Cold drinks, junk foods:Hazardous to health

[Khushboo]

Young people seem to be having a growing craze for cold drinks, ice-cream, street and other junk foods but such kinds of drinks and food could be hazardous to health.

Doctors have warned that such cold drinks sold in the market and junk foods have no food and nutritious value. There is no quality control mechanism in the country and foods are selling in the street without balancing the quality, doctors said.

Director at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital at Teku Dr. Mahendra Bahadur Bista said that taking more cold drinks could cause throat infection and respiratory problem. He said that such drinks, including ready-made juice, have no nutrition value and it is sensible to avoid such drinks.

Dr. Bista said that if throat infections were found among children, it could cause rheumatic heart disease and a child could suffer for long. Children, naturally are more interested to have ice cream of low quality but that has no nutritional value. Most of the people have the power to resist infections and thus do not easily fall sick but it would be better not to have such non-quality drinks. Such drinks are mixed with different kinds of choleric things thereby leading to infections.

Chest specialist and director at the National Tuberculosis Centre Dr. Puspa Malla said that it would be better to drink fresh juice instead of having bottles and packed ones. She said that taking different kinds of drinks in the market would have different problems like gastric, allergy and infection in the chest.

Dr. Malla said that such juices could be harmful to the children. It might cause asthma and those children having repeated throat and chest infection should totally avoid taking such cold drinks. People should have more drinks during the summer season but they should drink natural and safe cold water. The color and flavor fixed in the packed drinks would affect the long-term health, she said.

She said that it also depends on the resistance power of people. If anybody has chest and throat problem, they should consult with the doctors.

Dr. Bista said that 80 per cent of the diseases could be caused due to unsafe drinking water. During the season, more people suffer from gastroenteritis and hepatitis and people should avoid having street food and drink unsafe water.