Anupam- The Dreamer

When I was a teenager, I used to be very skinny. In my hometown Kota, kachori, samosa and jalebi are the popular breakfast street-side snacks. At one point of time, I was visiting an ailing relative in a hospital. So, one gentleman looking at me pointed out to my obese relative “अगर ये रोज़ दो कचोरी खाना शुरू कर दे, तो ये जल्दी ही तुम्हरे जैसा हो जायेगा”. And I thought in my mind, I don’t want to be like him ever! That doesn’t mean that I don’t like kachori, I do very much, but that I hate to be obese and leading a disease-ridden lifestyle later in life.

The recent debate triggered by the Health Ministry issuing advisory to the offices, schools and hospitals to install “oil and sugar boards”, for foods that contain high oil and sugar content, has again sparked interest in the diseases like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks etc. Some media outlets reported that this is a move targeted against the Indian snacks like samosa, kachori, jalebi, ladoo, and that it is targeted against the poor vendors and small businessmen who make a living by selling these. The accusation of “selective targeting of Indian snacks” and street-vendors acquired so much proportion that the government had to issue a clarification via PIB that the advisory was not against Indian snacks and it does not target rich street food culture (https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2144885). It clarified that the government intends to enhance awareness about the rising obesity in India and to give behavioural nudge to people to make “informed choices” about their food and nutrition.

After the dust settles down on the ho-hulla created by the media, it will be important to ponder upon the crucial issue pointed out by the government here. It is estimated that by 2050, India will have 44 crore obese people in the country. And this is not an improbable prognosis, given the situation where we all lead sedentary lifestyle now-a-days. And we all know, that obesity is the root cause of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks, joint pains etc. etc. Then, why is there criticism about the installation of “oil and sugar boards”? Infact, it will help spark curiosity in the minds of the people and nudge them to keep a tab on their daily intake of oil, salt and sugar, which have ill-effects on the health, which is all well-documented and unworthy of repetition here. The government is not banning these foods, however it has a moral responsibility towards its citizens to help them lead healthier lives. And I don’t find anything wrong in that!

Not just Indian desi snacks like samosa and jalebi, but the videshi fast-foods and snacks like burger, pizza, French fries, noodles are equally high in the oil, sugar and fat content. To add to the agony, the street-side vendors or even the restaurants serving them, prepare them in over-cooked oil and low-quality and huge-quantity of salt and sugar, which further adds to the problem. One solution suggested is to cook these, if possible, at home so that the ill-effects can be minimized to some extent, while not shelving these snacks off our snacks menu outrightly. But, still, given the high chemical content of the vegetables, and foodgrains due to increased used of fertilizers and pesticides in our economy, it is imperative that we must be aware of the food choices that we make in today’s scenario.

In the earlier times, when the use of fertilizers and pesticides was very less, the chemical content in the natural foods used to be very low. Plus, the people did manual labour as they did not have the luxury of cars, bikes, simple machines in their homes. Therefore, due to very active lifestyle, people didn’t have to worry much about this and even if they ate 2 kachoris daily, then also they did encounter much problems as we see today. Now, due to our lost touch with the old lifestyle, even the youngsters are falling prey to the deadly lifestyle diseases and dying young due to heart attacks.

In addition, earlier our forefathers did not have the luxury of savouring samosa, kachori and jalebi everyday as the availability was low and the incomes were less. Now, when we have the luxury of deciding what we can eat everyday, we must be aware of the food choices we make. In that direction, the gentle nudge by the government is a welcome step. Let samosas, kachoris and jalebis continue to delight our taste buds alongwith the popular western snacks, and the same time let’s not lose focus on our food, nutrition and proper healthcare. And yes, if there is rain today, don’t forget to relish the “गरमागरम पकोड़ी” and chutney tempered with extra oil, salt and sugar 😀