Making a habit of fast food

Unhealty Trend: Has junk food become a part of peoples lifestyle these days?

Easy availability of fast food is one of the reasons why people rely on it so heavily.

“People are always on the move these days and nobody spares a thought for eating healthy. They just gobble anything they find which is why home-made food is slowly losing its ground,” says Pushpa, a homemaker.

For working professionals, paucity of time is one of the major factors that draws them to eating out.

“Many a time, we are forced to eat out due to our hectic schedule. The lack of physical activity also leads to a lackadaisical lifestyle as a result of which one tends to depend on junk food,” says Vani, a professional with a private firm.

But a large number of students mostly live on junk food as they find it enticing and tasty.

“It is not like we ignore home food totally. We eat out only because we hardly get to eat anything on time,” says Maneesha Sharma, a student.

Suraksha Sumeda, another student, feels eating home food is essential for good health.

“With junk food available easily, one would naturally feel like eating it. But that doesn’t mean I ignore home-made food. Fast food is like a snack between meals that only tickles our taste buds but home food has real nutrients,” she says.

Vinayashree Jagadish, another student, is of the opinion that one must strike the right balance between healthy as well as junk food. “If we keep binging on junk food continuously, it is only natural for us to gain extra kilos. But if we control our intake and have it in limited amount, we will also be able to eat the right amount of home food,” she says.

“Fried food leads to the accumulation of fat in the body. Moreover, most of the time, the same oil is used again for frying and contains carcinogens which can even lead to cancer,” says Selvi, a dietician.

“So it is always better to check the nutrition level of any food before consuming it and opt for items with minimum trans fat,” she adds.