TZINGA - The Energy drink with a difference

In a world attempting to get the maximum done in minimum time, we quite frequently find our bodies unable to cope up with the energy demands of a normal day in our lives. The morning dash to work, skipped lunches for meetings and late night hangouts with friends require us to be raring to go at all moments.

Enter a slew of energy drinks filled with ingredients to pump you up and go that extra mile. Traditionally, energy drinks have been more expensive than the caffeinated cold beverages sold by Coca Cola and Pepsico, sold mostly in the can format.

Breaking through this clutter is a new entrant that is set to redefine rules of the game. Manufactured by Hector Beverages, TZINGA ENERGY DRINK makes itself appealing at multiple levels.

1. Being aware of the price-conscious Indian mind, Tzinga has a retail price of only Rs.20/-!! This aggressive pricing is possible because of their unique Doy-Pack unlike the usual cans offered by its competitors.This is unheard of in this segment and is sure to attract many people looking for a quick energy fix that doesn't break the bank. It also puts them square in competition against the colas at their price point while offering a more evolved product. The doy-pack packaging is attractive and of international standards. It instantly grabs the eyes with well made graphics communicating its energy drink heritage extremely well.
2. Despite the low price, Tzinga does not cut corners in its ingredients. It has the usual suspects like Caffeine, Taurine and B-family vitamins while also piling on some exotics like Ginseng and Guarana.
3. It comes in three different natural flavors. Lemon Mint, Tropical Trip and Mango Strawberry, all fruit based natural flavors without preservatives. An energy drink that does not taste like medicine. Something that cannot be said about all its competitors.
4. The drink is non-carbonated. There is no fizz. Now, while this might turn away a few people who get their feeling of fresh from the bubbles, personally I like it this way. No nonsense, good tasting, quick energy fix that does not hide behind CO2.

So how do the flavors stack up?

Mango Strawbery: A fruity flavor. This will appeal to those who like fruit fusions. The flavor is more strawberry than mango.

 Tropical Trip: Again a fusion of tropical fruits, Pear, Pineapple, Mandarin, Apple, Passionfruit and Lemon. This flavor is especially funky and the most recent addition to the flavor line up.

Lemon Mint: The Classic. Refreshing Lemon with a very distinct Mint.This one is a personal favorite.

Finally, we come to the real question. The question that matters. For all its claims of natural fruit flavor and competitive pricing, does it work as an energy drink? Yes, it very much does. Staying true to its claim of '5 hour charge', my first try of this drink had me buzzing for a very long time, practically jumping from one place to another. Also, the Guarana helps prevent a crash, allowing the effects to wear off very gradually.

Hector Beverages has a winner on its hands with a product that is competitive and tastes well. A fact also confirmed by my girlfriend who allowed herself a sip of all three flavors. It is currently available only in limited markets and Hector Beverages will do well by launching it in remaining geographies with aggressive marketing. Such a product is only waiting to become a nationwide success.

Disclaimer: I was offered free samples for the purpose of this review but the opinions are completely mine and in no way influenced.

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Don't lose your mind, lose your weight by Rujuta Diwekar - A Review

“Rujuta has not just changed my body but also my mind and soul. She is the best thing to have happened to my life!” - Kareena Kapoor

Wow, best thing to have happened to her life? Wonder what position Shahid, Saif and their likes have been relegated to. Jokes apart, when the poster child of stick thin figures makes a declaration like that everyone sits up and takes notice. I did and I am tempted to add my name to Bebo's quote there but I'll spare you the scandal. What you get instead are my thoughts on “Don't lose your mind, lose your weight”, the very effective health guide by “Rujuta Diwekar”.

    Bollywood has always dictated terms to the common man. From how to look and what to wear the general populace has followed it's screen idols blindly. So it doesn't come as a surprise that the current trend of six packs and zero size bikini figures has translated into a nation obsessed with achieving the same.

    One could fault Rujuta Diwekar from wanting to take advantage of the opportunity but she can be forgiven for the fact that she helped create it. Counting celebrity figures like Kareena Kapoor, Amrita Arora and Anil Ambani amongst her clients, if one's work is their calling card Rujuta definitely has arrived. Thankfully she does not sit in a high and mighty place charging fees to make you lose weight worrying about the amount. She reaches out to the common populace in this very useful book bringing high flying consultancy within our reach.

    So what does Rujuta have to say that one doesn't already know? Lots, I believe. The book offers some excellent insights in the area of weight management which when understood make you go, “damn, why didn't I think of that before?”. The very first and most important of which is the distinction between weight loss and fat loss. One could go on a crash diet and lose a lot of weight but might come out of it with an even higher fat percentage and lower bone density (a sure shot recipe for disaster). The intention should be to lose fat, what happens with your weight would be just incidental. A well muscled body with lower fat % and high body weight would still be considered more healthy than an anorexic with fat % in the 30's. Consequently it's important to measure body fat % and track changes in that instead of our normal weight measuring morning ritual.

    The book then follows to debunk the myths on fad diets that everyone indulges in, most common ones being, the compensation diet, detox diet, GM, dry fruit, orange juice diets and why never to go for any of them. Followed by a lot of interesting anecdotes from her personal experience and the experience of her celebrity clients drives home the point with effect. Subsequent chapters deal with adapting your lifestyle to your health needs with health needing to be the number one priority for everyone. Nuggets on what to eat and the basic dietary constituents like carbs, protein, fats, vitamins & minerals are dealt with exceedingly well. Chapters are followed with cheat sheets summarizing the content, while some of them come with a daily tracker to help track your diet. The writing is lucid and what makes it successful is that Rujuta is able to explain the most complicated concepts in a very “easy reading” way. It's a light snappy practical read with tonnes of useful information.

