Turn The Packet

Mumbai Mirror | Apr 25, 2015

The part-subject of her new book - speedreading food labels before your baby pops in the contents, can decide his adult health, says Neelanjana Singh.

As parents we know that unhealthy eating habits leads to deficiencies, which eventually reflect in both, the child's health as well as performance in school and at the playground. This is why when we choose any food packet - whether it's instant noodles that promise extra iron or granola bars that 'come packed with protein' - we are careful about reading the food labels. But, most labels says Delhi based nutritionist Neelanjana Singh, don't tell the whole truth. Often, the nutrition they promise is compromised by other ingredients. In her new book Our Kid Eats Everything!, published by Hachette India, Singh tells you how to decode the labels:

1 HOW TO UNDERSTAND VALUES FOR FATS

Looking at percentages rather than amounts gives you a better idea of how much fat a product contains. Unfortunately, most of the Indian food companies do not represent food values in terms of percentage on the label. In such cases, we have to make an estimate based on the amount stated in grams.

Many food companies quote ridiculously small serving sizes so that the product appears to be a healthy one. When you open up a bag of chips, how likely are you to stop eating after just 30g - a typically quoted serving size - of it (just 15-20 pieces)? For instance, a bag of masala peanuts states that 100g of the product (half of the packet) contains 610 calories. The quantity of fat present in half the packet is 50g (provides 450 calories). Thus, 450 of the total 610 calories come from fat, which is a whopping 73 per cent. Dietary recommendations are that only 30 per cent of the calories should come from fat. This means that such a snack is not something that you should opt for very frequently. In order to keep fat intake in check, choose foods that have 3g or less of fat per 100 calories.

Watching out for the type of fat is also important. Check values of saturated fat and trans fats on the label. A popular brand of milk chocolate may state that the total fat in a mid-sized bar is 37 per cent, but the saturated fat content is 60 per cent! The recommendation is to limit saturated fats to 8-10% of the total fat in the product. Trans fats are not desirable and should ideally be avoided altogether.

2 SODIUM VALUES

You may perhaps know that many naturally occurring foods have sodium present in it. Thus, the body really does not need much of added salt except in special conditions. You may find it intriguing that almost all the salted snacks manufactured in India do not even mention the sodium salt values on their packs.

Many of these packs are actually loaded with salt, containing over 20 per cent of Daily Value or DV (see box), which is excessive considering the many packs that kids devour. Some chips contain 14.7 per cent sodium per serving, which again makes it a significant source of the same. Go for foods that contain less than 400mg sodium per serving.

3 VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Check the food label to see if the food is a rich source of any of these. A granola bar contains calcium 2% DV and iron 2% DV. It does not contain any significant amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. If a food item only provides such minuscule amounts of important nutrients, it would be wise to switch to healthier alternatives.

4 TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES

The body needs energy, which it derives mainly from carbohydrates. If a snack provides 10 per cent of the calories from carbs, it is a good thing, but paying attention to the source of carb is just as important. Whole grain is preferable over sugar as a source of carbohydrate.

It is also important to remember that if the snack has loads of salt and fat accompanying the healthy carb, it will negate the healthy aspect of the carb. You may notice on some food labels the mention of '1 carbohydrate choice/serve'. One 'choice' or 'serve' of carbohydrate is 15g, which provides 60 calories (1g carbohydrate provides 4 calories).

5 SUGARS

We do not need simple sugars in large amounts. When looking out for snacks that are healthy, go for ones low on sugar (sugar should be 5 per cent of the total calories required in a day). Simple sugars are added to snacks, candies, bars and so on, and should be consumed only in limited amounts. Many of the chocolates imply that they are healthy because of the high cocoa content (50 per cent and above) but have large amounts of added sugars.

One bar of a commonly available brand of dark chocolate contains nearly half its weight as sugar (38g in a bar of 80g.). Even in granola bars, the amount of sugar is quite high (13g of sugar present in a bar of 35g, which means that 37 per cent is just sugar).

6 PROTEIN VALUES

Ideally, snacks for children should contain a reasonable amount of protein (15-20 per cent of the total calories). Protein is important for growth and muscle development in children. Granola bars are touted as great snack options for children. Did you know that many of these contain as little as 3g protein in one whole bar? Thus, when such bars are consumed as a snack option, one has to ensure that protein needs are met adequately from other sources during the day. This is a good time to point out the fact that that inadequate protein intake can slow down the metabolism of carbohydrates too.

