Another Governance Failure?

India’s income per head grew more than fourfold between 1990 and 2010; yet the proportion of underweight children fell by only around a quarter. By contrast, Bangladesh is half as rich as India and its income per head rose only threefold during the same period; yet its share of underweight children dropped by a third and is now below India’s... Brazil cut the number of underweight people by 0.7% a year between 1986 and 1996 and reduced stunting by 1.9% a year. Bangladesh reduced both rates by 2% a year in 1994-2005...

... better nutrition can be a stunningly good investment. Fixing micro-nutrient deficiencies is cheap. Vitamin supplements cost next to nothing and bring lifelong benefits. Every dollar spent promoting breastfeeding in hospitals yields returns of between $5-67. And every dollar spent giving pregnant women extra iron generates between $6-14. Nothing else in development policy has such high returns on investment.

(HT: The Economist)

Tax and subsidy way to healthy eating?

Mark Bittman bites the bullet and advocates taxing unhealthy food like soda, French fries, doughnuts and hyperprocessed snacks, and subsidizing fruits and vegetables.

He suggests that sweetened drinks could be taxed at 2 cents per ounce, so a six-pack of Pepsi would cost $1.44 more than it does now. An equivalent tax on fries might be 50 cents per serving; a quarter extra for a doughnut. He argues that "taxes would reduce consumption of unhealthful foods and generate billions of dollars annually. That money could be used to subsidize the purchase of staple foods like seasonal greens, vegetables, whole grains, dried legumes and fruit."



Such taxes are justifiable despite arguments that it will unfairly target poor people who pay a higher percentage of their income for food. Such critics overlook the long-term health effects of these foods and the much higher medical and other costs imposed on low-income people. Such criticism can be mitigated by subsidies on high-quality, fresh and healthy foods.

Though no American city today has taxes that are explicitly aimed at reducing consumption, many have proposals to tax soda or all sugar-sweetened beverages. Research by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale have found that such soda taxes become significant at the equivalent of about a penny an ounce. Further, it is also suggested that these taxes should be in the form of excise taxes on inputs, so that the taxes will be incorporated into the shelf price of the drink, thereby nudging consumers on their purchasing decisions.

There is also an excellent graphic that points to how economic incentives, signalled through prices of cigarettes, have contributed to a dramatic drop in smoking among Americans since the eighties.



Remarkably, more than half of all Americans who once smoked have quit and smoking rates are about half of what they were in the 1960s.

A market solution to child malnutrition problem?

Poor households in big city slums invariably live in unbelievably cramped single room accommodation, with access to limited civic amenities like water supply and sanitation. Furthermore, both parents generally have to work to earn atleast food for the family.

In the circumstances - strapped for time, space, and resources - women make do with cooking simple, but unhealthy, carbohydrate heavy meals (say, rice/roti and curry), which are filling and keeps away hunger. The women do this despite being aware of the importance of nutritious food and what constitutes such foods. The higher cost of nutrient-rich foods is just another reason for this, though this is debatable.

Policy makers have long debated various strategies to improve the nutrition status of atleast the children living in slums. The Anganwadi centers are among the most visible of such interventions, and have had considerable successes in some areas. However, the overall nutrition of the family remains elusive. The large numbers of small eateries - women squatting on street margins, push carts, road encroachment stalls etc - in slums too provide much the same carbohydrate and fat heavy foods.

Faced with similar circumstances in the over-crowded slums of Jakarta, an NGO Mercy Corps started a healthy street food business for children called Kedai Balitaku, or My Child’s Café in April 2009. It started with a $120,000 donation, has since spun off into a for-profit company. The idea was that once people have access to healthy foods at very cheap prices (same as those of the unhealthy foods available elsewhere), they will prefer such foods over their traditional ones, atleast once a day. Creating a buzz around such foods, by careful marketing helps. An article by Tina Rosenberg in the Times describes KeBal,

"KeBal sells niche street food. Its clientele is children — and it focuses on those 5 years old and younger. The most popular meal is a chicken, rice and vegetable porridge, which costs the going rate of 20 cents. The leading snack is a 10 cent gelatin pop. Such pops are a common snack but they are almost always made with artificial fruit flavors; KeBal’s are made with real mango, strawberry, melon or other fruits. The menu also includes meatballs, macaroni and cheese and shu mai dumplings. The carts use food-grade materials and vendors get regular health inspections from KeBal’s management.

