Anuradha Sridharan

Learning comes in all forms and from various sources. Children can teach us a lot about spontaneity. They don’t plan or think too much but they are happy being alive in the present. A couple of weeks back, I was in a dull mood for no reason. It was a Saturday afternoon. The rain clouds were playing hide-and-seek. We didn’t step out, fearing the traffic. The afternoon was spent, just lazing around with my daughter D. She should have sensed my restlessness and all of a sudden, she decided to play with her dad. I felt claustrophobic at home and wanted to get some fresh air. I took the keys and stepped out of our home immediately. I went to the terrace and took a short walk. The sky was beautiful, the breeze was cool and strong, there were mild sounds of thunder rumbling from somewhere across the city and of course, there was the usual line-up of cars, honking right outside my apartment.  Suddenly, I heard a drizzle somewhere nearby but not a raindrop on my head yet. Within a few...

Wanted to SEO this post, so the title. But it is not a review of the product, rather my arguments on why we don't need such products in the first place. What is superstition? Believing in something blindly, without questioning. Many of us tend to believe whatever the advertisements claim. It’s worse when a TV ad talks about nutrition. I have been asked by family elders to give Complan/Horlicks everyday to my daughter because the ads say “taller, stronger, sharper”. Isn’t this superstition too? If it was TV for the previous generation, what’s the equivalent for our generation? Yes, social media. Who spreads such tall claims? Yes, the “so-called” influencers. Whatever respect I have had for food bloggers is declining rapidly with each passing day. Sometimes, I just want to unfollow all of them but then a thought pops up - “If I don’t follow, how would I know about the latest launches of packaged food brands, so that I can write about the healthier, environment-friendly alter...

Wanted to SEO this post, so the title. But it is not a review of the product, rather my arguments on why we don't need such products in the first place. The question “Where are we heading?” seems to be popping up in my head more frequently these days. A recent ad of a health food brand targeted towards 2-5 year olds forced me to hit my head hard and ask myself, “ Is it the heights of laziness? Are people actually going to buy this pack and feed their growing kids? Where are we heading? ”. These hard questions were triggered by this latest product from Nestle named “Ceregrow” targeted towards 2-5 year old children. Their positi oning is that kids have small tummies but need more nutrition ("Big nutrition for small tummies”). With their earlier brand “Cerelac” having become a household name that is commonly fed to infants and toddlers (6 - 18 months), their next target is obviously the subsequent age bracket of 2-5 year olds. 1) Kids of 2-5 year olds should be eating t...

It was a beautiful Sunday evening. Rain clouds were gathering and a cool breeze was gently caressing my hair as we were driving to a park in Jayanagar. My daughter D loves parks and play areas. Bangalore is blessed with a lot of them and most importantly, they are well maintained by BBMP. The park was crowded and D played happily to her heart’s content, climbing up and down the slides and swings. There was dancing and singing too. After spending more than an hour, it was time to leave as it started to drizzle. She spotted a Cafe Coffee Day nearby and screamed, “I want Oreo milkshake”. We stepped into CCD and placed her order. I wanted coffee and as I was perusing their menu, I spotted filter coffee. “ Hmm, filter coffee in CCD menu. Let me try it out ”, a thought popped up. “ Why take a chance? Don’t you remember the bad brownie incident that you faced some time back? Order your usual cappuccino ”, another thought responded. (I hate cold coffee. Even if it is a peak summer afternoon, ...

When we talk about Vitamin-C, the first thing that comes to our mind is “ Immunity ”. Immunity against viruses are essential for everyone but more so for children. Living in a city like Bangalore where the temperature fluctuates a lot, children fall sick more often. Since the immunity of toddlers and pre-schoolers is building up, the frequency of catching a cold/cough is high. You don’t need a health drink like Pediasure or a multi-vitamin “gummy bear” to boost their immunity. And no “fortified” packaged orange juices too. All they need is good sources of Vitamin-C in their diet. Vitamin-C is a water soluble vitamin and aids in the absorption of iron. It is not produced or stored in the body and so it has to be acquired through food. Vitamin C boosts immunity and is necessary for the production of collagen, a protein for maintaining the health of the skin. Vitamin-C also has anti-oxidant properties. It also helps in the formation of neuro-transmitters, thereby helping certain c...

Meal-prep and meal planning seems to be all the rage these days. Popular ideas/suggestions range from - chop veggies for a week and freeze them - partially cook gravies and curries and freeze them - make chapathi dough for a week and refrigerate them - cook rice, make phulkas for a week and freeze them - cook all dishes fully and freeze them and more. The world (especially the food industry) wants you to believe that you are too busy and you don’t have time to cook a meal. Only then, they can sell solutions that promise to save you time. I have written enough about processed foods and junk foods. But there’s also another industry that’s growing in urban India - food storage products . The demand for ziplock bags, aluminium foils, cling wrap, freezer trays, freezer safe plastic containers and MW reheatable boxes have gone up so high in the past decade or so. Many families buy a microwave oven SOLELY for the purpose of reheating food. Left-overs? You might ask “What about lef...

Wanted to SEO this post, so the title. But it is not a review of the product, rather my arguments on why we don't need such products in the first place. Long, sarcastic rant ahead. Proceed at your own peril. Yesterday, my Instagram feed was filled with pictures and videos from the launch of Saffola Aura oil. I follow too many food bloggers and I guess most of them were invited for the event in Mumbai. I’m sure atleast the flight tickets would have been covered. Now for the facts - Saffola Aura oil is a blend of refined Spanish olive oil and flaxseed oil. MRP is a whopping Rs.1150 for 1 litre (as checked in BigBasket). Having studied marketing and consumer behaviour with so much interest, I can imagine how this product would have been conceptualised. “Ok, what’s the latest buzzword in nutrition these days?” “Omega-3. Good for heart” “Hmm, flaxseeds. It has been used in India for centuries but we’ll have to position it as premium" “Let’s launch a premium oil bran...