These gummies look cute, tasty, and promise better health. But how healthy are these vitamin gummies for your child?

Yesterday, I met my niece. As I was sitting with her, she asked me to open her vitamin gummy bottle and give her two gummies. Out of curiosity, I flipped the bottle and read the label. What I found truly shocked me.

Have you ever wondered why kids today, despite having so many food options, fall sick more often or need supplements from a young age? Our parents grew up without multivitamin gummies, energy drinks, or fortified cereals, yet they were usually healthier. So what changed?

Whenever we hear people talk about maintaining their diet, the first thing they do is cut sugar. No more sweets, less sugar in chai, checking labels for “no added sugar.” But what about salt? It quietly stays in our food. The truth is, salt can be just as dangerous as sugar, especially for our heart, kidneys, and blood pressure.

Today's generation of kids likes to spend more time on screens than in the real world. Kids spend more time indoors, sticking to screens, instead of playing outside or experiencing real life. For many kids, platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat have become a second world, more real than the real world.

I used to be that person who quickly picked up anything that said “high protein,” “diabetic-friendly,” or “no added sugar,” thinking I was making a healthy choice. But when I started reading the ingredient list and nutrition table properly, I realised I was falling into marketing traps. So, I decided to learn how to read food labels.

Whenever I sit and talk with my parents, they often share stories from their childhood, memories full of outdoor games like Gilli Danda, Pithu, or running barefoot across open fields. They had no phones, yet their days were full of joy, fresh air, and nature.

When I was young, I used to start my day with a bowl of Chocos or cereal. It looked delicious, tasted sweet, and came in colourful boxes that claimed things like “multigrain”,” fortified with vitamins”, and “good for kids.”