Have you been bringing on pakoras, pizzas, cheese burgers and chowmein in the evening? If yes, then you stand a fat chance of being obese and developing cardio vascular complications at an early age. A national survey on the 'Snacking habits among women and kids' suggests that the incidence of pre-dinner snacks is maximum among working women and children. The survey, conducted by A. C Neilsen, claims that around 90 per cent of Delhi women eat unhealthy snacks between 5 and 7 pm followed by even heavier dinner.
The problem of obesity is mainly due to complete ignorance of dietary habits. 95 per cent of Delhiites eat junk foods during evening. The maximum quantity of junk food is consumed by working women and children. The quantity of food consumed between 6 and 10 pm is almost three fourth of the entire day's meal. Mostly, these pre-dinner snacks are heavy in trans fats and calorie content and should be avoided.
The survey says that consumption of unhealthy snacks like pakoras, noodles and chips is at its peak in the evening, and women and children are the largest consumers of such food. As evening approaches from mid-morning meal to tea-time to pre-dinner, snacking gains momentum and reaches its peak just before dinner. Dietary experts say that body metabolism is very less during night, so heavy meals should be avoided three to four hours before sleeping. But unfortunately maximum junk is consumed during this later phase. Considering the body metabolism dinner should be the lightest meal of the day, but hardly anyone follows the routine.
The survey took sample from 1, 000 respondents including working women, homemakers, mothers in the age group of 28-40. The change in urban lifestyle majority contributes to the habit of eating heavy snacks just before dinner. This is an unhealthy trend among youngsters and working women.
Change in lifestyle in metros for working women is the major point of concern. These women are hungry when they reach home at around 6 pm and then they tend to binge on unhealthy snacks. And when the mother is consuming junk food even their children tend to follow them. This habit is health hazard to youngsters.
Another issue is that working mothers in their eagerness to ensure that their children do not go hungry and eat something end up giving their children quick snacks such as biscuits, chips and instant noodles due to lack of time. People are just ignorant about their eating habits. Due to long working hours, even children are made to eat junk food their mothers are eating. Fried snacks have high cholesterol levels and come with a heavy dose of trans and saturated fats. These foods have very little fibre content and should be consumed occasionally.
