Varsity pushes for nutritious food, prepares list of banned junk food items | Gram flour does the trick

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 12

Bread pakora made of brown bread is allowed, but samosa is on the list of banned junk food items at Panjab University (PU) as the university is all set to push for nutritious food.

According to the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, junk foods are those “containing little or no proteins, vitamins or minerals, but are rich in salt, sugar, fats and are high in energy (calories).” “Every food item has calories. But junk foods have excess salt, sugar and fats. It can cause hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases,” said Sunita Malhotra, Head, Department of Dietetics, PGI.

The reason behind allowing bread pakora is that it has gram flour and the reason behind disallowing samosa is that it is made from refined white flour. The same is the reason for banning white bread. “If a bread pakora is of wheat bread and has paneer and gram flour, it is beneficial. Deep frying will kill infections too,” said Manisha Arora, Senior Dietician, Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, Chandigarh.

Burger without vegetables is on the banned list. “If the burger is of wheat, it is beneficial. However, if you put a slice of cheese, potato and mayonnaise, it will have little nutritional value,” said Arora.

The PU has also put cold drinks, including those with artificial sweeteners that are sold as zero calorie drinks, on the list of banned items. The reason is that artificial sweeteners when taken in high quantity can cause organ failure. The usual cold drinks have high sugar content. Pizza, French fries, chips and Kurkure are rich in carbohydrates, sodium and fats and are on the list of banned items.

“The oil used for frying items such as bread pakora should be fresh. If the same oil is used again and again, it increases the proportion of trans fats, which are not good for the heart,” said Malhotra.

UGC directions behind PU action

The PU has taken action on the issue of junk food after directions from the University Grants Commission (UGC), which had, on August 21, reminded universities and colleges to ban junk food and “create awareness among the younger generation”. In an earlier letter, dated November 10, 2016, the UGC had said that banning junk food would “set new standards for healthy food and make the students live better, and learn better and also reduce the obesity levels in young learners, thus preventing lifestyle diseases, which have a direct link with excessive weight”.

It had also asked for creating wellness clusters under the students’ welfare department where counselling should be done regarding proper nutrition, proper exercise and healthy habits.