Be careful before eating colored papad, these bright colors which enhance the taste may put a heavy burden on your health.

Lifestyle Desk – Papad has its own special place in Indian food. Papad served with dal-rice, khichdi or thali enhances the taste manifold. With time many new varieties of papad have started becoming available in the market. These also include papads with attractive colors like red, green, yellow and orange, which are becoming increasingly popular especially among children and youth. However, it is not necessary that these colorful papads, which look attractive, are always safe for health. If the colors used in these do not conform to the prescribed standards, they can have negative effects on the body.

Only approved (food-grade) colors should be used in limited quantities in foods. But many times manufacturers use cheap and low quality colors to make papads more attractive. Such colors can increase the risk of health problems if consumed for a long time. Let us know the disadvantages of its consumption.

What could be the disadvantages?

If more than the prescribed standards or non-approved colors are used in colored papads, some people may have allergy problems. Symptoms like itching, red rashes on the skin, burning sensation in the eyes or difficulty in breathing may appear. Apart from this, some people may also have digestive problems like stomach ache, gas, indigestion, nausea or diarrhea. The effect of such products may be greater in children, elderly people and people already suffering from any allergy or digestive disease. Therefore, it is important to be extra careful in their eating habits.

What things should be kept in mind while buying?

While buying colored papad, always choose a reliable and reputed brand. Be sure to read the information on manufacturing date, expiry date, ingredients and food colors used on the packet. If any information is not clearly given on the packet or the product is sold without a label, then avoid buying it. One should also be cautious about eating papads that are too bright or unnaturally colored. Natural or standard food colors usually appear mild and balanced, while excessively bright colors may raise questions about quality.

consume in limited quantity

Whether papad is plain or colourful, it is always considered better to consume it in limited quantity. Most of the papads contain high amount of salt and many people eat them after frying, due to which extra oil and calories reach the body. Therefore the option of roasted papad is considered relatively better.