This blog will give you insights on what food items are unhealthy or junk. Read further to get more details.
When it comes to Indian street food, Indian street food is famous not only in India but all across the globe. It is hard to resist junk food. You might think that a little junk food is not at all harmful, but it is not true.
List of Unhealthy Foods that You Must Avoid
Certain food items or ingredients are most commonly used in preparing our favourite junk foods. These might make food tasty, but they effect your health adversely. The list of unhealthy Indian food is given below.
White Bread
White bread is mainly consumed as a morning or evening tea snack. White bread do not have any dietary fibres. They also lack nutrients. They are known to raise your levels of blood sugar exponentially.
Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereals
Breakfast cereals are usually thought to be a healthy substitution for morning breakfast. In reality, they contain processed grains including wheat, oats, rice and corn. They are fibre deficient. They also contain artificial sweeteners to enhance their taste. It not only contains unhealthy sugar but also lacks basic nutrients.
Fried Food
One of the most unhealthy food items is fried food. It is also the most widely available junk food. It is also the most consumed food item in today's time. These are known to increase the risk of developing certain chronic diseases, heart failure, other cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and increased body weight.
Bakery Products
Bakery products are undoubtedly delicious but unhealthy too. These include items like candy, cookies, cakes and pastries. Most bakery products are prepared using refined flour, preservatives, refined sugar, and fat. This render the products low in fiber and high in sugar. These can lead to certain health issues including increased body weight, increased waistline depression, lower cholesterol level, depression, high BP, heart disease and increased risks of stroke.
Pizzas
One of the most loved junk food item amongst children and adults is pizza. They have negative effects on your health. This is because they are prepared using processed processed meat including bacon, pepperoni, hot dogs and refined flour. They can increase the risk of cancer development
French Fries and Potato Chips
Potatoes as a vegetable contain various nutrients, but when they are fried, baked or roasted for a long time, they can form acrylamide compounds that are known to cause cancer. They are also known to cause hypertension and type II diabetes.
Processed Meat
Processed meat like sausages, ham and canned meat are usually processed to enhance their flavour and shelf life. However these processed meats are categorised as Group I carcinogens as they have the ability to induce cancer.
Gluten-Free Food
Consuming a Gluten-free diet is in trend nowadays. However everyone does not need to follow a gluten-free diet. It will replace nutritious and decrease the intake of fibre. It also increases nutritional deficiency development chances.
Ice creams and Frozen Yoghurt
Frozen yoghurt and Ice creams are usually rich in calories. They contain artificial flavours, refined sugar, and additives. Consuming these added sugar can cause health issues including weight gain, dental cavities, heart diseases, fatty liver, and type II diabetes.
Low-Carb refined Food
Food like cookies and cheddar cheese crisps arec low-carb, ultra-processed food. Some studies show that a low-carb diet helps manage your insulin levels, heart issues and weight. However, other studies do not validate the above fact. Therefore, their contribution in chronic disease development is still unknown.
Butter Chicken
One of the most loved delicacies from India is Butter chicken. But it is an extremely fatty dish. It increases your calories, fat and cholesterol intake.
Medu Vada
One of the most common dishes from south India is Medu vada. These vadas are basically prepared using black grams. Black grams/kala chana are rich in protein. Although breaking down protein is often difficult for your body. Therefore, it alters the digestion process and causes certain health problems. Also, these vadas are deep-fried in oil, which increases the calorie count they have to 334 per plate.
Samosa and Kachori
One of the all-time favourite and most famous tea time snacks in India is samosa and kachori. These are prepared using all-purpose flour that is high in sugar content. A potato filling is used in these Indian delicacies. This makes it a fatty and high-calorie food. Also, it is deep fried which increases your bad cholesterol levels.
Bhujia
Bhujia is famous all over India, it is an Indian snack. It is often present in every Indian household. Bujias are deep fried and it has gram flour that makes it even more dangerous for your overall health. A single tablespoon of bhujia contains 78 calories, you can estimate how many calories you take with each bhujia snacking time.
Pani Poori
It is often thought that the water of Pani poori or batashe is good for digestion. However, this is not true. In fact it surely is one of the most unhealthy junk food. It is a combination of all-purpose flour, chutney, potatoes, and deep-fried poories which makes it highly unhealthy and rich in fat. They often lead to gas and acidity. Also, they are prepared using unhygienic which is one of the main reasons for people developing stomach infections after eating pani poori.
Excessive Salt
Salt is a nutrient that is very essential for our body’s various functions. It plays an important role in maintaining heart rhythm, conductive nerve impulses, contracting muscles, and maintaining fluid balance. However, consuming high amounts of salt can become the cause of developing hypertension.
Caffeine
Caffeine is often found in chocolates, coffee and soft drinks. Consuming high amounts of caffeine can become cause of having depression, high Blood Pressure, headache, fatigue and insomnia. It also causes certain digestive problems.
Soft Drinks
Carbonated drinks are high in sugar content. They are the most consumed beverages that one must avoid. These drinks do not contain nutrient value and are in fact high in calories and sugar content. Studies have shown that daily consumption of such sugar-sweetened beverages can increase your risk of developing certain heart diseases by approximately 8%. Not only this, they can also cause weight gain, diabetes, tooth decay, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Takeaway
Consuming a nutritious and well-balanced diet has a pivotal role in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases related to diet. Ultra-processed food consumption should be avoided as much as it can be. Instead, you should consume a healthy and nutritious diet to eliminate potential health complications. Now you know what food items can potentially affect your health, try to replace them with a healthier alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which junk food can be a healthy option in India?
Pav bhaji can be a healthy junk food. It is usually made with a lot of vegetables. That makes this dist a healthier and nutritious fast food item.
Which dish of chicken I can eat?
Butter chicken is a junk food that is quite unhealthy. You can replace it with a tasty yet healthy chicken dish, the tandoori chicken.
How to avoid junk food if I am going out for dinner?
If you are going for dinner from outside, instead of eating dal makhani, try to go for mixed veg or tadka dal dishes. This will reduce the count of calories you are taking and will also satisfy your taste buds.
