Kamal Sethia, owner of Chappan Bhog at Old Baneshwar that has spent more two and half decades catering in the capital city, spoke of the sea change that he has seen in the way people eat. There was no major change in the first two decades but the last five years have been somewhat historic in terms of the food items that people demand. If you look at your menu now you see food items that are light and less oily. [break]
The situation has changed so much that almost all customers in their first round of negotiations for catering high profile gatherings talk about non-oily and green vegetable items whereas just five years back they never used to be so specific, he recalled.
We have even noticed some big functions in recent months where the demand for fresh vegetables and salads was more than that for meat items.” Green vegetable like Chinese spinach were among the top selections of the participating dignitaries.
Govinda Lal Agrawal, manager of Amritbhog Caterers that has been in the catering business for a little more than a decade, also speaks of change in the way people consume food. Gone are the days when they used to eat their fill at social occasions, he said adding people have become meat conscious, particularly about red and fatty meat. But the demand for chicken and fish has gone up.
Agrawal pinpointed the steady increase in consumption of roti, naan, fresh vegetables and salads during parties. “If we go back five years, people´s choice was limited to pulau with some vegetable and meat but these days roti and naan along with fresh vegetables have become compulsory items at every catering,” Agrawal added.
Usha Shah, a dietician at Norvic Hospital, also said that the rapidly growing health consciousness is resulting in less consumption of fatty food and more consumption of fresh vegetables. The change in food intake trends is stronger among teenage girls in Nepal than other segments of the population, she said.
"We have noticed that people have become health and weight conscious and for this reason they go for light and non-oily food," she said adding that people are increasingly aware that obesity is the main source of life-threatening diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
However, she warned that change in food consumption habits alone will not ensure good health. Daily light physical exercise is equally important, she said and suggested that people take adequate supplements of protein with items like milk, cheese and curd along with the green vegetables, for a balanced diet.
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