Believe it or not, a samosa is much healthier than a burger.

It might be hard to believe but the truth is that eating a samosa is much healthier than eating a burger.

At least, that's what the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has stated in its new report.

Dieticians have earlier argued that more than the ingredients in a samosa, it's the oil it is cooked in that causes more harm to the body, especially when fried by roadside vendors. Since the vendors repeat the same oil for frying, it gets stale. They also use hydrogenated oil that has transfatty acid, writes Swati Kapoor in an article on practo.com.

As far as the ingredients are concerned, the new CSE report mentioned that a samosa may be calorie-dense, but it is free of additives, preservatives and flavourants. It is made of fresh ingredients like refined wheat flour, cumin, boiled potatoes, peas, salt, chilies, spices, vegetable oil or ghee.

"Fresh food contains none of the chemicals present in ultra-processed food," states the report, titled Body Burden: Lifestyle Diseases.

And that's exactly why eating a burger may not be good for your health, as it contains preservatives, acidity regulators and an emulsifier, along with refined wheat flour, sugar, wheat gluten, edible vegetable oil, yeast, salt, soya flour, sesame seeds, vegetables, mayonnaise, cheese, and meat or potato patty.

Similarly, foods like poha or fresh juice were also termed as better by the report, in comparison to noodles and canned juices that comprise thickeners, humectants, permitted synthetic food colours and added flavours.

So, the next time you crave an evening snack, ditch the burger and pick up a freshly fried samosa instead!