Anuradha Sridharan

There are two kinds of people in the world - those who love self-help books and those who make fun of self-help books. I belong to the first kind and self-help is one of my favourite aisles in a bookstore. Just like how we keep our physical bodies fit by eating right and exercising everyday, I believe we need to invest time towards our mind and emotions on a daily basis. Reading self-help books are one of the many ways by which we could reflect on our days and lives. Sometime in 2003, I read Shiv Khera’s popular book “You can win”. I don’t remember much of it now, but I liked it for its simplicity and powerful quotes. In his new book “ You can achieve more - Live by Design, not by default ", the author follows a similar writing style, but focusing on more important aspects that are relevant for today.  If “winning” is all about goal setting, preparation and time management, “achieving” involves a lot more to do with our mind. The author touches upon most important asp...

In the last few years, salads have become the most popular meal among those who want to stay fit, lose weight or manage lifestyle diseases. Traditional Indian meal preparations are being put in the back-burner to make way for exotic salads. It is easier to find iceberg lettuce and cherry tomatoes than the local drumstick greens and cluster beans in supermarkets in Bangalore. Most people find it bland to have salads on a regular basis, especially those who love the myriad flavours of Indian cuisine. I’m one among them and as much as I love to make healthy food choices, I just cannot have a salad as a meal on a daily basis. Yes, there have been few times when I wanted to whip up a quick salad for lunch but such days are quite rare. I prefer to eat a proper Indian meal with a portion of raw salad as an accompaniment. When we order a plate of exotic salad in a restaurant, it tastes yummy and the main reason is the “dressing” that is added to salads. Most of these dressings a...

Come Women’s Day or Mother’s Day, there will certainly be an ad campaign from Women’s Horlicks that talks about the importance of bone density and calcium through a very emotional ad story plot. Irrespective of whether the ad creates a sense of hope or fear, most urban women in the country will be convinced at the end, “ Yes, I need to supplement my diet with this health drink, now that I’m in my early 30s ”. Ads can strike such an emotional chord, that we might overlook the essential facts. First, let’s look at the ingredients : Cereal Extract(47%) (Barley (27%), Wheat (11%), Malted Barley (8%), Wheat Malt (1%)) Milk Solids (36%) Corn Solids (Hyrolyzed) Minerals Salt Nature Identical Flavoring Substances Vitamins Artificial Sweetener (INS 950) Usually, I start off my analysis from the first ingredient. But this time, let’s start from the last. (1) Artificial Sweetener (INS 950) - Acesulfame Potassium The packaging states “ Contains Acesulfame...

Source: https://www.ceregrow.in/nutripuff.html Exactly a year back, I wrote a post on Nestle Ceregrow , a cereal targeted for 2-5 year old kids. If you haven’t read that post, please take a couple of minutes to go through it first. I had expressed my concerns on why we even need such products in the first place. And now there is one more product that has arrived with “ Now in India ” launch. It is Ceregrow NutriPuffs , that is marketed as a “healthy” snack for 2-5 year olds. All my rants and frustrations from the previous post are applicable here as well, so let’s dive quickly into the facts. Here are the ingredients of NutriPuffs "Banana & Orange” flavour: Screenshot taken from product page in Amazon India on 7th May 2018 Ingredients : Rice Flour (38%) Wheat Flour (23.1%) Starch Palmolein Icing Sugar ( Sugar , Starch) Dehydrated banana (2.7%) Glucose Syrup Orange mix (Orange juice (0.8%), Glucose syrup, Dextrose ) Acidity Reg...

  How peer influence has become such a crucial factor when it comes to choosing junk foods by young children these days! D got introduced to "Chupa chup lollipop” by her friend and now whenever she goes to the supermarket, she inevitably picks up one piece. As much as I tell her not to swallow the bubble gum inside the lollipop, she believes in her friend (who is 2 years younger btw) who apparently advised her, “ you can swallow, nothing will happen ”.  A few days back, when she went shopping with her dad, she brought a pack of “Jim Jam biscuits”. As soon as she saw me,  she shouted, “ Amma, look what I found - Jim Jam biscuits ”.  I asked her, “ eh, how did you know about it? ”.  Pat came the reply, “ I tasted it at my friend X (another friend)’s home ”.  Grrrr….Tiny little friends of hers who are more influential than me, the mom! ;-) As much as I try to reduce the exposure, she will inevitably learn about these new junk foods in the...