Baldev Singh Chib
Junk foods include foods like Burgers, Dosas, Sandwiches, Samosas, Cutlets, Patties, Pizzas, Hotdogs, Momos, Noodles, Pakoras, Potato chips , Bhujia, Kulcha, Chole Bhature, Pav Bhaji, French Fries, Cheese Chili, Fried Chicken, Ice-cream, sugar sweetened beverages like soda, sugary meals etc.
These are also called fast foods which are easy to make and easy to consume. Junk foods are also known as discretionary foods which mean that they are not needed to meet our nutrient requirements. In the United Kingdom, the junk foods are described as HFSS (high fat, sugar and salt) foods. These are typically highly processed foods, meaning several steps are involved in making the food, with a focus on making them tasty and thus easy to over eat. Unfortunately, junk foods provide lots of calories and energy, but little of vital nutrients our bodies need to grow and be healthy, like proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Since the nutritional value of junk food is lost in the process of its making, synthetic vitamins and minerals are added to compensate for the loss of natural vitamins and minerals, but they are not good and incapable of soaking the free radicals to prevent diseases. Chemical additives like artificial coloring are very harmful to the body and are the causes of many nasty things.
Junk foods have a lot of sugar, salt and fat contents to make these addictive and enhance the taste. Potato chips are probably one of the most harmful junk foods. They are made out of potatoes which are high in fat, then deep fried in oil and highly ladened with salt. Another most popular snack item is Bhujia. One will be shocked to know that one tablespoon of Bhujia contains 78 calories and one bowl 1000 calories. All types of deep fried foods like puris, parathas, kulche, bhature etc. are super harmful for our bodies and have numerous ill effects. These are prepared with all-purpose flour (maida) which has high sugar content in it. It is a fact that puris and parathas have been a staple food in many parts of India, but these traditions developed at a time when people were doing strenuous work in fields, or at homes. Studies by the Harvard School of public health showed that people who ate fried foods at least once a week were at a greater risk of developing both type 2 diabetes and heart-diseases. This risk increases as the frequency of fried food consumption rises. Moreover, consuming fried food made out of used and re-heated oil is also a factor in developing high blood pressure and increased triglyceride levels. These increase the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke or all three. In 2019, India had an estimated 77 million diabetics. Between 1990 and 2019, India recorded the biggest increase in diabetes-related deaths from 78,789 such deaths in 1990 to 2,73,089 fatalities in 2019.
The habit of eating junk food is continuously increasing in the younger generation especially in children. Fat and sugar are additives like heroin and cocaine. Over sustained periods of junk food eating, blood circulation and vital oxygen drops due to fat accumulation. Lack of vital oxygen, nutrients and protein particularly can stale brain cells temporarily. High cholesterol due to junk food strains the liver, damaging it finally. Junk food is a major cause of heart diseases due to plaque formation in arteries which demand extra effort to pump blood. Deficient oxygen supply can cause respiratory disorders also. The main problems with it are increasing childhood obesity, which further leads to many health complications in children. High contents of fat, salt and sugar cause a lot of harmful effects like Obesity, Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart disease, Dental cavities, Kidney disease, Neurological disorders, Skin Rashes, Cancer, Hypoxia, Asthma, Behavioral problems, etc.
The attracting advertisements are largely responsible for influencing the young and the children to consume junk foods. Multinational companies are attracting the young people and children by attractive and aggressive marketing strategies. The junk food companies resort to sneaky advertising tactics, which show celebrities promoting junk foods. Cricket, one of the favorite sports, is sponsored by the big fast-food brands. Now, the Central Government has issued guidelines for celebrities and social media influencers, mandating compulsory disclosure of monetary or material benefits of a product or a brand they are promoting through social media platforms. Failing to do so will attract a penalty of up to Rs. 50 Lakh. The guidelines specify that disclosures must be prominently displayed in the endorsement, making them “extremely hard to miss”. This is a welcome step the central government has taken but the enforcement has always been poor in our country.
According to the dietary guidelines of Australia and many other countries, the five food groups are: grains and cereals, vegetables and legumes, fruits, dairy and dairy alternatives and meat and meat alternatives. These foods provide us vital nutrients our bodies need to grow and be healthy, like proteins, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Besides, 30 minutes of physical activity is also necessary to remain healthy. The National NCD surveillance Survey 2017-18 report states that 98% of Indians do not consume enough fruits and vegetables and only 59% of adults do enough physical activity. There are many reasons that most of us do not eat enough fruits and vegetables – culturally our diet is grain/pulse based due to historical need to address under-nutrition. The other most important is the affordability issue. The other reasons are that we don’t attach sufficient importance to health and eat unhealthy due to taste and / or are simply too lazy. The hindrance to physical activity i.e. morning walk is our environment – air pollution, weather, unusable sidewalks, parking of vehicles on the roads, encroachment of roads and lanes by extending ramps, lack of parks or when available, often unsafe and poorly lit. Socio-cultural barriers are also important, especially for women not being able to perform physical activity – their role being within the household. Therefore, the physical, economic and socio-cultural environment are also the reasons for unhealthy options.
Hence, there is a real need to make Indian food healthier and more suited to our lifestyles for healthier and disease-free life. Homemade food is the best option because it has higher nutritional value, good quality, mental satisfaction etc. It is superior in taste because there is no adulteration, no use of re-heated oil, no artificial coloring, no chemicals (MSG, flavor, color additives and preservatives) Salad, vegetables and fruits should be eaten. Wholesome wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour should be eaten. It is utmost important that millets are added to our daily food. While most of us eat wheat and rice as staple foods, they do not have the nutritive value of millets. Hence, these are not what are called ‘nutria-cereals’ Some examples of millets are: Sorghum (Jowar), Pearl Millet (Bajra), Finger Millet (Ragi/Mandua), Little Millet (Kutki), Kodo Millet (Kodo), Barnyard Millet (Sawa/Jhangora), Foxtail Millet (Kangni/ Kakun) and Proso Millet (Cheena). . Millets have been staple foods for people in Asia and Africa for over 10,000 years. Millets have significant amounts of proteins, dietary fiber, vitamin B, and several metal ions which the rice lacks. It is thus important that millets are added in our daily diet. Even if about 20% of rice and wheat were to be replaced by millets, it would greatly benefit our health.
We can opt for lighter foods like sprouted beans and lentils in our meal. All purpose, wheat flour can be swapped with whole meal flour for making chapatis. The same goes for swapping white rice with brown rice. Oil is an essential part of the Indian kitchen and this ingredient is daily used for cooking food. Rather than using regular sunflower or any other refined oil, we should use Olive oil or mustard (Sarson) oil which have amazing health benefits.
Parents should take care of the eating habits of their children and protect them from junk foods by increasing the awareness about the health problems associated with junk and fast foods. The habit of junk foods can be avoided by strong will power and awareness of the side effects associated with them. School/ college canteens should also ensure to keep healthy food in their menu rather than focusing only on junk food. Teachers and Anganwadi workers should also educate children about the harmful effects of junk food on health. Government intervention is also needed to remove the vehicles parked on the road/ lane sides to make them walk-able.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
