Kebab: unhealthy?

[Sofista]

Donair kebabs, standard takeout fare for thousands of Britons following a night out, contain "shocking" amounts of salt and fat, and many may include meat that is not listed as an ingredient.

A survey by food standards officers found the average kebab contained 98 per cent of a person's daily recommended salt intake; nearly 1,000 calories, equivalent to half a woman's daily food intake; and almost 150 per cent of the recommended daily amount of saturated fat.

The worst offending kebabs managed a whopping 1,990 calories before salad and sauces were added and almost 350 per cent of a woman's saturated fat intake.

The Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services, which coordinated the research, said it had revealed "shocking figures" about the contents of donair kebabs.

CAUSE FOR CONCERN

"We would never consider kebabs part of a calorie-controlled diet, but the level of saturated fat and salt in some is a serious cause for concern," said Geoffrey Theobald, chairman of LACORS.

"While some people may think they are making sensible choices by ordering a small kebab, this study showed little difference between small and large kebab weight."

The study, which involved tests on 494 kebabs by officers from 76 local authorities across Britain, discovered many of the kebabs were incorrectly labelled.

Tests found that 35 per cent of labels listed meat that was different from that actually found in the kebab.

Six tested positive for pork when it had not been declared as an ingredient including two marked as halal, or acceptable for Muslims.

"It is totally unacceptable that people with certain faiths are unknowingly eating meats that are against their beliefs," Theobald said.

"Labelling is a safeguard for people to help them make informed choices, so they need to be accurate."

The unhealthiest kebabs were found in northwest England, where the average calorie content was 1,101, with those in London and Northern Ireland the "healthiest" in terms of calories.

Source.

In the MacD vs Burger King thread some hailed kebab as the healthy alternative to fast food. It would appear that they were wrong...

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Doner's aren't healthy. The grilled proper meat variety with salad is good though.

 

[mrt144]

Who is making those kind of kebabs? Are these Scottish kebabs?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

It's traditional Turkish/Greek food I believe.

 

[eastsidebagel]

In the MacD vs Burger King thread some hailed kebab as the healthy alternative to fast food. It would appear that they were wrong...

I said that Doners are a tasty, cheap and relatively healthy to the normal crappy fast food you might expect while eating at McD or BK.
If you eat them in reasonable intervals of time, they're just as unhealthy as eating an oatmeal.

 

[Sofista]

Sorry, didn't mean to single out anyone . The mention of kebab just made me remember that I had recently read about the study above mentioned.

 

[Ecofarm]

If you eat them in reasonable intervals of time, they're just as unhealthy as eating an oatmeal.

Personally, yes. Socially, no. Ecologically, no.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Kebabs taste better than porridge though.

 

[mrt144]

It's traditional Turkish/Greek food I believe.

It's a jab at Scots who deep fry everything. The only kebabs I have ever had have been grilled or griddled. Do you do it differently across the pond?

 

[scherbchen]

not trying to be a smart-arse or discredit the OP, this, I suppose, will be new to many people who do not really care that much about their diet. nothing inherently wrong with that either if it is a conscious decision and I pretty much have that mindset myself.

having said that... this just in: fast food might be bad for you. on a related note, inhaling hot smoke into your lungs is not beneficial and drinking alcohol might affect your judgement and fine motor functions. more on this after a short commercial brake.

 

[eastsidebagel]

Sorry, didn't mean to single out anyone . The mention of kebab just made me remember that I had recently read about the study above mentioned.

I can't believe either that it is possible to compare a British doner with one who was served to you in Germany.
I mean, what the results of this study show you, is excrutiatingly gross. Maybe I'm mistaken or just not ready yet for the truth, but I eat regularly a Doner, and when I see the person behind the counter preparing it and handing it over to me, I just can't see anything wrong with it.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

It's a jab at Scots who deep fry everything. The only kebabs I have ever had have been grilled or griddled. Do you do it differently across the pond?

No we don't. A doner kebab is a strange beast with no bones that spins next to a large vertical grill and is very greasy. Tasty though, especially when you are very drunk

 

[scherbchen]

missing from this thread so far:

the Dönertier, the animal that is the source of the Döner

Spoiler :

envisioned by these brilliant minds

Spoiler :

leading to fast food joints such as this one

Spoiler :

 

[ParadigmShifter]

It looks like a distant relative of the Haggis

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Kebabs taste better than porridge though.

Fat and salt do that. And for those shocked at this news post, what did you expect?

 

[eastsidebagel]

Fat and salt do that. And for those shocked at this news post, what did you expect?

Well, nothing in this level of goriness, yikes!

 

[tycoonist]

i had doner kebab in turkey and it was really good, but the stuff on offer in britain doesn't seem to be nearly as good.

 

[eastsidebagel]

missing from this thread so far:

the Dönertier, the animal that is the source of the Döner

Spoiler :

Its creators were my personal idols when I was a kid!
For anyone who doesn't know their names: Erkan und Stefan!

 

[Cutlass]

contain "shocking" amounts of salt and fat

1-200 years ago, and even today in many places, people were desperate for that.

 

[scherbchen]

Its creators were my personal idols when I was a kid!
For anyone who doesn't know their names: Erkan und Stefan!

I actually was an extra in one of their movies, on camera for all of 2 seconds. made about 80 Deutsche Mark off of that if I remember correctly, which is about what you'd pay for a Döner today. coincidence? I think not!