Changing food habits of city youth is the reason for youngsters being prone to health disorders. Urban lifestyles have led to high consumption of instant foods on a daily basis. Though these vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods cause a lot of health disorders, people continue to relish them. Students from the city colleges, employees from banks, IT companies and BPOs particularly, frequent fast food stalls for their daily meals. This habit has been mostly witnessed in cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi etc. Vizagites too have begun to adopt this trend in recent times.
Daily consumption of instant foods can make people ill say food and nutrition experts. “The trend of eating preserved foods daily can lead to stomach cancers, heart problems, constipation, obesity and many other health disorders, even leading to memory disorders and nervous breakdowns in children,” warns R. Rekha, faculty member of food and nutrition department of AU. Food stuff like roasted chicken which has more salt content is a health threat, one should not consume more than 5 grams of salt per day, she advises.
According to a recent survey conducted by Andhra University, the content of salt is high in all canteen meals. Busy schedules prevent many from cooking their own meals. Discounts, offers, and marketing strategy like home deliveries, are other reasons why food lovers are drawn to ready meals.
Uday, a student from a city college says he prefers pizzas and fried chicken for his meal. “As a non-local student, I used to cook my lunch and dinner. But now, food centres and home deliveries have made life easier,” he says happily.
Youth feel better with high calorie foods like samosa, mirchi-bhajji, packed items, chicken nuggets, pop corn, lollipops and other fried items. While enjoying tasty roasted stuff, food lovers forget the amount of calories they are consuming.
