By Pooja Baburaj:
“Food” — What an intense wave of desire erupts in our hearts at the slightest thought of the immense delicacies. It is but natural that our spirit yearns relentlessly for that chocolate fantasia, grilled meat with spicy dip and chilling brain-freezers; one can’t help but drool over them (I have nothing much to say other than this – a chicken on the plate is just as good in my stomach — Mamma Mia!). It is an obvious fact that food is the most brilliant innovation of Man after fire.
Everybody is a “foodie” in their own right. Unique are the people who resist the diabolic temptations of feasting unless they want to stick down to the nonsensically popular size zero (Size zero – This is a hysterical frenzy which occurs due to loss of common sense resulting in loss of body weight). Food is certainly one of the fundamental necessities for the survival of any species. Hence, food is considered essential not only in the philosophy of pleasure but also in the
science of existence. However, with life available in fast-forward mode, most people in this era are more of “junkies” than “foodies” (That includes “once-upon-a-timers” like our adults as well the “degrassi-the-next-generationers” like us).
This is a pathetic situation as we, both young adults and children, are actually supposed to be growling and prowling outdoors but instead we prefer to get ourselves addicted to sitcoms and munch away on nachos and popcorns. No, we are not the only ones in trouble; the adult population of the contemporary world are nowhere better off (Aha — you know what, it is a terribly good feeling to get into trouble and having company to celebrate it!). These grown-ups are always ahead in complacency and rarely find time for eating food – more specifically eating healthy food. Even if they try to make up to the lost meal, it always happens in a cafe or a snack bar that serves thousands of calories adorned to utmost perfection with litres of glistening cooking oil. Having an evening out with family or just hanging out with friends in the hip and happening restaurants is certainly trending but this shouldn’t constitute the flow of regular life (Hmmm — that will have to be difficult for us right, even our midday snacks are from local canteens, so literally we are all junkies). The hygiene and healthiness of the sumptuous meals prepared at home can never be replicated up by the finger-licking-good junk offered at the fancy outlets.
Food poisoning is one of the major threats posed by junk food; Diabetes, acidity and obesity all come over and have their own celebration in your body, one after the other. Gobbling fried chicken and fried potatoes yield a terror cleverly camouflaged by an addicting taste.
Fast food can affect the functioning of our cranial nerves because of the bombarding amount of calories, which result in swift depletion of our grey matter. All these issues leave us dehydrated along with a sick tummy, either for a while or for a really long time, depending on its intensity. Sometimes the stomach gets so upset that these eenie-meenie junks turn out to be the lethal weapons of death.
All these situations can be clearly prevented or contained if proper precautions are adopted. All the neon signs staring down at us and hoardings the size of football fields lure us really well. Alluring words and mouth-watering pictures of fast food may fill flyers and brochures but are not apt to fill our hungry systems. We have to understand, put the facts into practise and spread awareness about the need to control our cravings by discussing with friends and family members. And for the finale, as the old saying goes by — “Prevention is better than cure”.