Are The Momos Need To Be Banned? Explains Doctors

Momo is a food which was recently introduced to the Tamil people and quickly it managed to capture the hearts of our people. In every departmental store we can see Momo being sold and both vegetarian and non-vegetarian Momos are available in the market. Momo looks like Kolukattai, a traditional Tamil delicacy and today Momo has won the hearts of our children also.

vikatan / Via vikatan.com

Momo is a food which was recently introduced to the Tamil people and quickly it managed to capture the hearts of our people. In every departmental store we can see Momo being sold and both vegetarian and non-vegetarian Momos are available in the market. Momo looks like Kolukattai, a traditional Tamil delicacy and today Momo has won the hearts of our children also.

At a time like this, in Kashmir people are protesting to ban Momo and they say the food is, “very harmful for the healthy wellbeing of our body”. “Momo is a silent killer”, “Momo is death” are the captions found on the placards carried by protesters rallying against Momo in Kashmir.

So what is it there in Momo, which can damage our health?

“To give Momo its great taste a chemical named Monosodium Glutamate - MSG is used. It acts like a kind of a drug and it urges an individual to eat more Momos on a regular basis. It can also have a very bad impact on our health”, says the organizers of the protest.

Momo originated from Tibet and from there it travelled to China, Japan and through North East India it has now reached the southern tip. Momos come in different shapes and sizes and today have reached many other Indian states also. But the problem with Momo is, the great taste comes from the ingredient Monosodium Glutamate, which is not good for our health.

Monosodium Glutamate is called ‘Japanese Salt’. This salt was created by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese Chemist in the year 1908 and later it was taken to the market. The salt was marketed as the ‘seventh taste’, the one even better than the six tastes and it was sold in many parts of the world including, America and Europe. The salt can be added to all food items to enhance its taste. In India the salt was famous only in major cities in the beginning but now it is commonly found everywhere. Now people have started using this salt even in their homes. This chemical, Monosodium Glutamate is now used everywhere, in the Briyani sold in roadside shops, Samosas, Burgers, Fried rice and so on.

A few months back a famous noodles brand from a big company was banned and it was stated the reason for the ban was that there was too much Monosodium Glutamate found in the product.

Is the chemical ‘Monosodium Glutamate’ really harmful to our body? Tamil news website asked this question to Senthilnathan, an Intestinal Surgeon.

“In Japan this salt is used in every food item and to say the truth this salt is not very good for our body. Adding this chemical to our food daily can have many bad effects on our body, starting from indigestion to serious cancer threats. In America the usage of this salt is now brought under control and in China many states have banned this salt. In India there are many natural spices and herbs to add flavor and taste to food in a natural way. Apart from increasing the taste they are also very good for health and it would be better to use such natural ingredients. We should completely avoid Monosodium Glutamate”, he says.

“What is the best substitute for Monosodium Glutamate?”

“Monosodium Glutamate is not a natural salt. It is made in the factories through artificial means. Artificially made products are always harmful to our body. We must avoid this totally. Some people use this salt a lot like as if they are using Chilly power and coriander powder. While we use too much of this salt, our blood pressure start to go up and we can also end up having many stomach related problems as well. By nature our foods are very tasty and we don’t need artificial taste boosters. Like Asafetida and coriander we have many natural ingredients that can enhance taste and smell in a healthy way and it would be better for us to use them, " says Nutritionist, Dr. Ranjani.

Chef Karving Karthi also talks about Monosodium Glutamate and the dangers it could bring us.

“Not only in Momos, Monosodium Glutamate is used a lot in many food items that are popular with our younger generations, like fried rice, Gobi Manjurian and so on. We can cook the food much quicker when we use this salt. It combines all tastes and produces a new different taste. In restaurants they powder it and then they use it, but this salt should be completely avoided. Like our ancestors did we should use spices that are meant for our soil, grind them manually and use them for cooking tasty food.” She says.

We don’t eat just to fill our stomach. We eat for the healthy wellbeing of our body too. Taste is not everything, but “today’s generation gives more importance to taste and as a result there are now many new diseases”, says Vikatan.com, a popular Tamil News website. We must avoid not just Momos and fried rice, but any food that can harm out health and wellbeing. It is important to eat healthy food and also the food that is suitable for our climatic conditions.