Here’s why you should STOP using newspapers to blot oil from deep fried foods

If you are among the many who save newspapers to be used for blotting oil from deep-fried foods – stop now. The low cost of newspapers compared to tissues or kitchen rolls and paper towels is the main reason for this practice. However, did you know that eating food kept in newspapers can cause cancer? Deep fried food is unhealthy as it is, and using newspapers to blot the oil just ups the inhealthy quotient.

Haven’t you observed how ink gets transferred from the newspaper or magazine page onto your food? Chemical solvents are used to dissolve the ink on newspapers. This ink and the solvents like graphite can leach to the food very easily and enter your system, causing several health issues like cancer. While all other waste is eliminated from the body through faeces, graphite keeps accumulating and can be hazardous for the lungs and kidneys, says dietitian and sports nutritionist, Deepshikha Agarwal. The solvents present on newspaper can also lead to digestion problems and disrupt hormones and have been proved to be carcinogenic. You should also know about these 5 food packaging materials that can be harmful for your health.

Petroleum-based mineral oils are used for thickening the ink on paper and cobalt based agents are used for drying it. Both these, if consumed, pose serious health hazards. If you think magazine pages are better in quality, you are wrong. While their ink may not leach easily to food stuff but the chemicals used to add gloss and prevent the ink from smudging pose even more threat. Hence, it is best to use tissue papers or paper towels used for absorbing excess oil from fried food.

Tissues or paper towels are not expensive anymore and can be purchased in bulk at better prices. If you still wish to use paper, use blank or plain sheets. But the use of newspapers needs to stop immediately, suggests Deepshikha Agarwal.

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