Indian VS Western Junk Food

Kanchi Shridhar
Aug 8, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Aug 13, 2020

When the menu of a five star restaurant explicitly describes Samosas as "deep fried crispy and crunchy dumplings with spicy potato fillings inside, dipped in the delicious sauce compounded of spices and other seasonings", your head explodes and wonders as to why can't they just call it Samosas.

Not only some of us have started liking these fancy food names but also have commenced adopting the western food culture. In the world full of pizzas and burgers, someone loving pakoras has a special place in your heart.

Here is a list of my favourite Indian and Western junk food along with the information as to which is comparatively healthier.

Pizza VS Pav BhAJI

Although it is general knowledge that pizza is a dish of Italian origin but I bet you didn't know that the word pizza was first documented in A.D. 997 in Gaeta and a regular 14” PIZZA accounts for at least 266 calories.

Pav Bhaji on the other hand is the courtesy of Mumbai, Maharashtra. Although this dish is loaded with butter which constitutes to around 400 calories, but the plus point here is that the bhaji is made up of lots of veggies. I know many of you won’t agree with me but, regardless, I’d prefer it over pizza anytime.

Burger VS Chole Bhature

Next in my list is hamburger or burger. It’s place of origin is a disputed topic. US as well as Germany has it’s claws on this one. As, at least 30% of Indians are vegetarians by choice or due to religious beliefs, half of the menu at Mcd has delicious vegetarian options available. Even they couldn’t part us from our obsession with potatoes.

Crispy bhature dipped in spicy chickpeas is the best combo one could ask for. This cuisine is famous across the lands of Northern India. Since the only way to make bhaturas is to fry them, this delicacy is a little heavy for our tummies and constitutes to 427 calories per serving whereas a burger accounts for 295.

Pasta VS Chaat

Did you know that pasta is the staple food in Italy with more than 600 variety of the same. Even then I cannot imagine eating it straight for a week because what is staple for them is junk to us. A bowl of pasta constitutes for at least 131 calories (that’s a relief), but this doesn’t mean it is good for health, not at all if you load it with sauces.

All the street food lovers have a special place for Chaat in their hearts as well as tummies. One can easily argue how healthy it is to have chaat due to the presence of boiled vegetables and yoghurt in it, but cannot deny the fact that it still constitutes to at least 300 calories.

Spring Rolls VS Samosas

Both spring rolls as well as samosas are made up of all purpose flour – the former has a paper thin layer of the flour whereas the latter has a thick one. Spring rolls is believed to be the speciality of China and is usually has the fillings of noodles , vegetables, etc with the calorific value of 154 per 100 grams. Samosas on the other hand have the fillings of spicy potatoes, onions or cheese.

Although a recent article of TOI also showed a research that, "the trans-fatty acids in French fries is far less than in bhatura, paratha or in puri and tikki." , but the heart wants what it wants, right?

So, I am going to leave this matter here, but, before signing off I would like to mention THREE tips for you to enjoy these mouth-watering delicacies without compromising your health.

Always keep yourself hydrated because water helps break down food so that your body can absorb the nutrients or eat hydrating foods like watermelons or strawberries etc.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day or try yoga.
No matter how delicious junk food might taste, you cannot rely upon it. Balanced diet is a necessity.

Follow them and enjoy what life has to offer because we all know how short it is to waste.