Twenty five-year-old Neeti Sinha is a working professional who regularly visits her neighbourhood super market to stock up the fridge with chicken cutlets, fish fingers, French fries, mayonnaise, cheese slices, ready to eat products (dosa, paneer, idli etc), a packet of toned milk, packaged fruits and even veggies.

Happy with her purchase and content with quality of a supermarket, Neeti thinks she’s made a wise and healthy choice. If you, like Neeti hop to the market and pick up random stuff, chances are you’ve gifted yourself health-related problems.
Freedom of choice, multiple varieties of products have made Indians more prone to obesity. The supermarket is one big cage stuffed with innumerable variety of products, it’s natural one is spoilt for choice.
According to health expert B.M. Popkin, professor at University of North Carolina, other than decreasing physical activity, increased usage of packed foods and a calorie-laden diet has led to greater obesity among Indians in the last two decades. He also adds that the “supermarket culture” is largely responsible for this.
His says, “In the urban India, due to the ‘supermarket’ culture, we have packed foods reaching every household, causing obesity and problems of over-nutrition.”
Nutritionist Dr Krishna Sannigrahi agrees that easy access to packed food has resulted in overweight Indians? She says, “No single food can make you magically healthy, so it’s essential to incorporate a variety of healthy foods cooked in healthy ways into your diet.”
Media professional Rhea Mukherjee has consciously done away buying packed food owing to her increasing weight. She says, “Firstly, packed food has calories that increases fat deposits in one’s body. Secondly, I don’t get time to exercise because of my work timings and with my addiction to packed foods, I have put on excess weight. I was addicted to those ready to eat stuff and cold storage stuff like sausages and salamis. I gained 20 kgs and decided to put an end to it.”
Dr Sannigrahi further explains why packed food shouldn’t be consumed. “Foods containing high levels of saturated fats or trans fats — such as potato chips and packaged cookies — can boost cholesterol levels in your body than cholesterol containing foods such as eggs. Many packed snacks, even those labelled ‘reduced fat’, may be made with oils containing trans fats.”
Stressing on what’s missing in packaged food, she adds, “Most processed foods are laden with sweeteners, salts, artificial flavours, factory-created fats, colourings, chemicals that alter texture, and preservatives. Processed foods are often stripped of nutrients designed by nature to protect your heart, such as soluble fiber, antioxidants, and ‘good’ fats. Combine that with additives, and you have a recipe for disaster. The only benefits which I can say is those who don’t have time to cook can have something to live for a while.”
Meanwhile, there are others like Shelly Prabhakar, who are aware about the dangers of packaged food. “I do keep some in stock for days, when I know I won’t have time on my hands, or when I am expecting guests at home. But I limit its usage to minimal,” shares Shelly.
IT professional Don Bosco Cherian admits he has addiction for fried food. “I think we all try to beat others at the supermarket in buying packed food,” he says.