8/9/2019 Ten Deadliest Junk Foods

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Eats,bloats,& dies

Thats the modern worlds junk food eater.

How hard can it be to eat healthy intodays world? With temptation lurking inevery corner, very, very hard, finds LhendupG Bhutia, who brings you the lowdown on

the Deadliest Top Ten fast food meals

French friesFrench fries have avery high caloriecount and containtrans fats,the artery-clogging fat that rais-es the amount of badcholesterol and the

chances of heart dis-ease, diabetes, strokeand cancer. Worse,thosecalories and fats containvery little nutritionalvalue.

C

a

l

o

ri

es

: 410

Car

b

ohydr

at

e

(

C

H

O)(gms):25

Protein(gm

s):2

Fat(g

ms):30

FlavoureddrinksIn Mumbai,these arealways a temptation,what with the con-stant humidity. One canfind them everywhere, inroadside stalls and alsoas powders, ready to bemixed with water. Butflavoured drinks containa lot of calories, with nonutritional value.

Calor

ie

s: 200

C

HO(gms):25

Protein(gm

s):nil

Fat(g

ms)

:ni

l

DoughnutThe good thing aboutthe doughnut is itssatiety value itsability to give you asense of well-being andsatisfaction. But itsnothing more thanrefined sugar and flour,artificial flavoursand partially hydro-genated oil loaded withtrans fats.

Calor

ie

s: 385

C

HO(gms):36

Protein(gm

s):10

Fat(g

ms)

:20

Gulab jamunGulab jamuns areequally deadly. Theyare loaded with calo-ries, sugar, and fat,and possess very littlenutritional value. Andwhat really compoundsthe problem with gulab

jamuns is that they lacksatiety value. One israrely enough, some-times not even two.

Calor

ie

s: 318

C

HO(gms):40Protein(

gm

s):2

Fat(g

ms)

:15

Spring rollThere might besome positives.This food itemcontains veg-etables andthere are some pro-teins too. But then thereis the deep frying and thelarge amounts of caloriesand fat. Just two pieces ofspring rolls contain 350gms of calories.

Calor

ie

s: 350

C

HO(gms):30

Prote

in(gm

s):6

Fat(g

ms):20

Cheese pizzaA slice of cheesepizza might givesome proteins andcould stem hungerpangs, but dont forgethow unhealthy it is. The

piz za , wit ho ut thecheese is itself high onfat, sodium and calories.Add on the cheese andthe fat and calories mul-tiply.

Ca

lor

ie

s: 300

C

HO(g

ms):38

Pr

o

t

e

i

n(gm

s):12

Fat(g

ms):10

Vada pavVada pav may be themost popular fast fooditem in Mumbai, butdefinitely not themost healthy. It maymake for a filling meal,but it comes with a highcalorie count, and lots ofcarbohydrates and fat.With a calorie count of280 gms and carbohy-drates worth 42 gms, it isdefinitely not a good idea.

Calor

i

e

s

: 280

C

HO(g

ms):42

Pr

o

t

e

in(gm

s):3

Fat(g

ms):10

Veg chowmeinFor people lookingfor a quick meal, aplateful of vegetablechowmein may seemvery healthy. But as thelist above shows that isfar from the truth. Thevegetables are a pluspoint and it does makefor a filling meal. Butthe grease and the whiteflour are big minuses.

Calor

ie

s

: 295

C

HO(g

ms):38

Pr

o

t

e

in(gm

s):5

Fat(g

ms):12

Chicken burgerThe chicken burgerdoes not rank highon the list because itdoes provide a decentprotein count and alsobecause it has a highsatiety value. But it isstill a dangerous meal

because of its high calo-rie count, and the highcarbohydrate and fatload.

