Kerala exempts dosa from fat tax which will remain for burgers, tacos, pasta, doughnuts and patties

Kerala had imposed a 'fat tax' of 14.5% on certain eatables to curb consumption of junk food. The dosa, one of south India’s beloved snacks, has now been exempted from this proposed ‘fat tax,’ but it will remain for fast foods like pizzas, burgers etcetera.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 11 November 2016.

It may be recalled that the decision to impose a 14.5% ‘fat tax’ had been made by the state’s finance minister in July. It was the first time any government in the country has decided to impose such a fat tax in a bid to discourage consumption of food that may lead to obesity. Of course, countries like Denmark had introduced such moves, but it was withdrawn within a year due to public backlash.
Along with the 'fat tax', a 5% tax was also proposed on coconut oil with its repercussions likely to be severe in the state.
However, it has now been clarified that the 'fat tax' will be imposed only on products like burgers, tacos, pasta, doughnuts and patties, leaving out dosas, a most common breakfast dish in the state. The exemption has been extended to products made by prisoners as well because many prisons in Kerala have received praise for churning out good quality food products through prisoners who get paid through the program as well.
Incidentally, the newly installed LDF government in the state has complained that the coffers are largely empty because of massive corruption and mismanagement of funds in the earlier Congress-led regime and the imposition of the fat tax was an attempt to bolster finances of the state.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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A few simple ways to keep fit

#coconutoil #healthbenefit #lifestyle #VitaminD #ghrelin #leptin In today’s world, all of us want to keep fighting fit and towards this end, we go in for diet restrictions, exercises apart from changes in lifestyles. Health occupies a large portion of our activities, whether we admit it or not. And – all of us want to live our lives free from health complications – as far as possible. The medical profession is a noble one, no doubt, but the general tendency is to avoid doctors as far as possible unless the situation is a complicated one.
Go out minus sunglasses – this is one way to keep fit. In the opinion of Dr Kathleen Wills, a holistic practitioner with an American doctorate degree in Integrative Medicine, just 10 to 15 minutes in the sun with your sunglasses off every day can give you tremendous health benefits. Exposure to the rays of the sun means better absorption. This, in turn, increases intake of Vitamin D and helps to boost the mood and immunity apart from maintaining strong bones, and reducing the risk of cancer and other inflammatory diseases.
Break monotony and take a walk – continuous work is not good for health and, hence, forcible breaks are important. The break, even for five minutes, helps you to come out of the sedentary position, simultaneously increasing blood flow so that more nutrients and oxygen can enter your body and improve lymphatic and venous return of used blood. Moreover, the movement helps to keep the joints lubricated which maintains the health of the joints and improves mobility.
Enjoy a good night’s sleep – it is believed that less than 7-and-a-half hours sleep can lead to weight gain over a period of time because of its reaction on two important hormones namely ghrelin and leptin.
Ghrelin is known as the 'start eating' hormone – this tells you when it is time to eat. And, once one is starved of sleep, it means more ghrelin which can increase appetite by up to 25 per cent. Leptin, on the other hand, is called the 'stop eating' hormone – it causes you to feel full and, once one is not getting adequate sleep, this reduces. And - more of ghrelin coupled with less leptin translates into weight gain.
Go in for coconuts – change cooking medium to coconut oil since it boosts energy without causing spikes in blood sugar levels and also has strong antiviral, bacterial and anti-fungal properties. A study carried out by Garvan Insitute in Australia has revealed that a diet rich in coconut oil protects against 'insulin resistance' and accumulation of body fat caused by other high fat diets.