Saturday, August 27, 2022

"Cold drink" is not really drinkable?

"Cold drink" is not really drinkable?


When you feel thirsty, you want to drink a cold drink. And, many people choose Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta, Mirinda for such drinks. How much cold dink do Nepalese drink daily? There will be a separate accounting for this. However, cold drinks are being consumed all the time.


Dominating the market, these drinks have entered our kitchens. Therefore, children have started asking for 'cold drinks' even with meals and snacks. In addition, Nepali society has started consuming these drinks in large quantities in family gatherings, feasts, work events etc.



But doctors suggest, 'These cold drinks are not suitable for drinking.'


Nutritionists say, 'these cold drinks contain excessive sugar and other harmful chemicals.'


The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control says, 'We send it to the market only after testing it in an international level laboratory. It is not fit to drink.


Who to believe? Consumers are ambivalent. How can the drinks around the world be harmful? What are the elements in it that harm the body? If it is going to affect public health, then why would the relevant agencies send it to the market?


However, there has been no study on how such cold drinks are affecting human health.

What happens in cold dink?


The amount of sugar mixed in cold drinks is high. According to Coca-Cola's website, one liter of Coca-Cola contains 100 grams of sugar. In other words, one liter of Coca-Cola contains half a cup of sugar in a cup of tea that we usually use.


Generally, our body does not need more than 36 grams of sugar daily. But the way people who are used to cold drinks drink this drink, they end up consuming more sugar than they need.


Nutritionists say that sugar needed by the body can be obtained from natural foods including fruits. According to nutritionist Atul Upadhyay, excess sugar is not considered good for health.


According to doctors, cold drinks like Coca-Cola contain such ingredients, which are not beneficial for health. A chemical called methylimidazole is used to make Coca-Cola dark brown. The American Heart Association has mentioned that this chemical is a cancer-causing factor.


Although the cancer.org.au website states that the chemical is a cause of cancer, it has not yet been proven.


Cold drinks are often mixed with excessive amounts of soda, carbonated water, and caffeine. According to doctors, these elements cause problems like diabetes, joint pain, high blood pressure, obesity, and insomnia.


Cold drink cannot be said to be poison. It is not beneficial to health, it is harming it," says nutritionist Upadhyay. "Even if it does not cause any immediate problems, it will cause problems in the long run."


However, there has been no study on how such cold drinks are affecting human health. "This is a sensitive issue, especially one that is directly related to public health," says nutritionist Upadhyay, "The government should be interested and concerned in such matters."


Normal food contains nutrients such as protein, fiber, fat, vitamins, calcium, sodium. But Upadhyaya argues that there are no such nutrients in these cold drinks scattered in the market.


The market is dominated by cold drinks like Coca-Cola, Fanta, Mirinda, Pepsi, Sprite, Dew. Especially children and teenagers are more attracted to such drinks.


The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control checks and monitors whether such foods are edible or not, whether they have any effect on public health or not. According to the claim of Mohankrishna Maharjan, spokesperson of the department, there are no such harmful elements in these drinks.


He says, "We have an international level laboratory. Any food is sent to the market only after checking it.' According to him, poor quality food and drinks are not sent to the market.


"We have sent only food produced within the standards keeping public health in mind," says spokesperson Maharjan.


On the other hand, nutritionist Anushree Acharya insists that cold drinks are not healthy drinks. There is no one who does not drink cold drinks now. It has become like a fashion,' she says, 'but it does not provide any nutrition to the body.' If you want to save organs like heart and kidney, she suggests not to drink cold dink.


"A cold drink as water does not quench thirst, nor does it quench hunger as food." It is harming the body instead of benefiting it. Research should be done on its effects and the market should be monitored on a daily basis, says nutritionist Acharya.


Homanath Bhattai, head of the monitoring branch of the Department of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Protection, says that the work of the department is not to check the quality, but to check the price, brand, production date and expiry date, lot number.


The department has admitted that it did not monitor the market only for cold drinks. "Though there is no market monitoring by making a separate plan for cold drinks, the department inspects everything during the monitoring," said Bhattai, "Our job is to look at the market price, producer, production and expiry date, lot number and vat number."


He says that the work of checking the quality of food belongs to the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control.

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