Limiting the consumption of Foods High in Fat, Sugar and Salt

High Fat, Sugar and Salt (HFSS) foods are (any food or drink, packaged or non-packaged) that are high in fats, sugar and salt, along with high in energy (calories). They are usually low in proteins, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre and have adverse health effects if consumed regularly.

The Indian population is going through changes in lifestyle, pattern of food choices and consumption. The home made meals are being replaced by ready to eat processed/packaged foods (chips, samosa, biscuits, cake, jelabi, outside food from dhabas/restaurants etc.). As a result, there is an increased demand for these processed foods in the market. The changing lifestyle is not only limited to the urban areas, but also spreading in rural areas. Lifestyle changes include urbanization, changing family composition (from joint families to nuclear families), long working hours, - poor or non-physical activity hectic lifestyle, etc. Simultaneously, changes in taste, increased variety of foods available in the market, attractive packaging and advertisement are leading the higher acceptability and consumption of processed foods.

Processed foods are easy to prepare, durable, have longer self-life, convenient to carry and easily available throughout the year. However, if we will look at other way around, they adversely affect our health. They are high in energy, particularly fats, sugar and salt and low in proteins, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. Over consumption of these foods can lead to overweight/obesity, resulting in diet related non-communicable diseases, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes and certain types of cancers. Therefore consumption of these type of foods should be avoided or consumed in restricted amounts.

A large number of processed foods are high in fat especially foods containing vanaspati, which have high level of trans fat. Trans fats are bad fats present in our diet. They have been linked with overweight/obesity, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and some type of cancers. Trans fats are also found in foods which are cooked in re-used oil, not only at commercial outlets but even at household levels.

Excessive consumption of potato chips, cold drinks, pakora, samosa, bhatura, sweets (imarti, ladoo, jalebi, gulab jamun etc.), pickle, mathri, bhujia, fried savoury mixture (fried namkeen), kachori, papad, vanaspati, cakes, biscuits, fans etc. can increase the fat, sugar and salt intake.

Now that we have learnt and understood about the harmful effects of excessive consumption of foods high in fat, sugar and salt, let us understand how we can avoid them and make health food choices by following simple steps.

Reduction in fat intake:

Excess fat intake is a risk factor for obesity and non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart diseases and cancer. Therefore, both children and adults need to be cautioned to restrict the intake of high fat foods (butter, ghee, red meats (Lamb, mutton, pork, beef, etc.) and their products).

Way to limit the total fat/oil intake:

• Use fats and oils in moderation, that means not more than 3-4 teaspoons/per person/day (1 teaspoon is equals to 5 ml). If consuming more than this, gradually reduce the use of oils daily cooking.
• Measure cooking oil with a teaspoon rather than pouring freely in the cooking vessel from the bottle.
• Monitor the consumption the oil at home- buy and use minimum required quantity every month.
• Avoid use of vanaspati in cooking/frying, instead use vegetable oils (mustard oil/groundnut oil/sunflower oil/soybean oil etc.).
• Change the type of cooking oil every three months or use different oils for different recipes.
• Limit the consumption of fried (chips, poori, pakora, etc.), baked or processed foods (biscuits, chips, cake, fan, rusk, etc.).
• Fat also comes from animal products like meat and poultry, butter, sweets and snack foods. Consume these in limited amounts. If you are a non-vegetarian, prefer eating lean meats like chicken or fish over red meat (lamb, beef, mutton, pork).

Eliminate Trans Fat:

As we discussed above, trans fats are bad fats, which should not be consumed as part of our diet. These fats are present in large quantities in vanaspati and its products. In prepared foods, trans fats are found in bakery products (biscuits, fan, rusk, cake etc.), fried foods (poori, pakora, bhatura, bhujiya, fried savoury mixtures (namkeens) etc.) and re-heated oils. For examples, the local road-side food vendor selling kachories, samosa, chole bhaturae, etc. reuses the oil for frying.

Way to avoid trans fat:

• Avoid using 'Vanaspati' for any kind of cooking
• When deep frying the foods (poori/pakora etc.) do not heat the oil for a very long time. Prefer not to leave the food into the oil for a very long time.
• Do not re-heat the oil or re-use the same oil for frying. The oil which has once been used for frying can be used for the preparation of vegetable, curries, dal etc.
• Use smaller vessels (Kadhai etc.) at home for deep frying. This will allow you to do frying using a lesser amount of oil/fat.
• Limit the consumption of baked/processed foods like biscuits/fan, cake, chips, fried savoury mixtures (namkeen etc.).

Sugar Reduction:

Sugar is the major source of calories in the diet. High intake of sugar increases the risk of becoming overweight/obese, developing diabetes and other diet related non-communicable diseases.

Way to reduce sugar consumption:

• Gradually reduce the use of sugar in your daily diet (in beverage like tea, coffee, lassi, lemon water/shikanji etc.).
• Limit the consumption of foods and drinks containing high amount of sugar (e.g. cold/cola drink, sweets like ladoo, jalebi, imarti, gulab jamun, sweet snacks etc.)
• Sweets, biscuits, cakes etc. are high in sugar, fat and may contain trans fat. They are usually prepared with refined wheat flour (maida), therefore such foods should be consumed in restricted amounts.
• Whenever possible, use naturally sweet ingredients (dates/fruits/honey/jaggery) rather than sugar, in restricted amount.
• Prevent children from over indulging in chocolates and toffees. Over consumption of these, may put children at risk of developing obesity and diet related non-communicable diseases (diabetes, heart diseases) in later life. Therefore, healthy habits should be formed from an early age. Further, children should be cautioned to avoid buying sweets under influence of attractive advertisements that target children.
• Instead of drinking juice, eat fresh fruits. It provides fiber, which gives a feeling of fullness and fewer calories. Fibre helps in slowing down the absorption of sugar and fats into the blood.

Salt Reduction: 

Salt is the main source of sodium in our diet. High sodium is a risk factor for hypertension (high blood pressure), which can further lead to heart problems. An average Indian consumes double the amount of salt as recommended (5 g/day equivalent to 1 teaspoon). Processed foods or foods from street vending sites/restaurants/dhaba, often contain higher amount of salt. Limiting the use of salt in cooking can lead to reduction in the overall sodium intake and prevention of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

Ways to reduce salt consumption: 

• Gradually reduce the salt usage while cooking
• Add salt at the end of the cooking
• Monitor the consumption of salt at home-buy and use minimum required quantity every month. For e.g. if a packet lasts first 6 weeks try using it over 8 weeks.
• Avoid adding salt to rice, dough for making chapatti or batter for idli, dosa etc.
• Avoid sprinkling salt on salads, cut fruits and curd.
• Avoid addition of extra salt at the time of eating.
• Use traditional ingredients like spices, dried or fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, citrus ingredients (e.g. lemon juice, dried lemon powder, tamarind pulp/powder, etc.) instead of salt.
• Limit consumption of foods high in salt such as papads, pickles, chutney, ketchups, sauces, salted biscuits and chips etc.
• Adequately consume seasonal fruits (papaya, guava, banana, mango, jamun, orange, amla) and vegetables (brinjal, beans, bittergourd, pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot) including green leafy vegetables.
• Drink plenty of water everyday. It helps in removing waste products (toxins) and excess salt (sodium) from the body.