Children and college goers having their daily bite of Allu Muri and Puchka is a common sight in and around the city and to add to it the mushrooming fast food centres are fast attracting the city populace into what could be termed as an unhealthy eating habit.
The biggest victims of these improper and at times unhygienic eateries are students who ironically prefer junk food more than the proper healthy and hygienic meal. “My kids often skip dinner citing that they are full,” a worried parent said adding “I wonder when they (children) will realise the effects of such food items.”
It may be reminded that few years ago, a department of Home Science, St Mary’s Mary’s College Shillong had conducted a special workshop for these junk food sellers all over the city teaching them the importance of maintaining cleanliness while catering to their customers.
Talking to this scribe, a junk food vendor at Barik Point near Lady Hydari Park said that they earn around Rs 500-Rs 1000 in a day depending on the crowd and peak hours included timings when schools and colleges got over and also on Sundays when the number of visitors to the park rises.
Another vendor at Khyndai Lad said, “Our customers include people of all ages but the highest are students who come here often and take one or more items a day.”
It has been observed that on most occasions the items used are not properly treated and the water used is often unfit for drinking. As a result, complications like upset stomach, dysentery and other digestive disorders are a common fallout of such so-called delicacies.
Dr AK Das, a former Director of Directorate of Health Services, said consumption of junk food is harmful as it leads to high cholesterol and cavity which in turn causes obesity and diabetes. “It is a very saddening situation for the younger generation who are often attracted to junk food”, he added.
However, Dr Das said that the statistics is not alarming in the state unlike other big cities where such diseases are widely prevalent.
“But it is always good to avoid such eating habits for larger health benefits in the long run” the former Director added.
Meanwhile, commenting on the affects of junk food, a professor of NEHU, Dr H Kaiang said eating more of such stuff leads to the loss of appetite.
“It upsets our stomach as the kind of ingredients used can be unhealthy. The unhygienic surroundings also aggravate the risks,” Dr Kaiang said. (Iban Mawrie)