7 FIBRE

If the product has < 10% of DV, then it is quite obviously not a significant source of fibre.

- Extracted from our kid eats everything! By Neelanjana Singh, Published by Hachette India

NUTRIENT VALUE INDICATORS IN PRODUCTS

♦ 5 per cent or less of a nutrient: The food is a poor source of that nutrient.

♦ 10-20 per cent of your daily recom mended amount of a nutrient: The food is a reasonable source of that nutrient.

♦ More than 20 percent of the nutrient: The food is high on that nutrient.

♦ The Percent Daily Value (%DV) on the label is a guide to the nutrients in one serving of food. It is useful only for comparing one food with an other. It is not useful for assessing your nutri ent targets as it is mistakenly be lieved to show.

5 Things Young Indians Need To Change To Lead A Powerful Life

By Amit Punjabi 

I have been working with the young minds of our great nation for a long time now. But even though these are young minds, most of their views about the developments and events in our country are driven by ancient beliefs and thoughts. We are living in the world's youngest country, with 356 million people between the ages of 10-24. This means that the youth are the future of the country. And a great future starts with great change. Here are five things we must change today to move towards a better future and to live a more powerful life.

1. Focus on life skills, not just education or jobs

It's high time we shift our focus from going to school/college to get a great job to gaining life skills that will help us reach our full potential. It's time we start prioritising who we want to become as people by the end of our student life rather than which position we want to apply for. Are we building enough credibility for our own selves so that we can rely on it to design a great future? It's time for us to realise that education is not just about reading from books and writing tests but about developing skills that will make you a powerful person. These are skills that will help you understand and connect with different kinds of people and develop the right attitude and leadership.

2. Depend on your abilities, not on destiny

Unfortunately, we come from a culture where people very easily say agar naseeb mein likha hai toh zaroor hoga (if it's written in your fate, it will happen). It's time we realised that this statement makes us sound like victims of circumstance or 'destiny'. Let's be very clear, our lives are not like a TV serial plot where everything is scripted. It's more like a game of improv where we need to innovate and utilise everything we've got. The great inventor Chester Carlson, who invented the photocopying machine, was rejected for seven years in a row until finally he was able to get Haloid Company to believe in his great invention. Today it has become synonymous with Xerox. This was not destiny but his ability to be absolutely determined for seven long years. You need to start depending on your own abilities; if you don't have many, work on developing them.

3. Fight for your growth the way you fight for your gadgets and bike

There are a lot of platforms apart from college that are available for youth to get mentored and develop skills that will give them control over their future. Most of our youth say that their parents or their elders don't understand the importance of this exposure and how much value it would generate. Well the truth is that most parents do understand. It's just that these parents have never seen our brilliant youth fight for something really valuable for life the way they fight for their phones, bikes, cars, the New Year trip etc. The issue is that our youth portray the acquisition of the latest objects as investments rather than expenses. But they do not talk about developing their skills the same way. I have seen young people save their pocket money for years to buy that one expensive gadget which honestly is going to be used properly only for two or three years. It's time for us to start viewing the importance of developing our skills with the same attitude and perseverance.

4. Don't just focus on knowing. Focus on doing

I have noticed that when we share some valuable information or insights about skills, development or leadership, many young people respond with this brilliant statement: "I already know that". I'm glad that our youth knows so much, I'm glad that they know enough to verbally respond to questions on their skills and their future. But just knowing is not good enough. It's time to start doing something with what you know. Let's be very honest with ourselves. No one has ever achieved any great results in life by just knowing something. The only way to achieve great results in life is by taking action. So if you already know that, then step up and DO something about it and gain something out of it.

5. Build a network of great minds

Most successful people vouch for the importance of building and sustaining a network. Professionals today spend a lot of money and time on attending events only to network with people. This is mainly because they are not able to network enough at their own work places. What is great about being young today is that most college students see thousands of people every single day from different walks of life. They travel to different colleges for competitions. Again, a great platform to network. So network. Don't just talk about how stupid or great the education system is but talk about what you want for your future and how you are going to make it happen. You will surely end up having a great number of people aligning with your ideas and adding value to them too. It's time for you to make use of your investment in education and move beyond books and marks. Add value to your future by focusing on building a network.

We belong to a young, dynamic and powerful nation. It's time to start living like it.

What Are Tamil Men Afraid Of?

By Sudha G Tilak 

On International Women's Day, while the rest of India debated the validity of a monster problem over a documentary on India's most horrible rape in recent times, patriarchy was flexing its arms elsewhere in Tamil Nadu.

