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

What Does Nutrition Mean?

The word `nutrition' doesnt only mean `nutritious food' e.g. dal khichdi or that bowl of curd or a fruit.

Its also "the act or process of nourishing".

Example: A mother feeding her toddler a meal, is a process of nourishing, and is nutrition.

Its also "the act or process of being nourished".

Example: You drinking tea, is nutrition. Or, if you were the toddler from above example, you are being nourished. And, thats nutrition.

And, its also the "sum of the processes by which a person takes in (eats) and utilizes (within his body) food"

Example: You break that bread or chapatti, dip it into salsa or curry and eat it. This is nutrition. And, the bread or chapati undergoes myriad metabolic processes in your body, to convert itself into a form suitable for use by your body and is then put to use by your body. This is nutrition.

I personally feel, even the act of choosing and then buying food from a supermarket or the neighbourhood grocer is 'nutrition'.

Nutrition is thus omnipresent in your life, its that cake from your colleagues birthday party, that warm movie hall popcorn, that hot cup of tea which makes you happy, the gum you chewed when you were bored, the beer you guzzled during a weekend, that antacid you chewed on post a  food binge, that bottle of water in your car, that fizzy drink in your refrigerator... Speak of influence!

This omnipresent nutrition can be further bifurcated as 'good' nutrition and 'poor or bad' nutrition. This is a very important difference. Something which will make or mar your health, as knowing what qualifies as 'good nutrition' helps one chose a healthier food from amongst the many available in this world. So the word 'nutrition' doesnt automatically mean 'good nutrition'. It becomes 'good' only if you know what to eat (or feed). Until next time, see where all you can spot 'nutrition' in a typical day.

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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