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

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

What Makes For A 100% Organic Food

As I ambled along the aisles of a gourmet food store, I noticed placards saying 'Organic Food. No Pesticides'. After all, thats what organic means, right? To be grown without using pesticides? Wrong.

Stores selling organic food are not a rarity anymore. Their customers are people like you and me, who dont want to consume food exposed to chemicals and hence buy it at a premium...but is your expensive buy truly organic? Find out how exactly a plant or animal food qualifies as organic.

Organic Plant Foods- Any produce (grains, pulses, legumes, fruits or vegetables) declared as organic should not have used irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) while cultivation.

Organic Animal Foods- For labelling meat (mutton, lamb, beef), poultry (chicken, duck, geese, turkey incl. their eggs) and dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter) as organic, farmers should meet animal health and welfare standards, not use antibiotics or growth hormones on the animal or bird, use 100% organic feed and provide animals with outdoor access.

The above guidelines for terming a plant or animal food as organic, is actually law in some countries. In addition, owners of any organic food growing operation must show that they are committed to protecting and conserving-natural resources and biodiversity, and to the use of only approved substances. 

Based on what you read, how many organic fruit/vegetable stores you visit make the grade? Find out when you drop by next!

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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

Meet the Browns! BROWN bread, BROWN rice, BROWN egg, BROWN sugar....

Its been a week since I last blogged. But anyone who knows me will also know that very little usually comes in the way of nutrition, writing and I. And, if it ever did, it has to be really superlative. So here I am typing away furiously about the role of the word 'brown' when it comes to food. To elaborate, have you noticed that the word `brown' when prefixed to any food automatically makes the food sound healthier than its, uhhh, not-so-brown counterpart? For instance, say 'white bread' to any health conscious human and you get a conditioned disapproving look. Now say 'brown bread' and the look changes to that of approval and sometimes reverence. So is it true? Is brown better when it comes to some types of food? Lets see shall we,

Brown Bread: The term `brown bread' is meant to indicate bread made with whole wheat flour or whole grain wheat flour. Yes, brown bread is nutritionally better than white bread, but only if you get the real product (as some manufacturers add caramel to make white bread look brown).

What you can do to verify is read the ingredients listed on the bread packaging and see if the word 'caramel' is present. If you see only the word 'caramel' but no words like: whole wheat flour or whole grain wheat flour or atta (Hindi for wheat flour), then skip that brand. But, if you do see those words and listed amongst the top three ingredients by weight, then buy that brand irrespective of whether caramel is present. Remember, I am only talking about plain bread here and not multi-grain bread or bread made using a mix of different pulse/grain like soy, oat, finger millet etc.

Brown Rice: Dont confuse brown rice with parboiled rice, they are different. Brown rice is a grain of rice which has lost just one layer during milling, namely its outer husk. Whereas the rice which we commonly eat and refer to as white rice, has lost two more layers during milling, in addition to the husk. Brown rice beats white rice hands down in nutritional value (vitamin, mineral and fiber content), so go for it if the extra cost is not a bother. An option which is cheaper than brown rice but nutritionally better than white rice, is parboiled rice. Lets talk about it sometime in my future blogging sessions.

Brown (Chicken) Egg: The color of the shell in some eggs is brown/beige/cream because the breed of chicken which lays these, lays them in that color. Example of brown egg laying chicken breeds: Australorp, Brahma and quite a few more. Brown eggs are not nutritionally superior to white shelled ones, they are both nutritional equals. There is thus, no strong reason to pay more for brown shelled eggs, unless you want to spend extra for just the appealing shell color.

Brown Sugar: Not talking of the infamous drug here, but of sugar which is brown in color. How? Sugar in its early stages of refining or sugar which is semi-refined, has a residue of  mollasses (a viscous by product of the sugar manufacturing process) and mollasses are what give the sugar its brown color (at this stage). This is called natural brown sugar.

Brown sugar can also be made by mixing mollasses with regular white sugar, in which case its not `natural'. Brown sugar has great value in the culinary world, but lets stick to discussing if its nutritionally better than white sugar. Natural brown sugar does have greater mineral content than white, so yes, by that count it is better than white sugar. Natural brown sugar is however hygroscopic (attracts moisture) and may be difficult to store and use. Brown sugar may also cost more. So in the end, its better nutritional value vs practicality plus cost factor. Therefore, whether or not to buy brown sugar  is entirely the purchasers call.

As you can see, three out of four times, brown is better when it comes to some food types. But, its not really simple to tell people to choose an X food over a Y, as many factors affect individual food choices including family practice, customs, taste preference, cost factor, ease of use while cooking, easy availability in local shops and ease of storage. Ultimately, the desire to implement healthy eating habits always starts from within. Moving on...until my next blogging bout. Stay happy!

If you liked this post, you might also like,

Health Claims: When Only Mother Nature Should Get The Credit

Slack Fill: The Air In Your Potato Chip Packet Affects Your Wallet

Your Herbal Tea May Not Be Herbal

My Detailed Profile | My Website | Linkedin | Twitter | Media

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

Bariatric or Weight Loss Surgery: When Is It Alright To Go Under The Knife?

