By 
Children’s health is a priority for urban middle class parents in India, especially because stress and unhealthy food is posing a major challenge to it.
Taking advantage of the situation are clever marketers who are pushing ‘health drinks’ onto parents claiming that it will ‘enhance the children’s height’ and ‘increase their intelligence’.
In India, Complan, Bournvita, Boost and Horlicks are the leading ‘health drink’ brands and they have been around for a few decades now. Millions of families make it a priority to religiously have one of these health drinks everyday.
Working urban middle class parents do not have much time to prepare nutritious food for their kids and rely on health drinks to supplement their diets. At foodnetindia we believe that this is unhealthy and unsafe for the kids.
Ingredients in the health drinks
Horlicks – The ingredients in Horlicks are Malted barley, milk solids, sugar, wheat flour, malted wheat, minerals, protein isolate, emulsifier, salt, acidity regulator, vitamins, natural color.
Bournvita – Malt extract, sugar, cocoa solids, milk solids, caramel, liquid glucose, permitted emulsifiers, vitamins, minerals, raising agent, salt.
Complan – Skimmed milk, lactose, vegetable oil, maltodextrin, sugar, glucose syrup, fat reduced cocoa powder, dextrose, flavourings, magnesium sulphate, thickener (xanthan gum), vitamin mix, mineral mix.
Boost – Boost has Malted barley, wheat flour, sugar, milk solids, minerals, colour, glucose, salt, acidity regulator, cocoa powder, vitamin, protein isolate, edible fiber, nature identical flavouring substances.
On taking a closer look at the ingredients in all four of these drinks it is clear that they are almost the same, grains, cocoa powder, raising agents, fat, sugar and additives.
Milk contains Lactoferrin which naturally helps in increasing your height. Milk also makes your bones stronger. So we do not need this sugary fat filled powder to be added to healthy milk and be touted as health drinks. And supplementation with vitamins and minerals is better done with lots of veggies and if necessary a multivitamin.
The clever marketing strategy
The marketing is very cleverly done with tall claims made by these health drink companies saying that their products will ‘increase height’ and ‘make the kids more intelligent’. None of these claims have been proven to be true and in fact there are many pending cases lying in the courts against these companies.
We at foodnetindia believe that processed foods with additives and synthetic vitamins is not healthy for you and your kids but detrimental to your health and theirs. Eat natural food cooked from scratch at home and protect your health and that of your family.
Sources:
http://rajganpath.com/2011/11/02/the-truth-behind-health-drinks/