Nutritionists designed the menu, but just as important as what went into the food was convincing mothers to buy it and children to eat it. The advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi donated the design of the visual brand and a marketing strategy aimed at children. The carts have bright colors and play music. Four dolls on the cart represent different food groups and are named for benefits of good nutrition — Strong, Smart, Lively and Taller. The cart also has built-in toys teaching shapes or colors that kids can play with while they wait. They display hand-washing messages and have jugs of water with soap so vendors can wash dishes and children can wash before they eat. The food is displayed at a child’s eye level. The Times column writes,

The food is prepared by KeBal employees in a cooking center, which starts work just after midnight to make food to sell to eight vendors, who begin their routes around 5 AM. The vendors take the risks and keep all the profit on the food they sell. KeBal is about to open a second cooking center, and is planning to have six by the end of the year, each providing food to at least eight vendors. Next year, as soon as Indonesian franchise law allows, KeBal will also start selling cooking center franchises. By 2013, the company hopes to own 21 cooking centers and have 10 more owned by franchisees. That will allow it to feed 6,000 children daily and take in projected revenue of at least $2 million a year."

An approach that mirrors KeBal, catalyzed with initial government or some non-government foundation support, and initiated in different cities across the country, has the potential to be a major intervention to improve nutrition levels in countries like India. The menus will have to be customized to meet local food requirements and locally available healthy foodstuffs.

Dissertation on Nutrition

I am extremely glad that I was able to take Nutrition so early in my college experience. This was only my second class in college. It has taught me a plethora of different facts about my nutrition, from what types of vitamins and minerals I should take to prevent diseases, to which diets were healthy to follow. I have also learned what a healthy weight for me would be, and if I continue to eat the way I am eating today I will not live a healthy life. Considering I am only 24 years old, I will be able to change my unhealthy eating habits in time for it to make a difference in the rest of my life.

I have learned many things about my nutritional habits. One of the most important bits of information that I am taking away from this class is about the different vitamins and minerals and how they are beneficial. I never knew that without enough thiamin in my diet I could have heart failure, an enlarged heart, loss of reflexes, weight loss, and even paralysis. In addition, did not know that a deficiency of vitamin C could cause frequent infections, bleeding gums, muscle degeneration, hysteria and bone fragility. Calcium can prevent the terrible bone disease called, Osteoporosis. After I learned that, I told myself that I would begin taking a vitamin and mineral supplement to make sure that I was meeting my needs.

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Subsequently, I learned something else that changed my mind regarding taking supplements. By taking an excess of certain vitamins and minerals I can overdose and come down with toxicity symptoms. By taking or consuming too much iron you can get kidney dysfunction and kidney stones. My father had kidney stones and he said that having them was the most painful experience that he has ever gone through. An excess of vitamin A can cause many different toxicity symptoms such as nosebleeds, growth retardation, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, loss of hair, liver damage, birth defects and many other symptoms. After learning this, I realized that it is important to keep track of your vitamin and mineral intake to make sure that you are not going in excess of either too little or too much.

One of the most important aspects of this class, for me, was learning about my unhealthy eating habits. I was not aware of how poor my eating habits were, and the effects it can have on my future years. On my two-day diet analysis, I found out that not only was I not taking in enough vitamins and minerals, but I was taking in too many fats, protein, sweets and many other things that are hazardous to my health. Consuming too much of these, can cause many different diseases such as arthritis, liver malfunction, sleep apnea, cancer, diabetes, and numerous other possible life threatening diseases. This was an awakening for me. After seeing these results, I realized that I was not going to become a victim of these terrible diseases and I would change my eating habits.

A very important issue in determining one’s health is their body weight. I am not overweight, but according to the body mass index chart, I am on the border of becoming overweight. My body mass index is approximately 24, and to be considered overweight is only 25. After seeing this I realized that I could lose some weight. To lose weight I am planning on going on the Weight Watchers diet plan. I learned a lot about this diet when I did my weight-loss program paper. It seems to be a very good diet, not only for the weight-loss part, but for the maintenance plan it offers.