Calor

ie

s

: 375

C

HO(g

ms):40Pr

o

t

e

in(gm

s):17

Fat(g

ms):15

Vada sambarFirst the positives:the dal-vegetable mixin the sambar ishealthy. The vadascontains dal too. Butthere is no getting awayfrom the oil the vadasoaks up during deepfrying. Also, the fat,calories and carbohy-drates dont make this ahealthy item.

Ca

lor

ie

s

: 415

C

HO(g

ms):42

Pr

o

t

e

i

n(gm

s):12

Fat(g

ms):20

THE TEN DEADLIEST

FAST FOOD MEALS

1

2

3

4

6

7

8

9

105

My first visit to Dr Richa Anand twoweeks ago felt like a confession. Itold her how I had sinned over the

last seven years, eating almost anything thatcaught my fancy, anytime. But she didnt tellme all will be well or god will forgive.

She told me instead that I will die of aheart attack before I reach 40. Her messagesounded even more ominous when I steppedoutside her cabin and found myself staring atthe Operation Theatre (OT). I decided thenthat I did not ever want to be in there with abad heart.

Allow me to describe my sins first. I havebeen living away from home for the last sev-en years,and in those years I have never paidheed to healthy eating.Every meal is eatenout and whenever convenient.

At breakfast, I gorge on half a loaf ofwhite bread, two eggs, biscuits and tea.

Lunch is usually a spicy Chinese takeawaylunch like a Chicken Schezwan Rice washeddown with soft drinks. Evening snacks could

be a Masala Dosa or a few Samosas, againwashed down with a soft drink. Unwindingafter work means a couple of beers, accom-panied of course by a plateful of French fries.At about midnight, I sit down for a sumptu-ous dinner, usually a generous helping ofnon-vegetarian biryani.

According to Dr Richa Anand, I consumeat least 3,000 calories a day while an averageIndian male engaged in desk work needs onlyabout 1,800 calories. So I swept my kitchenclean of mayonnaise bottles, cold cuts, andcream biscuits.

I eat small meals through the day at regu-lar intervals.Breakfast is now muesli or oatsat 10 am,followed by a fruit at noon.Lunch at2pm is either a bowl of vegetable salad andgrilled chicken sandwiches or chapattis, dal,vegetables and boiled chicken. Snacks at 4pm are either idli sambhar or dhoklas. I also

dont hang out with friends over a few beers.Instead I hang out over soup! Dinner is nowsharp at 10 pm, and it is always light,three

chapattis and vegetables. The only SOS al-lowed at night is a fruit or a cup of milk.

It isnt easy I admit.Temptations abound.The neighbourhood vada pav wala, the Mc-Donalds near the railway station,my friendsguzzling beer while I drink soup, the pungentfumes thrown out by the neighbours kitchenexhaust fan everything seems to conspire

to break my resolve.The first day went according to plan. The

second day I almost gave in to temptation but

swallowed my order for a coke before itreached my lips.That night I dreamt of flyingon a huge KFC fried chicken wing. So the fol-lowing day, I decided it was best to avoid allcontact with junk food.

But then, as they say shit happens. Oneday I open the newspaper and out falls themenu of a popular pizza joint. I succumbed.The next 30 minutes, as I sat waiting for thepizza, were probably the most difficult mo-ments of my life. I was waiting to sin.

Strangely enough, when I bit into the piz-za, it didnt taste all that great. I realised thatmy mind was playing games with me: Icraved only as long as I thought I was denied.All I needed to do then was to condition mythinking. In a few days time, I didnt evenhave to do that.I had begun to enjoy my diet!

It is two weeks since I went off junk eating.Except for that one occasion, I have remained

clean.So what if I my friends take a few shotsat me for not being man enough to drink. Ihave come to enjoy soup. b_lhendup@dnaindia.net

Dr Richa Anand

Make careful menu selections: Paycareful attention to the descriptions ofthe items on the menu. Anything labelleddeep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scal-loped, Alfredo, au gratin or in creamsauce means high on calories, fats andsodium, and thus unhealthy.

