Bollywood Illusion: Read before you buy!!

It’s no secret that Bollywood and Cricket is a religion in this country. These stars are worshipped like god. Probably one of the reasons why companies bring on board film stars and sport stars to endorse brands.

Today, stars endorse anything from perishable products like food and beverages to non-perishable items such as hair oils, cars and mobiles. The advantage of getting a star on board is that consumers will buy as they feel like a start themselves owning the same product. That’s natural consumer behavior. Anything recommended by our favourite star whether or not it’s required or beneficial to you, a consumer will buy the product only because it has been endorsed by the Star.

Take for instance beverages. Most of the Bollywood and Sport stars endorse them. The product is largely seeing sales thanks to these stars fan following.

Consumers here seldom have the habit of reading labels on food products whether be it for its expiry date or to understand its nutritious value. Therefore, the understanding of whether an aerated beverage is good for health or no is out of question.

 In reality if one checks the label on the bottle, a half- litre aerated beverage bottle contains approximately 64gm of Sugar, which does no good to one’s health. Some adverse effects of Sugar include-rise in triglycerides, reduction in HDL (good cholesterol), suppressing your immune system, causing hyperactivity, anxiety, inability to concentrate and crankiness especially in children.

Given the above example, you would realize how important it is for us to read the nutrition label on each product. As per my own knowledge and the studies undertaken by me, here are a few tips I can safely recommend for packaged food and beverages

• Do not get fooled by the fancy packaging. Always check the facts on the Nutrition label and ingredient list
• Always check the first ingredient in the greatest amount (by weight) in a food product. So if the first ingredient is SUGAR, you can easily conclude if the product is good or bad for you.
• Always avoid products that contain artificial flavors, partially hydrogenated oil, Trans Fat, Salts, High Fructose Corn Syrup.
• Try to choose food with the less Ingredient list, because long ingredient list may hide things that your body doesn’t need. In general, foods with shorter lists tend to be closer to nature (more wholesome with more natural ingredients).
• In grain products try to get the product which has at least 2 grams of fiber per serving. Beware of “whole grain imposters”. Choose more whole grains and fewer refined grains. 

While, the above might come across as being very restrictive ideally, it is not so. You do not have to give up on the food you like; all you need to do is make the right choices. Today, there are number of options available in the market. Therefore you need to take care and read the nutrition label carefully and select the right option, which is good for your health.