Four men, of the unheard group, Hindu Illaignar Sena (Hindu Youth Army) attackeda television channel's office in Chennai. The reason: the channel had circulated promotional news that on International Women's Day they would telecast a special programme that would discuss the relevance of the thaali (mangalsutra in Tamil). The four hurled crude bombs in a bid to silence the channel.

Why would the men of Tamil Nadu worry about a discussion on the thaali? The thaali is a wedding ornament. The wedding chain washed with auspicious turmeric and gold is tied by the man on his wife's neck signifying their lifelong bond. Many modern Tamil women are increasingly eschewing the ornament; they do not uphold the sacred myths around it -- "a golden band of protection for a woman's chastity."

In a bid to uphold its sanctity the thaali has often been vulgarized and abused in Tamil cinema. Many of us have grown up on Tamil films where a man tied a thaali to the woman after raping her to make her 'honourable'; forcibly tied a thaali to suppress a woman into marriage; or scenes where villains menacingly swung the thaali frightening a hapless heroine, waiting to be rescued by the hero.

Most married Tamil women continue to wear the thaali around their necks despite its rising absence among modern Tamil women at home and elsewhere. It signifies to the world that a woman is taken and belongs to a man. Dravidian activists invoke history of the Rationalist Movement of the 1920s saying the 'self respect' weddings of Dravidian political activists rejected rituals and did not mention the tying of the thaali as necessary by the groom. There is a loud debate about the century the thaali originated and how ancient, culturally it is in Tamil Nadu.

The March 8 thaali incident is the latest in a series of incidents emanating from the state that point to disturbing aspects of rogue patriarchy where casteism and misogyny and sexuality are evident.

• On March 12, a policeman from Madurai, beat and assaulted his daughter on the streets of Bengaluru. His anger was that she had behaved in a 'dishonourable fashion' by hanging out with a boyfriend.

• A fortnight ago came the news that Tamil writer Puliyur Murugesan was attacked and assaulted by a rogue mob in Karur. While the incident was spearheaded by members of a community attacking him for perceived insults to their caste, the reason involved gender. Murugesan's short story, Balachandran Enroru Peyarum Enakku Undu, dealt with alternate sexuality, the illicit sexual coercion a wife is subjected to by her father-in-law, with no protection from her homosexual husband. This is the land whose 2000-year-old Sangam poetry are verses of beauty and power that also deal with sexuality with a self-assuredness its contemporary citizens seems wary of.

• A month before there was Perumal Murugan. A feted writer and academician, he was hounded and threatened to the point of silence following Hindu groups taking offence to his novel. Madhorubagan dealt with the ancient practice, among a community in Western Tamil Nadu, which allows married women to violate marital sexual fidelity for the sake of progeny. The obvious reason for violence against Murugan was he insulted a certain caste. But the simmering aspect of female agency and sexual proclivity outside of marriage that brought dishonour to the community went unsaid.

• Prominent writer B Jeyamohan created a controversy in Tamil literary circles in June 2014, when he claimed that Tamil media was partial to women writers and featured them despite their lack of literary merit, unlike the male writers with their elephantine literary talents. He gruffly agreed to an apology with rising condemnation by many female writers.

• Poet and activist Meena Kandasamy has been trolled for her vocal views on caste and gender. She even received threats of 'acid attacks' and 'gang-rape' on Twitter in 2013. Poet Salma who wrote of the female body and the pressure of marriage and the rigidity of sexuality within marriages, received condemnation from her community elders.

• Since the turn of the 21st century, the infamy of filing 22 cases of cultural denigration filed against actress Khushboo in Chennai in 2005, for her comments that premarital sex for women is not taboo, continues to dog the state.

While most of these cases are held up as instances of free speech being muzzled, or attack on creativity and debate in the state, the worrying aspect is almost all of these acts of violence and protests stem from patriarchal fear. Despite the increase in literacy, the lack of educated and informed minds erupts over clashes with modern ideas of female voices and permissive sexuality.

A culture that worships machismo and fosters a cult of masculinity raises its ugly head despite the many social indices of prosperity and empowerment. The glitzy superhero movies continue to hold up women as symbols of Tamil pride and honour, both of which seek to control female sexuality.

And those who speak of the beauty and universality of Tamil culture today seem to have forgotten the glorious verse of that modern feminist Bharati who said, "Let us reject any dogma that subjugates women."

