Dessert made with artificial sweeteners? Not for indulging.

You know that advertisement? The one for an artificial sweetener where a dessert tries to tempt a man into eating it? As ad makers believe in using the feminine gender in every advertisement (irrespective of the gender`s significance to the product), the dessert is depicted as enticing the man using a lilting feminine voice. In the background is his watchful wife, the barrier between him and the dessert.

Its one of the many sexist ads' floating around. But lets discuss that angle someother day.

To continue... caught in the middle of the wife and the dessert, what`s the man to do? The ad tells you the- WHAT.

Enter a chef who convinces the wife to use the brand of sweetener he endorses. If she does, then her dessert starved husband neednt be dessert starved again.

Next time this commercial is on TV, change the channel. 

Why? ... Because its misleading.

One, a chef is not a dietician. Chefs are culinary experts but its a dietician who is the last word in all matters concerning nutrition and diet. Dieticians have to fulfill certain fixed academic (e.g. obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, or Dietetics) and training requirements (e.g. predetermined hours of supervised internship in hospitals) and often have to write an exam to obtain a license or registration to practice (varies as per the country they are practicing in). Thus chefs are not in a position by virtue of this difference to speak for or against an artificial sweetener, unless its presented as a personal opinion and not an authoritative one.

Two, a dessert e.g. icecream, pastries, and other similar species, or even traditional Indian sweets made using an artificial sweetener instead of sugar are popularly called `Low Calorie' or `Sugar Free' or 'Diet' when sold commercially. And, these days we have commercials encouraging preparation and consumption of home made Indian sweets, like halwa, kheer and so on, to be made using a Y brand of artificial sweetener. `Eat away, as it has no sugar, so no calories', the advertisements' say.

If you are a diabetic or a weight watcher, who has bought the ad`s sweet lie and gleefully consumes plenty of desserts made with artificial sweeteners, rethink.

For a diabetic, absence of sugar in a sweet is not a green signal to start indulging. Ditto for a weight watcher. Here's why. And, its not the age old (and very incorrect) argument of artificial sweeteners causing cancer. For the entire deal on artificial sweeteners, read my popular article published in Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle in Jan 2010.

Diabetics are always at risk for developing cardio-vascular disorders like high blood cholesterol, so even if a sweet doesnt have sugar it will almost always have plenty of fat (ghee, butter, oil), or milk. Both are excellent sources of cholesterol. For weight watchers, just because a sweet doesnt have sugar, doesnt make it `zero calorie'. A dessert/sweet still has other calorie supplying ingredients like milk, oil/butter/ghee, dried fruits, condensed milk...you get the drift. Thus, no dessert can be a weight watchers friend. Containing sugar or not.

So, while one can always enjoy creative advertisements (I always do) do put some thought before literally buying an advertisements health claim.

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The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition © Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader and not to be construed as medical advice. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@gmail.com

Are Fast Food Advertisements Deciding What Your Child Eats?

A television advertisement of a global fast food chain shows a little boy buying a burger for his equally little `girlfriend’. The advertisements basic aim is to show the company's fast food as so affordable, that everyone can buy it. Even kids.

I would love to diss this multinational`s marketing ploy of targeting young children, but many health bodies are already at it. Instead this post focuses on how you can help your child not get swayed by these, and similar advertisements which promote food which is not only expensive but also high in overall calories, fat and sugar and low on health.

While occasional treats are alright, whats not is not alright is if the child begins to think of fast food as-nice, exciting, hip and a mandatory item to consume.


Here is what you can do when an all powerful junk food advertisement comes on TV:

Don`t criticize the food being advertised: Avoid saying that burgers are bad and French fries are terrible. It might make your child want that food more. Instead try giving examples of what it might do to eat lots of burgers or fries.
Example: "If you want to eat a burger every week then you wont be able run very fast in that school race."

Discuss the food commercial with them: Next time a fast food commercial is on, have a fun session with your kid where you can sit and discuss what all went into making the food being advertised.

If its a burger, talk about the mayonnaise, the cutlet, the butter, the lettuce and more. Try telling her the merits and demerits of individual items, and sum up by emphasizing on how the demerits are more in number.

Kids dont get attracted by words like `good health’ so you have to use kidspeak like: "If you eat that fast food you will feel less energetic, do you want to feel tired during your play time?"

Television is not reality: Over time explain to your children that the characters (including child artistes) in a commercial are professionals called actors. And, that its not real. Explain that the aunty who features in the ad and her kiddos, dont really eat instant noodles or huge jars of ice cream daily in their real lives.

Negotiate on the fast food requests: Set a bar on the number of times your child can indulge in fast food at school or with the family. Give reasons why you are setting this bar using kidspeak as discussed above. Remember not make the bar sound as if it were a punishment.

Set a fast food budget: Works for older kids. Its simple. Allot a prefixed amount of money for their fast food expenses. The fast food is ruled out when that month's or week's `fast food money' runs out. You will have to do a little homework prior to doing this. Find out the average expense per person, during one visit to a fast food joint and allot money as per the number of visits you want to restrict your child to.

Everything written above is to be implemented very, very, gradually. Resist the temptation of implementing it in one shot. It may backfire.

Children can wear you out into giving into their demands. Children may also not be cooperative and listen to everything you say. But, what they don't know and that you will know (eventually) is that persistence in incorporating good eating habits pays.

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The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition © Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader and not to be construed as medical advice. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@gmail.com

Buying Milk The Right Way

Its time! ...You got to learn how to buy packaged or tetra pak milk the right way, and not based on packet color or cuteness quotient of its television commercial.