My client clears his throat, avoids eye contact and says, "Madam, I need to lose 10 kilos in one month. Please give me a diet to make me lose weight fast, or else...I will...I will go for weight loss operation".

Of course, I wasnt going to give him a diet plan to make him lose 10 kilos (20 pounds!) in one month. Diet plans inducing rapid weight loss are against my professional and personal ethics. In case you are curious, a drop in body weight in the range of 2 kilos (4.4 pounds) to a maximum of 5 kilos (11 pounds) per month is the permissible rate of weight loss. Any technique causing a faster rate of weight loss is best abandoned.

Now, what my client meant by `operation' was Bariatric Surgery (BS), a surgical procedure performed with the motive of making an individual lose weight. Bariatric surgery is of many types but lets save that discussion for a later date.

Bariatric Surgery is the last line of treatment for obesity, but is mostly marketed as a weight loss option which is effective, simple and for everyone. Why, if a layperson were to read a promotional material on bariatric surgery, it would make them believe that its just a simple nip and tuck and that the only side effect is permanent happiness!

And, this is precisely the impression this client and many other clients of mine are under. Under, until I use my 'Dietitian Voice' and elaborate on all aspects of the procedure. Here is what I tell them in form of FAQs (frequently asked questions).


Q 1. When can you consider bariatric surgery as an option for losing weight?

Bariatric surgery is your option for weight loss only if-

a) you are morbidly obese i.e. your Body Mass Index (BMI) is greater than 40, or,

b) you have a BMI of 35 and above, accompanied with serious and/or life threatening comorbidities (diseases) e.g. diabetes mellitus, hypertension.

But, that still does not qualify you as a candidate for surgery...

Even if you fulfill one of the above two criteria for `eligibility', it still has to concluded by a team of specialists that the first line of treatment has failed with you. In other words, all other options of making you lose weight namely calorie restriction, lifestyle modification, exercise, medication, psychological counselling and family involvement have failed.

Q 2. What should I know before undergoing the procedure?

If its been concluded by the team that nothing but surgery will work for you, then your surgeon needs to discuss the following with you, prior to the surgery-

a) Risks of the actual procedure. However non-invasive, all surgeries carry some amount of risk.

b) Physiological and medical side effects of the procedure which are for life e.g. malabsorption of nutrients, gastric dumping syndrome and more.

c) Access to life long postoperative followups.

d) Approximate cost involved, of not just the procedure, but also the postoperative care and followups.

Q 3. How does bariatric surgery make me lose weight?

There are many types of bariatric surgery and they aim to bring about weight loss in you by decreasing the amount of either-

a) food entering your gastrointestinal tract, or,

b) food absorbed in your gastrointestinal tract.

Q 4. What happens after the surgery? The good.

Yes, you lose weight. It not surprising considering your food intake and/or absorption, has been made to drop by a big percent. This loss in weight sees improvement in the symptoms of comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia etc. 

Q 5. What happens after the surgery? The uncomfy and the bad.

There are side effects for life and no one should tell you otherwise. The only thing is these side effects will vary depending on the type of surgery performed.

Lets take some of the side effects of of a common type of bariatric surgery called Gastric Restriction (where a portion of the stomach is surgically removed or stapled)-

Side effect 1: Since the procedure has made your stomach smaller than normal, you will feel full after eating even small quantities of food, with symptoms like nausea and vomiting. You can never eat even normal amounts of food in one sitting again.

Side effect 2: Your stomach produces HCl (Hydrocholoric acid), a germicidal agent, amongst other things. Removing a portion of your stomach surgically, reduces HCl production, thus lowering your stomach and small intestines resistance to bacterial action. Result? Increased risk of gastritis and bacterial overgrowth in your small intestine.

This apart, you have to definitely go for postoperative followups which involves appointments with your specialists and consultations with a dietitian (as you cannot eat the same food you did before the surgery and you definitely cannot eat anything that you feel like).

As I finish my narration on Bariatric Surgery to my captive audience, I normally leave them with an increased determination to lose weight the way its best suited for most-by eating mindfully. And, that was the idea to begin with.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Whats A Size Zero? How To Be A Size Zero? The Myth. The Truth. The Stupidity. 

Weight Loss Friend Or Foe? How Does Your Plate Measure Up?

Weight Related Bullying and Bullycide 

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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

Health Claims: When Only Mother Nature Should Get The Credit

Many processed or packaged foods make claims of possessing a special nutritional property, which is going to make you healthier. Of these, some brands highlight a nutritional property which exists naturally in that food and by clever or ambiguous writing on the packaging, make it sound like they should get the credit*. This is nothing but stealing the limelight from Mother Nature and here are some popular instances:

Examples of tag lines used on food packaging, which take the credit away from Mother Nature:

"New! SSS brand of tea. Rich in anti-oxidants!"