Top 10 Indian Names That Will Never Go Out of Style

By Aradhana Pandey

Posted: 22/03/2015 08:09 IST Updated: 22/03/2015 08:09 IST

If you are an expectant parent, you must already be sifting through a deluge of books, articles, to-do lists and compilations on being the ideal, new-age parent. There are so many important questions, right from financial planning to stocking up on baby essentials, and most of all, picking a perfect name for your child.

Numerous studies conducted over the years reveal the consequences that an unusual or culturally loaded name can have on a child's future, right from their self-esteem to the job opportunities they get. Nevertheless, many parents are opting for names that are unique and make their child stand out. It's but natural for parents to wonder -- "How offbeat should we go with our baby's name?"

If you don't want to take a risk with your choice of name for your baby but still want to ensure it makes an impact, we've got you covered. Here is a list of top 10 'exotic' yet evergreen Indian names that you can consider for your baby.

For Girls

1. Saisha: Saisha is a Sanskrit word that means a meaningful life or the truth of life. It is also known to be the name of an Indian princess and is often heard in many Hindu religious chants. Saisha has a deep-rooted connect with Indian culture, yet it displays an element of freshness.

Famous personality with the same name: Saisha Beecham, celebrity makeup artist

2. Kalki: Kalki means eternity, or destroyer of filth (derived from the Sanskrit word, kalka which means foulness). Kalki is also known to be one of Lord Vishnu's forms. This gender-neutral name can be used for a boy too.

Famous personality with the same name: Kalki Koechlin, actress

3. Tara: This ancient Indian name has many connotations. In Sanskrit, it means light and according to the Hindu mythology, Tara is the name of one of Lord Shiva's wives. The word tara also means star in Hindi.

Famous personality with the same name: Tara Deshpande, actress/writer

4. Akira: In Japan, this name is gender-neutral and means dawn or bright. It is also a popular Hindu name signifying graceful strength. Akira stands for the traits that describe a modern-day woman -- someone who practices authority with utmost poise.

Famous personality with the same name: Akira Kurosawa, filmmaker

5. Maya: This mystical sounding name is derived from the Sanskrit word maya, meaning illusion and magic. Maya is also the name of Buddha's mother and another name for Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. This name exudes power with a touch of femininity. 

Famous personality with the same name: Maya Angelou, author/poet/actress

For Boys:

1. Aarav: Aarav originates from a Sanskrit word that means peaceful and calm. This name also denotes traits of thoughtfulness and spirituality. According to a BabyCentre report, Aarav was voted as one on the most popular Indian names in the UK last year.

Famous personality with the same name: Not available; maybe your baby one day!

2. Aryan: This Indo-Iranian name is derived from the Sanskrit word, Arya, meaning noble warrior. A western variation of this name is Arian. The name Aryan depicts strength and aristocracy. 

Famous personality with the same name: Aryan Vaid, actor

3. Kanan: This unique name means forest or garden. In numerological parlance, Kanan is considered a lucky name associated with trade and commerce. It is a gender-neutral name. 

Famous personality with the same name: Kanan Gill, Comedian

4. Vivaan: Vivaan comes from a Sanskrit word meaning the first rays of the sun. It is also one of the names of Lord Krishna. The name Vivaan signifies life and new beginnings. Vivaan as a choice of name has gained great popularity over the last four to five years. 

Famous personality with the same name: Vivaan Shah, Actor

5. Palash: Palash is a Hindi word, meaning the blossom of the "flame of the forest" (Butea monosperma) tree. This tree is said to be a manifestation of Agnidev, the god of fire. Palash is a name that depicts love for nature's creations.

Famous personality with the same name: Palash Sen, singer/doctor

Your most important consideration while choosing a name for your baby should be its adaptability. A name that is too complicated or hard to pronounce can backfire on your child. Make sure whatever name you choose is simple yet memorable. Good luck with the name game!

Apple - Introducing iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

HOW EATING JUST ONE ‘INNOCENT’ THING IS CAUSING YOUR PAIN

 

When was the last time you felt 100%? I asked three friends in their 40s that same question last week. 2 of them said they hadn’t felt 100% since they were in their 20s. Life and old age; two things we can’t avoid. And we blame getting older and the stress of every day life for the pains we feel; headaches, back pain, lack of concentration, anxiety, depression and more. We’ve been told that it’s kind of unavoidable. Just get on with it and hope that you can take a break once a year to relax. But I couldn’t deal with the pain anymore.

