Health Wise

At the popular super-store Modern Bazaar in Basant Lok, you can pick anything from baked potato chips to roasted whole grains. 8220;We started selling these health snacks two years ago. People were hesitant to try them out. But this year sales of these snacks went up three times and they are very popular with youngsters too,8221; says Kunaal Kumar, Proprietor, Modern Bazaar. 8220;At our shop popular picks are baked chips, soya-based mixtures and diet biscuits by companies like Roasty-Toasty and Life-Fit,8221; he adds. Life-Fit, a health snacks maker based out of Maharani Bagh sources its products to over 20 super marts and grocery stores in Delhi and NCR.

At Evergreen Sweet House, don8217;t get put off by the name that promises a sweet showcase. Walk into their Green Park venue and a corner stacks an impressive selection of health snacks that are touted to have 8220;less than two per cent oil8221;. There are interesting options of roasted sprouts, roasted Kashmiri corn and wheat flakes. Teamed with some spices, they turn into great munchies. There is Jwar Flakes Mixture Rs 40 for 225 gms plastic box that offers a mix of rice puffs, a variety of roasted pulses and corn flakes. The mixture is definitely a better alternative to potato chips to go with your pre-dinner snacking. 8220;We started making these low-cal snacks three years ago on a small scale. We trained our old cooks to roast crispies instead of frying them.

Over the years the demand for these foods has increased many fold,8221; says Shyam Sharma, one of the partners at Evergreen Sweet House. They now supply their health snacks to Reliance super-mart. 8220;We send these snacks to Reliance weekly. Since they are made with no added preservatives, they last for about two months,8221; he adds.

Farsaan Gujarati for snacks stocks up low-starch hybrid flour and soya-based snacks. At its three outlets in Delhi and Gurgaon, the shelves are stocked with options of low salt, preservative free snacks and most are touted to be safe for diabetics. The outlet stocks aloo lachha, banana chips, tomato sticks, soya sticks, dals, and khakra. Billed as one of the best stopovers for lip-smacking Gujarati snacks, at Farsaan, you can also sample your pick before placing an order.

8220;It is good that people are picking up healthy snacking but one has to be careful,8221; warns Ishi Khosla, nutritionist and proprietor of Whole Foods. 8220;Check labels properly and a tissue test to check on the oil content is always advisable. There are a lot of small time manufactures who often do not comply with health standards. Once in Mumbai I came across a very popular baked namkeen which was higher in fat content than usual fried snacks,8221; she warns.