Growing fast food trend entails health risks

By Erisha Sharma,Kathmandu, July 25: As the world slowly orbits the path of evolution, restaurant food has gained unprecedented popularity. Whether it be for taste in restaurant food or for convenience, many are preferring restaurant meals over homemade dishes.

“A restaurant near my place offered a meal plan — they provide me with two meals a day at NRs. 7,500 per month. This has saved me a lot of time and energy I would spend making food and cleaning everything afterward,” said Ram Shahi from Saptari, a nursing student at NAIHS (Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences), Swoyambhu.

Like Ram, many youths and students are living away from their families. So, these affordable meal plans and online food delivery services may be a better option. These options not only reduce the hassle of grocery shopping and cooking, but also fit well with busy work schedules and multiple jobs and also with those who share room with strangers.  

“People are now viewing food as an experience,” says Ramesh K.C., owner of a restaurant in Hattiban, Lalitpur. “Dining out has become a way to socialize, celebrate, and even relax after a long and tiring day.” This change shows how people view food and how much our lifestyle and culture have evolved. These days, food isn’t just something we eat to fill our stomachs — it’s something we enjoy and remember.

“I prefer restaurants as they offer a variety of good food and a pleasant ambiance, creating mesmerizing memories on special days like birthdays to recall in the future,” said Kriti Thapa.

Nowadays, restaurants have become places where people come together — friends catching up, families celebrating birthdays, couples on a night out, or even coworkers having casual meetings. Sharing a meal outside home has become a way to connect, laugh, and make memories that stay with us long after the plates are cleared.

“I genuinely love food. Trying new dishes, the smells, the taste, the vibe of a busy restaurant always makes me happy. But since I stay in a small apartment, I don’t have kits like a microwave to cook everything. So, I mostly eat out. This is more comforting,” said Kiran Adhikari, who works as an IT support technician. Like Kiran, many find eating outside as a small escape from daily stress, by saving time and effort while providing comfort, variety, and a refreshing change of atmosphere. It brings simple joys to busy lives.

This growing fondness for restaurant dining is also driving the food industry to evolve. Many restaurants now offer budget-friendly meal options, student discounts, and set menus to make eating out more accessible to a wider customer crowd.

Online food delivery has also gained popularity these days, with the number of deliveries increasing — mainly through apps like Foodmandu and Pathao. This shift has changed how restaurants operate. Many have partnered with delivery platforms or switched to cloud kitchens, focusing only on preparing food for takeout.

“I frequently order food from online vendors, mostly through Pathao, on tiring days. I place the order while I’m still in the office, Classic Tech Pvt. Ltd., so the food arrives shortly after I reach home. This becomes comforting after a long day,” said Shyam Karki, who is a field technician in Classic Tech. 

But regular consumption of oily and high-calorie food entails significant health risks. 

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“Frequent consumption of fried, salty, or processed food can gradually increase the risk of non-communicable diseases such as high cholesterol and blood pressure, and even diabetes,” said Dr. Ashok Gautam from 

Rapti Hospital. 

He also added, “We are seeing an increasing number of female patients facing weight-related issues due to the regular intake of calorie-dense, unhealthy food. 

This is directly linked to hormonal imbalances, irregular periods, and conditions like PCOD (Polycystic Ovarian Disease). Not only this, the sudden increase in weight might cause more health hazards.”

(Sharma is an intern at TRN.)