Traditionally, dry or storable Indian snacks are recipes that are simple and could be easily made at home. When made at home, there wasn’t a lot of emphasis on the spices or the dominant sweet sour taste to it. Even at the traditional Mithaiwala (Sweet shop), what you used to and still get is a simple blend of play with different flour, lentils and nuts, fried, roasted or mixed to a tasty snack. But then came the advent of great packaged Indian snacks. It can now be found pretty much everywhere in the United States and I see it at almost every shop in India and it doesn’t have to be a grocery store.
Unlike many other snacks, to an average Indian, it looks and sounds like any other household recipe. The name on the package you can relate to easily from your childhood. For example, a popular snack from the northern part of India Mathri (salty cracker) brings a lot of childhood memories of me enjoying it at my friend’s place. But the packaged equivalent isn’t as innocent as what I used to have at my friend’s place.
It’s not the one snack or a pack of snacks that we now consume once, twice or thrice a year. Consumers are hooked on these snacks and are buying and consuming it on an almost daily basis. From the most common bhujia sev (fried lentil noodles) to the Spicy andhra style boondi mixture (spicy fried lentil bubbles styled as per the southern Indian state of Andhra ), the allure of convenient and readily available packaged snacks is undeniable. Behind the attractive packaging lies the stark reality of empty calories and compromised nutrition.
These snacks are often loaded with refined carbohydrates, trans fats, high amounts of sodium and sugars and many more ingredients that weren't used in traditional cooking.
These snacks are often loaded with refined carbohydrates, trans fats, high amounts of sodium and sugars and many more ingredients that weren't used in traditional cooking. We all know how we can’t stop eating them until it’s gone and the sluggish feeling and craving more for later. I don’t need to get into details of how all of these can lead to type-2 diabetes, blood pressure and other chronic diseases.
So the next time you go to the store and are ready to grab one or more for your pantry, remember it adds up. Give the label some attention and make a wise decision. Sometimes, homemade snacks are easier and healthier and can be packed with nutrients. Enjoy the snack with resposibility and to remember that moderation is the key.
