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April 1, 2012 | Diet experts warn Indians to stop increased consumption of junk food |
New Delhi:
Diet experts have said Indians are consuming junk foods more often than in the past, and have warned
that this poses a major risk to their health. Deputy Programme Manager at the
Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) Savvy Soumya Mishra said
that merely criticising international fast food chains for spoiling Indian dietary
patterns is not enough. She said that fast food had reached rural markets in the
form of potato chips and soft-drinks and wished remedial measures are taken. "Potato
chips and similar snacks are available even in remote villages, where you may
not find a school or a ration shop. These things have more reach. There will be
soft-drink bottles in places that may not have even clean drinking water. McDonald's
and Pizza Hut may not have reached there, but chips and soft drinks have, what
a pity!" Mishra said. She further stressed on the importance of reducing children's
access to trans fat-laden junk food, suggesting a ban on such eatables in schools.
"Imposing a ban is the government's decision, but junk food must be banned in
schools because it is difficult to restrain children. You can ban it in school
and introduce fruits and fruit juices. There are also many things prepared at
home. We grew up eating a lot of other things, traditional food. We did not grow
on chips and packaged snacks like Kurkure," added Mishra. Delhi-based cardiologist
Dr. K K Aggarwal, said the problem of junk food was not just limited to food items
like burgers and pizzas. He said traditional Indian snacks prepared using vegetable
fat were also a big threat. "We shouldn't get carried away and just ban burgers.
Everything that just tastes good is bad for health, because such things will either
be made with 'ghee' (clarified butter), which is very unlikely, or with trans
fats sourced from vegetables. So, whatever contains trans fats is unhealthy, regardless
of whether it is commercial or not," observed Dr. Aggarwal. However, the commoners'
reaction towards junk seemed to be mixed. "Young people these days prefer fast
food. But as the report has said, one should avoid that food. As far as traditional
recipes are concerned, we should go for that," said Suresh, a resident of the
city. The contrary opinion suggested that junk food was a necessity given the
changed nature of people's daily lives, and now came in many variants, some of
them healthier than the rest. "These days, people need their food quick. Many
families have both parents working, so burgers and chips are very good alternatives
for those who are in a rush. But these things come in many varieties. Now we have
potato chips, which are baked. One can eat well, it is also a little costly, but
we can't say these things are useless," said Arpit, another resident. The FSSAI
pronounces products free of trans fats if they have less than 0.2 grams of trans
fats per serving. A recent report by the Centre for Science and Environment had
accused many brands of labelling their products trans fat-free even though they
contained it in large amounts. Trans fat consumption increases the risk of coronary
heart disease, leading to recommendations by health experts that they be consumed
only in traces. |
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