With the change in life styles, more and more people like to have family outings and eat outside their homes. Rather it is the house-wives who prefer to have a meal in some nukkad dhaba or a family restaurant or some eating joint. But the most preferred eating place today is no doubt Chinese cuisines which are programmed to serve their customers the ready made menu. It is perhaps the
fast food which is served ready to eat and easily commercially available. It takes only a few seconds to prepare and is palatable and is amazingly affordable. But in an attempt to redefine our taste buds at low prices, we forget that several
nutritional compromises are made.
Fast food is loaded with
additives or what we call taste makers which not only make our food delicious but also preserve it longer. These may pose health risks. Chemical additives like monosodium glutamate are often used in almost all the Chinese fast food items. It is a
flavor enhancer, added to make food-items like noodles or soups more delicious. Its use can lead to headaches, tightness in the chest and a burning sensation in the forearms and the back of the neck. Many dyes are used to give color to shakes and candies and lemon yellow
soft drinks. These chemicals are also known to cause acidity to many. Caffeine is mostly used in almost all aerated soft drinks like colas and orange drinks.
Most of the fast food contains
oil and fat as basis and puts us at great risk of diabetes, heart attack, cancer and obesity as they are usually high in cholesterol, sugar, sodium, additives and preservatives, which have been found to be linked to development of chronic degenerative disorders. Junk food is also low in basic nutritional values like fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Oils used are hydrogenated vegetable oil which is not good for heart and leads to cholesterol accumulation and thus clogging of arteries in the heart.
Due to a lethargic life style many young people are falling a trap to obesity. There is lack of exercises and no walking or jogging or cycling, which altogether makes them couch potatoes. Consuming more of calories and fat and sugar results in weight gain and a sluggish out-look. Perhaps we have forgotten the importance of fresh fruits and raw vegetables and milk. These are now missing out on our daily diet. Thus we are loosing the precious fibres, vitamins, minerals and other food ingredients which help in acquiring immunity and also protect us from various diseases. Therefore the call of time is to resort to age old traditional home made recipes which not only flavor love and affection but are best for you as far as nutritional contents are concerned.
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