Recently, I began to change my eating habits. When I get hungry, instead of going straight to a fast food restaurant, I check my refrigerator for a healthier alternative. If I do end up going to a fast food restaurant, I now choose to have a salad and water instead of my typical two bacon cheeseburgers and large soft-drink. I have also decided to start to eat more fruits and vegetables. I now take a lunch to work every day with a sandwich or salad and some fruit, yogurt, and a bottle of water. I am also taking a multivitamin for all of the nutrients that my diet is lacking. This does have a big affect on what my family eats now. Since I live with my girlfriend, Brenda, we are both eating healthier now and we are planning out nutrient rich meals. Brenda and I have also started exercising regularly. We are now playing tennis at least a few times a week. On the days that we do not play tennis, we go on a long walk. We both are already feeling more energetic and healthier.

This class has taught me a lot about my unhealthy eating habits and good ways to change them. It has also taught me that if I do not change these habits then my future years will probably be filled with diseases and disabilities. I know that I want for my family and I to live a healthy and happy life, so that is why we have to change these habits. Leading a busy life is no excuse to lead an unhealthy life. I am young and have many exciting plans for my future. Without a healthy body, I may not live long enough to experience life the way I would like to. Unfortunately, it is much easier to live an unhealthy life. I not only need to take care of myself, but look out for the health of my loved ones. It will not be easy to continue avoiding fast food restaurants and choosing fruits over cookies, but in order to live out my life to its fullest potential, I will have to do so.
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Setting the New Pace

ahhh Yup Need to sit with myself see how bodybuilding is going, else I leave it unplanned and dont make the most of my years ahead inshaAllah.

My wrist is not 100% ok, but i can manage around it,, I think it might keep hurting a bit for a while like my left shoulder a bit more than a year ago... Ramadan is coming and am excited about taraweeh mostly.. Fasting itself is a killer for me since i eat like every 2 and a half/3 to 3 and a half hours. SO i get to really shrink in Ramadan,, last Ramadan was better than the one before.. I think LAst ramadan what triggered a mess up was having to visit some family friends and have iftar with them.. it was af it was taboo not going, and i didnt want to as there was a bit of mixing and all, I left early anyway.

of course if i dont eat properly on one day you cant make it up the other,, and in ramadan i eat in a very rigid strict manner of food choice,, I dont eat meat period on iftar only rice or pasta with chicken or fish.. meat can come later in the day and suhoor EGGS is a must... and I work out always after taraweeh.

From Info I learned about nutrition, Potassium is important for hydration, so in ramadan make sure you get plenty of it, milk is good for that and so as dates, so subhan Allah when its sunnah to break fast with things that speed up hydration.. faster than water alone. Bananas too have potassium, (eat with oats milk, cinnamon for suhoor along eggs for protein)

So...I will do the following training split.

Chest+ Biceps+ forearms,
Thighs+ Calfs + (Cardio + abs + Gluetts)
rest
Shoulders + triceps + Traps
rest
Back + Calfs + forearms + (Cardio + abs + Gluetts) (depending on how i feel i might skip cardio or do less time of it)
rest
start cycle again.

Warm up plus stretch and also more intensive stretching on rest days,, inshaAllah no less than 10 reps on the weights on my heaviest sets to give my joints a break.

need to add a few inches to my arms and calfs inshaAllah..

peace

Healthy healthy healthy

Just came back from the gym

had two packets of ramen noodles and two cans of tuna... I was basically chocking on the tuna..

today was thighs day,,, and partially gluets.. even though its been quite some time since i last worked out legs i still managed to pile more weights... 80kg leg extensions..alhamdullelah wa mashaAllah!
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with food prices going up, for a guy like me who keeps track of food prices since i eat a lot and i need to like economise..

egss are way more expensive.. it matters coz i eat about 9 to 12 a day in one meal ( i throw away some of the yolk)
meat is been going up steadily.
milk is a hell lot more expensive,

oh well bodybuilding is an expensive sport !. everyone whom i met who takes it seriously says so too..

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its pretty cool when you see some bros regularly at the gym...
coz many are either fat or skinny..
some people believe that its ok to sleep 4 hours and eat very little as if thats zuhd..

people who do that usually get easily sick and dont live long...their backs start hunching and they start looking as if they are aging real quick.

and i think its talbees from shaytan.. you think you are being tested while it is only you that brought yourself in such an unhealthy miserable state..

working out keeps you healthy fresh and energetic and i would think keeps your marriage life new as well.

your body has a right upon you so give it that right.. am not saying go to the gym 4 times a week and eat 5/6 meals a day... just eat well healthy and excercise..