‘Lite’ chocolate squares are not legally expected to have healthier ingredients. It’s just a matter of labelling; it really doesn’t have any health-inducing ingredients. Nutritionist Naini Setalwad says, “If you look at it from the health point of view, I would not consider any of the ingredients of Cadbury Lite as beneficial to health. The only thing reduced here is the calories of sugar. However, it is replaced with an artificial sweetener which, in turn, has many side effects. Diabetes is not only caused by sugar intake but also by high fat which chocolate has in form of cream, sugar, salt plus multiple chemicals which are detrimental for health.”

Livewire VJ Gaurav Kapur, who suffers from Type I diabetes and gave up chocolate and cigarettes years ago feels that chocolate for diabetics, in any form, are just indulgence. He says, “I haven’t seen or tried the new chocolate but I do know that most of the sugar-free products have things in them that could be even more harmful than sugar. One should definitely not binge on these supposed health foods. Maybe a square of chocolate or two if one gets a craving, but never more.”

Why just Cadbury Lite, many other health foods that set cash registers ringing in supermarkets are just a function of good marketing and better labelling. Soya foods, in fact, are on a high-allergy list in the US as a lot of soya is genetically modified. Setalvad says, “Many soya foods are high in salt, have a lot of fat in the batter even if they are baked. Soya is actually high in fat and protein. Soya is best digestible in its fermented form. A lot of muesli bars consist of sugar. Read your labels carefully. Just because you can buy it off the shelf for little money it does not make it healthy. Even a vada pav does not cost much but it is bad for health.”

Dahi with enhanced nutrients is obviously not quite so. Huge deceptive hoardings of pro-biotic yoghurt leave Dr Vandana Shiva of Navdanya surprised. She says, “Big multinationals have the money and the lack of conscience to lie to people. This pro-biotic yoghurt promises better digestion, but how? It is loaded with enzymes that just play havoc with the body’s natural processes. It is, in fact, dangerous.”