I had frequent head aches and back-pain every single day.  I’d seen many doctors and they prescribed me with a mind-numbing array of drugs with a self-confident ease.

I won’t lie to you. The drugs sometimes gave me temporary relief. Until they didn’t, and I had to take more drugs and different drugs as my body built up a natural resistant. Then there was the side-effects which could be even worse than the problem! But everything changed when I was introduced to a program developed by Dr Patel, and his co-editor Ken Drew.

They said one thing that resonated with me:

“If you are well one minute. Then ill the next. Then back to better in a few days. Then you DO NOT have a disease that can be treated with pharmaceuticals.” – Dr Patel

Think about that. My back pain was here one day, then gone the next only to strike a few days later! Nothing appeared on the x-ray and the Doctor called it “stress related”.

What if I was to tell you that the problem you face – whether it’s Depression, Back Pain, Heart Pain, High Blood Pressure could be the result of a seemingly innocent thing you may be eating every single day.

I was amazed when I started to learned about Dr Patel, a 102 year old reclusive Doctor, and his controversial ideas on immune system response and disease. His solution is as simple as identifying the one food you should stop eating and letting your body do the rest. But why? And How? Watch the video presentation.

ESCAPE THE FRIEND ZONE: STEP 1

By Jason

I am going to give you some highly coveted information why 95% of guys fall into a sadly unenviable position with women called “The Friend Zone”.

Getting out of that so-called “Friend Zone” is one of the most common questions I get from guys. Let me explain. There are two major reasons that you are stuck in “The Friend Zone” and you are most likely doing both without ever realizing it.

• not touching enough
• skipping the attraction stage

Let’s begin with touching.
Building rapport with a woman is great. However, rapport does not create the physical connection. To break the bonds of pure rapport and create anchors of sexuality, you need to break the touch barrier early on and intensify that touch over time.

Here’s how…

One of the most amazing methods for creating sexuality and emotional anchors is to take her intrigue and curiosity about you to new levels through simple but brief touch. This can be as straightforward as slight and casual touch of the hand or shoulder for two to three seconds or less during the course of conversation. Yet, you should be consistently creating these emotional anchors of trust and connection at least once per minute. Otherwise, you may well be headed to “The Friend Zone.”

Rule of thumb…Increase your touch 300%. In other words, touch 3 times more than would normally. The other tendency most guys have is to skip the attraction stage altogether and go head-first into deep conversation and rapport building. Trust me, there is a time and place for rapport building; however, what typically happens is most guys never reach the peak level of attraction needed to stimulate desirable magnetism beyond friendship.

HOW TO GET OUT OF THE FRIEND ZONE

As I said, there are only a few ways to get out of “The Friend Zone.” First, let me warn you. It takes patience and it takes work. It seems that the male species has an imprint old thoughts and concepts that DO NOT work. If you are used to asking women to go out to dinner or have a drink, toss that thinking out of your mind right now. Getting out of “The Friend Zone” requires a shift in the paradigm of your connection with women.

This new way of thinking creates a win-win situation for you and for her.

The key is to invite her to “meet up” in a comfortable social setting. ‘Meeting up’ can help alleviate feelings of pressure for you both. Yet, there are a few critical aspects of this ‘meeting up’ philosophy that can help create the right environment for creating sexuality and emotional anchors. One of the coolest things I suggest to guys who ask me about getting out of “The Friend Zone” is to invite your friends to meet up at the same location. In particular, inviting attractive female friends not sexually interested in you. When you meet up with her and follow this system, you will see a transformation in the way she interacts with you.

Why does this work?

Well, for starters, when she sees you interacting equally in a group conversation and creating eye contact with everyone — female and male — not just focusing just on her, you become more attractive.

When she sees other women are attracted to you, you show value. She starts to desire your attention. However, to get your attention she has to do something to create attraction.

This becomes your opportunity to be extra playful, a chance to flirt and follow the “Attraction Blueprint.” Remember, this is not the time for deep conversation, but rather the time for attraction through laughing and touching. When you have set the stage at the height of attraction, you now have the opening for building rapport.

Do not put attraction on the back-burner here.  Touching is still crucial because you are still providing value in a number of stimulating ways.

As you can see, getting out of “The Friend Zone” means recognizing your own behaviors when it comes to women and changing the way you interact.

You are not just another nice guy. You are not one of the 95%. You can provide her value and create emotional anchors that will show her a new part of you that she hasn’t seen.