To eat or not to eat?

Somya Abrol

The internet, among other things, has turned us into cynics. Like all that’s sinful, too much of anything is bad – including information. In a world where rudimentary health seems to be at perpetual risk, and everything “might lead to cancer”, we can’t help but think thrice about consuming the consumables.

Last week, coffee was the worst thing that could happen to your skin, with an overdose leading to the probability of, guess what, yes, cancer. Yesterday onwards, it’s good for us, apparently; claiming to aid those suffering from type 2 diabetes. Other victims of such chaotic perplexity include chocolates (dark, milk, hardly matters), wine (red, white, confusion galore), mangoes (summers, please be kind) and tea (don’t even get us started).

So, with so much else to keep track of, how to we decipher which week what is good for us, and what to get our cabinets rid of which week? In an endeavour to make life easier, on World Health Day today, we speak to nutritionists and see what they have to say about our confused foods.

“Most of these articles on the internet cover just one aspect of the food item in question. When you break down all aspects of that food and do an overall analysis, it might not seem that healthy/unhealthy after all. A thorough, detailed study of anything requires a lot of hard work and scrutiny, and in the fast-paced world of today, no one really bothers with that. So, read what you do with a pinch of salt,” warns Dr Sonia Gandhi, Senior Clinical Nutritionist, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, as she breaks down a few perpetually-under-scrutiny food items for us:

Coffee: It’s true that coffee enhances metabolism. So, probably a cup of sugar-free coffee on empty stomach is a good idea. But, black coffee can lead to caffeine addiction; whatever else you add in your coffee, those nutrients are also added to your drink, don’t forget that. “Caffeine is also responsible for releasing calcium in your body, and it dehydrates you to a great degree. So, your water intake also goes up. Our daily requirement of caffeine is about 400 mg per day; this also includes the chocolates or teas we consume during the day,” says Gandhi. However much you like coffee then, don’t exceed two cups a day!

Dark chocolate: Yes, it does have some health benefits despite satiating your cravings. “It’s very beneficial for those who are hypoglycemic. Dark chocolate releases the “good hormone”, so to say. But the energy kick you get is false, and temporary. However, one small block a day does no harm,” she informs. For chocolate aficionados, 70 per cent dark chocolate a day aids in weight loss; just saying!

Tea: Tea is much, much milder in terms of caffeine content. Though it does dehyderate to quite an extent. “So, make sure your water intake is adequate if you’re consuming the typical Indian tea more than twice a day.” Clear teas, however, are more beneficial when consumed without sugar.

Red wine: The alcohol content of red wine is 12 per cent; whisky is 40 per cent and beer is about 5 per cent. Thus, we end up consuming more beer when we get down to it! “The permissible limit of alcohol per day is two units for men and one unit for women. Though calculating a unit is quite technical, 1 unit is about 10ml, but that depends upon the volume of your alcohol. In red wine’s case, the wine glass is 120 ml. So, one glass of red wine a day is just not harmful. In fact, red wine is more beneficial than white wine, as the peel of the grape is also processed in its making, which is not the case for white wine,” says Gandhi.

[email protected]