The laudable ‘Loud Thinking’ by Vijay Phanshikar palpated with deep concern, the rapidly throbbing pulse of the growing problem of increasing health disorders due to unhealthy eating. The throbs of the pulse can be acutely sensed by doctors of various systems of medicine as patients coming to them with such health issues have proliferated in epidemic proportions in recent years. Medical practitioners, both on the basis of their medical wisdom and ‘gut feeling’, today anticipate that if society does not put an end to the epidemic of eating out on large and regular basis, human health and human life is truly at stake. With opening of countless food joints, multi cuisine restaurants, food trucks and street food counters here and there everywhere, in their peak hour, one may probably find more people eating at these places than inside homes in a given city.

 

Most outside food have high calorie, high salt, high spice, unhealthy fat and sugar content and low nutritional ingredients. Besides, this food can contain harmful additives, preservatives, flavor enhancers and few chemical based components. If regularly ingested, these can be detrimental to human health. Many times, the food is cooked in reused oils and freezer stored curries which is not at all good for health. The quality, hygiene and freshness of food ingredients can never be guaranteed in the food eaten or ordered from outside. It is often camouflaged by the pungent aroma and flavourful taste. Eating out side food including packet foods can never be a healthy choice. It can not only harm your digestive system, but also render other systems of human body to disorder due to metabolic imbalance, increasing the risk of chronic diseases like heart ailments, diabetes and obesity.

 

When most precious human wellness and life is at risk, we must surely ref-lect on the most perplexing question-- Why do people do so much of eating-out? Some men justify eating out on some weekdays or weekends as they wish to give rest to the overworked women folk in their family. If their concern is genuine, rather than eating outside, these gentlemen can participate in a shared cooking on weekends or offer small but valuable help in kitchen chores. This can be a healthier, cordial, indeed a lovely choice to make! Another reason for eating outside forwarded by many is ‘change of taste’ but where is this change of taste taking modern man to?

 

It is dragging him to the addiction of outside food by numbing his taste buds with piquant foods. For some, eating outside is an amusing activity, for others it is a stress buster. But this amusement and de-stressing indulged every now and then is proving very damaging for health. I feel people who are dissatisfied, disturbed, worried, and discontented in life are more prone to the contagion of eating out and easily fall prey to commercial culinary temptations. They search joy and satisfaction in the sensual pleasure of eating outside food. They need to really introspect, meditate and try to find contentment and happiness in other healthy things in life; achieve peace within and guard their health. If we do not endeavour to put an end to this urban epidemic of eating-out (gradually spreading to semi-urban and rural places too), we may encounter unforeseen epidemics and dangerous disease outbreaks in future. Let us be both conscious and cautious. Caution can be the best form of cure! Prevention an elixir!!