Tea, Camellia sinensis, in all its available varieties (white, green, black, oolong), is naturally rich in anti-oxidants (the antioxidant amount may vary as per the variety). Thus, no company should grab the privilege of implying that only its brand of tea contains or is rich in anti-oxidants.

"TZ brand of oats are rich in heart healthy soluble fiber"

All oats, whether grown in Australia, UK, USA, India, or any patch of soil across the globe, are naturally rich in the soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which is endowed with a cholesterol lowering effect.

"Protein rich YY brand of eggs"

Again, eggs, which ever color of shell they may possess (white, cream, grey, brown) come `protein rich' right out of the poultry in question, be it a hen, duck, geese, turkey, quail...

"Protein rich X brand of pulse, legume (e.g. dal, rajma, soya bean, broad beans, peas) and so on"

Pulses and legumes have been since ages, known to be rich vegetarian sources of protein.

" ZZZ brand of milk/yogurt/curd/paneer/cheese supplies you with your daily need of protein and calcium'

Once again, this is taking credit for foods which are naturally rich in protein and calcium, and making it sound like only a ZZZ brand of the same supplies you with protein and calcium.

" Q brand presents, low Glycemic Index (GI) brown rice"

Brown rice is partly milled rice, where only the outer most layer of a rice grain, called the husk, is removed. Whereas in white rice, two more layers are removed. Brown rice is thus fiber rich and fiber rich foods are by default, low GI foods. So once again, its not 'Q brand' but Mother Nature who has to be thanked.

There are many more instances, but you get the idea.

If you are picking up a food based on its health claim, try spending a few seconds practically (read: by not being distracted by memories of its attractive advertisement) analyzing the claim. If you cant decide or get confused, put it back on the shelf. You can always pick it up later. Whats the rush?

*does not include food brands which are fortified or enriched, or, brands with a bonafide and new health innovation in their product.

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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

Your Herbal Tea May Not Be....Well, Herbal!

 A Fistful Of Nutrition Post #5:

Most herbal teas are just regular tea leaves, honey or a sweetener, a significant portion of appealing flavour and a tiny amount of herbs thrown in. While buying any herbal tea, read the  "Ingredients" label provided (usually at the back) carefully. This label should  provide the name of all the herbs the tea claims to contain e.g. Mint, Rosemary, Tulsi etc. The percentage content of each herb in the tea should also be mentioned and in a descending order e.g. Mint (5%), Tulsi (2%) and so on. No information or non-specific information, means the brand is not worth buying. Skip.

My Detailed Profile | My Website | Linkedin | Twitter | Media

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

Slack Fill: The Air In Your Potato Chip Packet Affects Your Wallet

Ripping open a fat packet of potato chips sure is fun. The fun is not only in the realization that your favorite snack is only a fingers length away, but also due to the momentary thrill of deflating the air filled packet. Kinda similar to bursting bubbles on a bubble wrap.

Have you observed that your fingers have to travel some distance before they make contact with the chips and very few chips, if I may add. Infact, bigger the packet, the more time it takes for your fingers to locate the chips. And, have you ever thought, `Gosh! that packet sure looked like it had more chips before I opened it’. Or, maybe by now you have got so accustomed to paying money to eat air, that it doesnt matter no more.

So, why is your snack packet filled with air in the first place?

The air filled into packets of processed food serves as what is known as a slack fill. Slack fill is the difference between the actual capacity of a packet and the volume of product contained in it. In other words, slack fill is the empty space.

Right from your tetra pak fruit juices, to your cans of aerated drinks, to packets of cornflakes or savouries or pouches of ready to eat meals, slack fill is everywhere. What makes slack fill good or bad in these cases, depends on just how much of it is present.

When is slack fill good (read: legal)?

The law in many countries says that manufacturers can use slack fill if its `functional’, that is, if it allows the manufacturers to protect their product (e.g. potato chips, biscuits, cookies) from damage, or, if the packaging machinery requires existence of such a space to be effective and so on.

Its bad when..

The law also says that `non-functional slack fill’ is not allowed. That is, no manufacturer should leave empty space in their packaging, if its not meant to serve any purpose. But, how many manufacturers will actually admit that the empty space in their packaging do not have a purpose? Any argument would take the proverbial packet is half full (they will say) vs the packet is half empty (you will say) route.

Best part, its routinely used in opaque food packets or packets which dont let you see the inner contents. Rather convenient, I think. Sure its needed to preserve/protect the contents and has some other genuine functions as well, but how does a layperson know whether the air he just purchased along with his food, served any purpose at all and whether all that air was needed in the first place? So you see, slack fill can and is misused.

Some manufacturers use it as an excuse to deliver small food volumes in big (air filled) packets. Apart  from giving you less food product for your money, the fat air filled packets also consume lots of space during transportation (and, guess who will bear the cost of the two freight trucks when just one was enough?) making the product more expensive. Bigger packets (to accommodate more air and give an impression of big size) also use more non-biodegradable packing material and burden the environment.

All in all, slack fill surely is one of those pins which bursts our rights as a customer and as a human being on this planet.

If you liked this post, you might also like Your Herbal Tea May Not Be...Well, Herbal!

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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