The sole attribute of liquid milk which leads to it being called by different names like Skimmed, Toned, Slim, etc, is its fat percentage. In other words, all milk sellers package, price and sell milk to the customer, primarily based on its fat percentage. Additions while processing the milk e.g. incorporation of vitamins or minerals, or use of sophisticated preservation techniques, may also be a basis for differential packaging and pricing.

Packaged liquid milk sold in the Indian market is classified into following common types based on its fat percentage:
 

Full cream or whole milk-Contains a fat percentage of 6% or above. Recommended for infants who have already been weaned from their mothers milk and children of all ages. Adults may do well not to consume this type of milk, the reason being, an average Indian adult whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian, easily consumes the recommended daily amount of dietary fat from various food sources (incl. fats & oils used in cooking/garnishing) available to her/him on a day to day basis. Most infact easily overshoot the recommended daily allowance (RDA or RDI) of fat consumption. In such a scenario, consumption of full cream milk is not needed, unless one has a clinical condition where the dietary fat intake has to be increased or one is fond of full cream milk and has no existing health restrictions (say, hypercholesterolemia) preventing its consumption.
 

Standardized milk- Fat percentage of 4.5%. A nice choice for domestic use, as its fat percentage works well for consumption by all age groups within the family. One can choose between this or toned milk for daily consumption.

Toned milk- Is perhaps the most popular milk type used in the country with a fat percentage of 3%-3.5%. Excellent for daily household use, owing to its ability to suit both the culinary and nutrition purpose well. A multi-purpose milk.

Double toned or `slim' milk-Fat percentage is about 1%-1.5% (but not 0%). People mistake this to be skimmed milk because of confusing labels on the milk packet e.g. labels like `99.0% fat free', but its not skimmed milk.
 

Skimmed milk-Only milk which has 0% fat or zero fat actually qualifies to be called skimmed. Even milk which is 99.5% fat free is not technically skimmed milk, but countries vary in their legal definition of `skimmed' and in some nations a 99.5% fat free milk is considered as skimmed e.g. in USA, milk which has a fat percentage between 0% to 0.5% can be called `skimmed'. In UK, milk should have a fat percentage under 0.3% and it can be called `skimmed'. 

Skimmed milk is good investment for people who have to watch their dietary fat and cholesterol intake very, very, strictly. Other than that, it has no glaring merits which justifies its premium pricing. An aspect I plan on discussing later in this blog, is how its usage with respect to weight loss diets is also over-hyped by the media and health practitioners. To sum up, my verdict on skimmed milk is that its not a practical choice for an Indian household because of pricing and lack of ability to be a multi-purpose milk.

Various brands differ (but very slightly) in how much fat percentage they quote for the above categories of milk. To avoid getting confused by words like `wholesome' `slimming' `fat free' etc, look up the back of the milk packet for its `fat percentage' (not to be confused with SNF percentage), it is compulsorily mentioned and this will help you choose the type nearest to what you want.

Note-The above information/classification is for liquid cows milk sold in the Indian market only.

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The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition © Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader and is not to be construed as medical advice. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@gmail.com

The Milk Deal | Pasteurized Vs Homogenized

Your first connection with nutrition makes way into your house, everyday, along with your newspaper. Households grind to a halt without this. Yet, we know very little about this `something nutrition' we deal with day after day, first thing in the morning. 

Apart from identifying milk tetra packets based on color (e.g. that blue milk packet...errr...that orange milk packet) and groggily cutting it open, have you ever opened your eyes wide and explored the packet? No?

So follow me to the world of practical nutrition and read on.

To keep it simple, for now lets stick to just two words sticking out boldly from your milk packet, namely, `pasteurized' and `homogenized'.

Whats pasteurized milk?
The word `pasteurized' means that the packed milk has been subjected to `pasteurization', a procedure which retards or slows down growth of micro-organisms in milk. The milk you buy thus has a longer shelf life, amongst other things.

A more technical definition of pasteurization is `A process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately'. Pasteurization is in reality a more complicated procedure, but I got to keep it brief.

Whats homogenized milk?
Homogenization is a procedure which breaks up the milk fat into smaller particles and ensures that the milk is of the same tone (consistency) throughout. This done to prevent or delay the separation of cream from the milk i.e. in homogenized milk the cream doesnt accumulate on top in a thick layer, as it does with milk straight from the cow.

Another reason for homogenization is that in the dairy your milk supply originates from, the milk is mostly sourced from various farmers who own milking herds. All this milk from different breeds of cows is mixed together and has to be made more uniform and this is done via homogenization.

Nutrition is your daily life

We never realize that nutrition is a very intimate part of our daily living. Nutrition is not some separate planet which you have to enter only on being told `Hey go to that planet, its healthy'. You are dealing with it daily. Right from the milk you buy, to the salt you sprinkle, to the sugar your spoon, each common food has a nutrition story to tell. If you listen in to each such story, you will automatically start looking at food, and your diet, in a more informed manner and make better diet choices.

Next time, we will dissect that milk packet more. So watch this space.

Note- The above discussion is limited to milk which is in tetra packs and not the one we get unpackaged from our milkman (or, doodhwala).

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The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition © Raksha Changappa. Contents of this blog post (excluding images) are the exclusive copyright and intellectual property (IP) of Raksha Changappa. This post is solely for knowledge and information of the reader. If you want to use the post contents, kindly do so by acknowledging the source, namely this blog and the author, via hyperlinks or credits. If not, no content will be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed, in any form or means, including print and electronic media. Copyright and IP infringements will be taken seriously. For queries contact nutrewise@yahoo.com