Kitchen Of India Chicken Darbari

Protein is the main ingredient of structural and functional component of body. It plays a key role in our body as building blocks for  muscles, cartilage, skin, bones and blood. They are also building blocks for enzymes, hormones, and vitamins.

Foods that we regularly consume are low in Protein so eating food products which get more than 20% of its energy from Protein is good to include in your meal to ensure enough Proteins in a day.

Preservation does not mean necessarily require utilization of artificial ingredients. There are natural ways for preservation too.

1. Sugar and salt are water-loving, hence they bind to all the free water present in a food preparation.  Due to lack of free water bacteria cannot grow and shelf life of the product increases.

2. Oil acts as a barrier, it does not allow air or water to enter the food, thus preventing spoilage. 

Sugar, Salt and Oil are used in our day-to-day cooking too, but when used as preservative the amounts required are high thereby may increase the total fat and sugar content of the product leading to weight gain.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of the common amino acid i.e. Glutamic acid, popular for its usage as flavouring agent in Asian Cooking. 

This glutamate salt is also found naturally in various foods such as tomatoes and cheese as well as ingredients such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolysed groundnut protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate. 

Some people are sensitive to MSG having adverse effects such as headache, depression, etc. on regular consumption of this salt. Indian law requires that foods containing Added MSG list it in the ingredient panel on the packaging with the warning that it should not be consumed by infants below 12 months. However, if ingredients that have naturally occurring MSG, are added to the product then the product may not specify in regards to its presence. 

Pregnant & Lactating women & Infants should avoid Products containing MSG .

Saturated Fats are often termed as the Bad Fat as excess consumption of these can lead to increase in the production of high cholesterol, atherosclerosis (thickening of artery walls) and strokes. 

Saturated Fats is not only synthesised by the body as part of metabolism  but also makes it way in your diet through various raw ingredients

Thus, you should limit eating food with added Saturated Fat.

Energy available from a food is based on Carbohydrate, Fat and Protein present in it. The ideal ratio of energy obtained from these components is 65% from Carbohydrates, 20% from Fat and 15% from protein. 

More than 30% of energy available in this product is from FAT, which is 50% more than the ideal amount. Foods with High Fat are often loaded with Saturated Fat and Trans Fat both of which contribute to life style diseases including diabetes, obesity or Cardiovascular. 

Again, one should not go on the other extreme of having low fat diet as some amount of fat is required for various bodily functions like storing of energy, absorption of fat soluble vitamins such Vitamin A, D, E and K, insulate us and protect vital organs besides synthesis of specific hormones and cell membrane formation.

Thus, it is important to eat food which has each nutrient in the right quantity and limit food products that give too much of one nutrient.