Imagine a scenario where you come back home from work too tired and famished to be able to go through another arduous routine of cooking meals for everyone at home. You and your other half opt to take the family for dinner and the moment you direct your car towards a restaurant that serves good wholesome food, your kids beseech you to take them to a fast food joint, rather than to the good old restaurant. Being one of the pampering parents who pride themselves on their ability to provide their kids whatever they demand, you give in and end up eating burgers and pizza for a meal, not knowing that you have harmed your children more than you have provided them happiness by giving in to their ever increasing demand for fast food. More often than not, you find that your kid is utilizing his/her daily allowance on nothing other than spicy and chilly-based food like chips, snacks, burgers and pizza.

Fast food, true to its name, is fast becoming a rage among school-going kids, despite severe health risks. A new study by the Delhi Diabetes Research Centre indicated that over 39% of the children preferred eating burgers and soft drinks over traditional food. While 31% preferred to have a pizza along with a soft drink, only a pathetic 11% stated their preference for fruits, depicting how fast Delhi’s gen-next’s daily eating patterns are changing to the worse, exposing them to diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

The startling study, which was conducted across 15 schools, also revealed that about 17% of the children in public schools are overweight, of whom 3% are obese. Meanwhile, in the private sector, around 6% kids are overweight, with family members, media, peers and environment playing a key role in pushing the children towards a fast food lifestyle. With obesity the primary cause of diabetes, our kids are increasingly falling pray to Type II diabetes. Is it not time to stop and ask ourselves what foundation are we laying for our city?

Being responsible parents, it is we who need to initiate a step that can lead our young Delhites to becoming more inclined to healthy, nourishing and nutritious food. Mothers can take time out from their busy schedule to prepare things that their kids like, so that the children get appetizing and healthy food at home and are drawn less towards the no-good junk food. School authorities and media also need to play a part in educating the gen-next on the harmful effect of fast food and creating an environment that promotes healthy eating and living.