Strike a balance with junk food

(By Lisa Sarah John, Courtesy Bangalore Times, Sep 10, 2007)

Food like burgers, pizza, instant noodles are called junk food and some parents feel that these are completely bad for children. I believe that all food nourishes the body and satisfies the taste buds, and nothing should be termed as junk! There are wholesome meals, fast foods, tasty snacks, desserts, etc, and each of them should have a place and time in our lives. I classify food as regular, basic foods like roti, rice, dal and vegetables, and luxury foods like burger, pizza and noodles. Children must be taught that regular, balanced meals must be eaten daily and luxury meals are allowed only once or twice a week.

If, on the other hand, due to lack of time, for convenience or just to avoid grumbling children, parents allow luxury food everyday, then they will adversely affect the child’s body because it’s usually loaded with fat. However with a little planning and effort, luxury foods can be eaten as well-balanced meals in themselves. Most children might accept eating salad or coleslaw with a burger. Children who normally never eat capsicum and mushrooms might do so on their pizza. Grated carrot and cabbage and scrambled egg or crumbled paneer could go down happily with instant noodles. So treat your child once or twice a week and you won’t have to coax your children to eat.

Also with luxury foods, we need to ensure that there are carbohydrates and proteins in every meal. For instance, if you serve aloo paratha for breakfast, it should be served with curd (half to one cup) or along with a glass of milk or a boiled egg. If your child wants to eat instant noodles, it should be combined with a glass of milk, or have an egg, baked beans or chicken pieces added to it. If you eat a veg burger, the bread is carbohydrate and so is the vegetable burger that is in it. A vegetarian must eat a slice of cheese with the burger to get protein into that meal.

Extra care should be taken to reduce fat intake. When eating a burger, avoid the French fries with it, which provide extra starch and fat. also avoid adding mayonnaise, which is basically salad oil beaten up with egg yolk and spices and is not healthy for the body. With fried chicken, avoid French fries and include bread or rice and a fresh salad. Or else, they will eat 4-5 pieces of fried chicken, which is unhealthy. When the rice and salad are included with the chicken it is more nutritious and balanced.

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