ingredients, Calories, and Description.

Food: the name of each junk food item on the list, listed alphabetically so you can quickly find the one you’re looking for.

Category: the general type of food, like candy, cereal, or fried snack, so you can group similar items together.

Main Ingredients: the key ingredients that make up each item, giving you a quick sense of what you’re actually eating.

Calories: the approximate calorie count per typical serving, helping you compare how indulgent each item really is.

Description: a short, plain explanation of what the item is, how it’s made, and why it’s popular.

Junk food

FoodCategoryMain IngredientsCalories
Garlic BreadBread/SideBread, butter, garlic, cheese150
Garlic FriesFried SnackPotatoes, garlic, oil, salt450
GatoradeSports DrinkWater, sugar, electrolytes, food coloring130
General Tso’s ChickenTakeout DishFried chicken, sugar, soy sauce, chili600
Ginger SnapsCookieFlour, sugar, molasses, ginger120
Glazed DoughnutPastryFlour, sugar, yeast, sugar glaze260
GobstoppersCandySugar, corn syrup, flavoring, food coloring60
Golden GrahamsCerealWhole wheat, corn syrup, honey, sugar140
Golden OreosCookieFlour, sugar, vegetable oil, cream filling140
Good & PlentyCandySugar, licorice extract, corn syrup140
Gooey Butter CakeDessertFlour, butter, cream cheese, sugar350
GoobersCandyChocolate, peanuts200
Graham CrackersCracker/CookieWheat flour, sugar, honey130
Grape SodaSoft DrinkCarbonated water, sugar, grape flavoring160
Greggs Sausage RollBaked SnackPuff pastry, sausage meat, seasoning300
GumCandySugar, gum base, corn syrup, flavoring10
GumballsCandySugar, gum base, corn syrup, food coloring25
GumdropsCandySugar, corn syrup, gelatin or pectin140
Gummy BearsCandySugar, gelatin, corn syrup, flavoring140
Giant Gummy BearCandySugar, gelatin, corn syrup, flavoring1,400
Gummy WormsCandySugar, gelatin, corn syrup, flavoring150
GushersFruit Snack/CandySugar, corn syrup, fruit juice, gelatin90

Descriptions

Garlic Bread
A toasted bread side slathered in garlicky butter, sometimes topped with melted cheese. A greasy, carb-heavy favorite alongside pizza and pasta.
Garlic Fries
Deep-fried potato fries tossed in minced garlic, oil, and salt. A ballpark and food-truck staple known for its indulgent, salty punch.
Gatorade
A brightly colored, sugar-sweetened sports drink marketed for hydration but loaded with added sugar like soda.
General Tso’s Chicken
Crispy deep-fried chicken chunks coated in a sweet, tangy, slightly spicy glaze. A calorie-dense Chinese-American takeout favorite.
Ginger Snaps
Crunchy, spiced cookies flavored with ginger and molasses. A sweet, snappable treat often dunked in milk or tea.
Glazed Doughnut
A soft, deep-fried ring of dough coated in a shiny sugar glaze. A classic breakfast-counter indulgence loaded with sugar and fat.
Gobstoppers
Rock-hard, colorful jawbreaker candies with layers that change flavor and color as they slowly dissolve.
Golden Grahams
A honey-sweetened, crunchy cereal shaped like little squares, popular as both a breakfast bowl and a sweet snack.
Golden Oreos
A vanilla twist on the classic Oreo, featuring golden wafer cookies sandwiched around sweet cream filling.
Good & Plenty
Pink-and-white coated chewy candies with a distinctive licorice flavor, one of the oldest branded candies in America.
Gooey Butter Cake
A dense, ultra-sweet St. Louis-style cake with a gooey, custardy top layer made from butter and cream cheese.
Goobers
Whole peanuts covered in a shell of milk chocolate, sold in small boxes as a classic movie-theater candy.
Graham Crackers
Lightly sweet, crumbly rectangular crackers often used for s’mores and pie crusts or eaten on their own as a snack.
Grape Soda
A purple, heavily sweetened carbonated soft drink with an artificial grape flavor beloved by kids.
Greggs Sausage Roll
A flaky puff-pastry roll wrapped around seasoned sausage meat, a hugely popular grab-and-go snack in the UK.
Gum
A chewy, non-swallowable confection sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners, chewed for flavor rather than eaten.
Gumballs
Small, round, brightly colored balls of chewing gum, classically dispensed one at a time from coin-operated machines.
Gumdrops
Small, chewy, sugar-coated candies shaped like little domes, available in a rainbow of fruity flavors.
Gummy Bears
Small, chewy, bear-shaped fruit-flavored candies that are one of the most popular gummy treats worldwide.
Giant Gummy Bear
A novelty oversized version of the classic gummy bear, often weighing a pound or more and meant for sharing.
Gummy Worms
Long, squishy, worm-shaped gummy candies, usually two-toned and coated lightly in sugar or sour powder.
Gushers
Chewy fruit-flavored candy pieces with a liquid, fruity center that “gushes” when bitten into.
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