What Exactly Is In A Kebab? Nutritional Properties And Risks
Pizzas or hamburgers have always been pioneers in the ranking of fast food or junk food, but for a few years now, kebabs have also become fashionable in developed countries.
Döner kebab in Turkish, shawarma in Arabic or gyros in Greek is a meat meal with spices It is often consumed on a pitta bread with salad and sauce. Its flavor may be delicious, but it is not exactly a healthy product.
It is also possible to consume this meat in a kind of “pancakes” (wraps), and is called e dürüm.
In this article you can find some information about this food and you will be able to learn about its nutritional properties and the risks of eating kebabs too often.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been warning for some time about the bad eating habits of some people and the growth of junk food restaurants, and stating that this has become a public health problem that, in many cases, has Not only aesthetic consequences for people but also pose a health risk. Obesity is a disease that is affecting industrialized societies, and its main cause is poor diet rich in bad fats and excessive calories, and a sedentary lifestyle.
In many cases, these bad habits already start in adolescence. Almost any young person has gone out to clubs to drink alcohol and ended the night with a kebab. Junk food has become normalized, and the laws are too lenient regarding these foods. In fact, a British study recently found that the industrial pastries of some chains such as Starbucks were ticking time bombs for our health, and the coffees of some establishments such as Costa Coffee or KFC contained more sugar than a can of CocaCola. Nothing good for our health, so governments should do something to change this situation.
Kebabs are highly popular nowadays, and this was confirmed by the fast food company justeat.com, because according to a survey of its customers “they are a cheap, delicious and very satiating delicacy.” Kebabs are a traditional Turkish dish, which can be found throughout the Middle East and neighboring countries. Its appearance invites you to consume it, with the thin slices of lamb, chicken or beef that are cooked with a vertical rolling spit, and which is commonly served in garlic sauce or spicy sauce in Europe, although in Greece they can be served with yogurt sauce or teriyaki sauce. Döner means spin in Turkish, gyros and shawarma mean the same thing in their respective languages.
The doner Kebab is not healthy at all, at least the one consumed in the West , and according to a study led by Geoffrey Theobald, kebab can contain up to 1000-2000 calories per unit. Accompanied by potatoes and a CocaCola, there would still be many more. The author of this research states that “these data are really worrying” and, furthermore, concludes that “at a nutritional level this food does not provide anything good for our body.”
This study was carried out with 494 samples of kebabs in 76 municipalities, and the author states that the levels of salt, calories and saturated fat that have been reported are simply scandalous.
What does kebab meat contain?
Kebab meat may have a great flavor thanks to the spices it contains, but The meat that we often consume, such as lamb, beef or chicken, actually usually contains viscera from these animals and other types of meat. This is what a British Trading Standards study that was published in the English newspaper Daily Mail found, as the results revealed that kebabs do not always contain the meat indicated on the suppliers’ label. In fact, 15% of the cases the meat was not all lamb as on the label, but instead contained beef.
Worse still, in 6 of the cases studied they even found pork, something that goes against the Muslim religion. In addition, individuals in South Asia also do not consume beef because they consider cows a sacred animal. Apparently, these problems arise from the manufacturers, so the points of sale would seem not to be to blame for the content of the kebab meat.
Why are they not healthy? Risks
Kebabs are a very unhealthy food, and the same study found that they contain extremely high levels of salt The results suggest that it contains 14.7 grams of salt, more than double the daily amount of 6 g. As for the fat content, it is also very high at 117.2 g, which is well above the recommended daily allowance of 95 g for men and 70 g for women.
According to Geoffrey Theobald, to the Daily Mail: “We cannot consider the kebab as part of a healthy diet, because the health consequences are negative.” “While some people may think it is a sensible and light option, kebabs contain a large amount of calories and promote overweight when consumed frequently and the person has a low-active lifestyle.” Regarding fake meat, Theobald explains: “It is totally unacceptable that people who have certain beliefs are consuming foods that go against their principles.”
More nutritious foods
Logically, kebab is not among the most nutritious and healthy foods we can consume. If you want to know which foods best suit our body, you can read our article: “What are the 14 most nutritious foods that exist?”