Avoid aerated drinks. With the ex-treme heat, aerated drinks might be agreat draw but they are a huge source ofcalories.Just a regular cola could pack in425 calories. Instead, try unsweetenediced teas or lemonade, if not fresh fruitjuices with no additional sweeteners.

Undress your food. Dressings andsauces are generally to be avoided as theyare high on fat and salt. So when you are

ordering, avoid cream and fat packed sal-ad dressings, spreads,cheese, sour creamand so on. For instance, when you ask fora grilled chicken sandwich, insist that itshould not have any mayonnaise. Ask forthe ketchup and mustard separately. Youcan add them yourself, thereby control-ling the calorie intake.

Place special orders. Most restau-rants have healthier options and are hap-py to accommodate your requests. Manyfood items would be healthy if it werentfor the way they were prepared. You can

thus ask for your main dishes to beserved without the sauces. If you are or-dering a salad, ask for the vinegar, oliveoil and dressings to be brought separate-ly and not stirred into the bowl. Thenspoon small amounts of these into yoursalad. Items which are fried or cooked inoil or butter can easily be broiled orsteamed instead.

Order small portions. Avoid anyitem with descriptons such as jumbo,grande, supreme, supersize and so on.Choose smaller portion sizes and orderfor a side salad instead of fries. Mostservings in restaurants are enough fortwo meals. So either divide the portionwith a dining partner or take half of ithome.

Share. Sharing entrees, appetizersand desserts with dining partners is agreat idea. It allows you to sample some-thing that you really want to have with-out really overindulging.

Watch the salt. Sodium is a majorcontributor to high blood pressure and ittends to be high in fast food items. The

least you can do is to avoid adding somemore salt to them.

Avoid buffets. Buffets promoteovereating. You are likely to overindulgeeither because it is too much of a tempta-tion or because you want to get yourmoneys worth. If you do land up at a buf-fet, wait for at least 20 minutes after thefirst round to make sure youre still hun-gry enough to take a second helping.

Eat mindfully. Always avoid eatingon the run and chew your food thorough-ly. Stop eating before you feel full becauseit take the body time to register the factthat you have eaten. You also digest bet-ter with mindful eating.

Remember the big picture. Look atthe total picture of your days calorie in-take before making choices.Have a snackbefore going out to dine. An apple or asoup can take the edge off ones hunger.Or if it is your birthday and you want tocelebrate by ordering your favouritemeal,make sure your earlier meals in theday were extra he althy.

Dr Richa Anand, chief dietician at

Hiranandani Hospital, spoke withLhendup G Bhutia

This ishow I

did it

Eatthus

Junking junk food did not come easy to Lhendup G Bhutia. But after two weeks of sticking to a healthy diet he discovered that he actually prefers roti to pizza

The doctor told me that I willdie of a heart attack before Ireach 40. Her message soundedeven more ominous when Istepped outside her cabin andfound myself staring at the OT

We think fast food is equivalent topornography, nutritionally speaking.Anonymousperspective

mag

THEO N S U N D A Y dna.sunday Mumbai, June 20, 2010 11

Whole wheatchicken sandwichIt is a healthy food itembecause of its protein con-tent and high satiety value.The fibre in the whole wheatbread adds to the goodnessof the sandwich.

Idli sambar

The idli sambar is anotherhealthy option. The idlis aresteamed, the satiety value ishigh and the calorie count isrelatively low. The dal-veg-etable mix of the sambaradds to the benefits.

Plain popcorn

Popcorn contains very fewcalories and negligible fat.It also gives a high satietyvalue. However, makesure you refrain fromordering the cheese orcaramel variety.

Sukha bhel

The sukha bhel is not onlycheap and easily available,itis also healthy. It doesntcontain too many caloriesand the vegetables in it arenourishing. There is alsovery little fat.

THE GOOD FAST FOODPlain lassi

A glassful of plain protein-laden lassi is very good foryou. It might contain alittle fat, but has a highsatiety value.