    I am almost tempted to type out the whole book for the benefit of readers here (Yes, I found it to be that good!) but our little remaining respect for Intellectual property rights being what it is, before I sign off I'll share some philosophies that really stood out as remarkable:

1. Track your fat % and not your weight. Weight is incidental. Concentrate on decreasing your fat content and increasing your lean body weight (muscle mass).
2. Eat global. When in Italy, eat pasta. A region's cuisine is developed to suit its climate which in turn helps your body keep balance with it.
3. Know your genes: Marwaris can get away with their high ghee diet. Everyone can't. Eat what your body has learnt to eat since childhood.
4. Eat small quantities as frequently as possible. This keeps your metabolism fired throughout the day resulting in more efficient calorie burning.
5. Cheat meals and high calorie foods if any should be in the first half of your waking day. This will give your body time to burn them off. Eating a pastry just before you sleep is going to get stored straight away as fat because while asleep your body has no use for that energy.
6. Eat your last meal at least two hours before you sleep. That gives your body time to digest the food.
7. If you took much on your plate and don't think you can finish it. Don't. Don't worry about insulting the food gods. You'll be insulting a higher temple if you overeat. Your body! You'll find enough hungry street children to earn favor with the almighty.
8. Water. Amrit. Nectar. Get it?
9. Last and most controversial one in my book because I haven't been able to follow it myself: Don't start your day with coffee or tea. An apple would serve the same purpose of waking you up as caffeine would.

    To sum it up, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone because it is everyone's business to take care of their health and from what I have experienced after reading it, your's will be better off once you have done the same.

You can get it from Flipkart for Rs. 150/- at Rs. 50/- discount with free shipping!

OR

Get it from Amazon:

- Written and Published from my tiny Asus eee 701 4G. It feels like a marvel!

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Weight Loss

I am no stranger to weight issues. Being very skinny in my teens I wished nothing else but to bulk up and like most people I ended up with a paunch in my mid 20's. A recent road accident and the long period of inactivity that followed made me ring in 90 kg's on the scale and that served a good jolt to get back into shape. It's been 6 months since then and I am now much fitter and slimmer at 78. Though 12 kg's in 6 months is not a big achievement I know for sure that it's not a magic drop I achieved overnight and will gain back again the next day. A gradual weight loss is more permanent than an immediate one and without the vagaries of loose skin. This one is here to stay for life, to be maintained with a little bit of discipline and self control.

Daily compliments on the new me notwithstanding, I am constantly prodded for advice by those facing the same dilemma. And my advice to them is simple:

On a daily basis you need to burn more calories than you consume.

This is the magic mantra of them all. Every ab burner/cruncher, magic pill, diet program works on the same principle. Make the body dip into its fat reserves and burn them. Though this is a rule that only people wanting to lose weight need follow, everything else mentioned below can be imbibed by anyone wanting to lead a healthy active lifestyle. Any weight loss program can be divided into two sections, one on calorie intake and the other on burning them and here's my attempt:

Calorie Intake

Common sense dictates that lesser the calories consumed, lesser you'll have to burn to remain fit. A well balanced diet is recommended for everyone but what I want to touch upon is the things to avoid. Eliminating these items from your daily intake will immediately show results. One thing I do want to point out is that if you are used to consuming any items mentioned below on a daily basis, stopping them completely would be detrimental to what we are trying to achieve. Most of them are high on the "good for tongue" factor and if you starve yourself off them there's gonna be a taste bud mutiny and good chance for a complete relapse with vengeance. The best way to go about it is to slowly wean yourself off it by reducing the frequency of intake. Indulge in smaller portions of each listed item once every week or fortnight and you'll find it much easier to stick to the plan.

1) Refined flour (Maida): The bane of all things healthy. Avoid refined flour in all forms. It has almost nil nutritional value, be it naan, white bread, biscuits, pizza base or most Indian street food items made from it.

2) White Rice: Indian diet wouldn't be complete without this staple but when push comes to shove you gotta take the leap.

3) Deep fried: Items like samosa, vada pav, pakodas, papads. Fried potato in any form, chips, wafers. The farther you stay away from them the better.

4) Processed items with added sugar: Everyone has read those forward chain mails on the sugar content of colas but it's not just them. Most other cold drinks, fruit juices, snacks, cereals, chocolates, cakes and its variations in dessert have added sugar in varying forms that's just going to pile up useless calories on the body. Use your common sense and be sure to read the ingredient list before dropping an item into your super market shopping bag.

As mentioned before and I repeat again, an occasional indulgence needs to be there to maintain sanity and most of the items can be replaced by much healthier and equally well tasting options. Refined flour items with whole grain ones, fruit juices itself have much natural sugar that they can be consumed without any extra added, sugar free substitutes, soy milk products instead of dairy ones, fat free and low fat substitutes, margarine instead of butter and so on.

Burning Calories

At any given time while asleep or awake the body is burning calories. Just helping it catch up by reducing your calorie intake will help the cause but prodding it along by increasing the rate at which it does so is what will deliver those fantastic results. So, how does one do that? The most common and much ignored way is to exercise. It is imperative to sweat it out for half an hour daily. Be it brisk walking, jogging, swimming, active sports, lifting weights, incorporate whatever rocks your boat and you'll find yourself more energetic and upbeat for rest of the day.

A few other tips and tricks involve:

• Eating smaller portions more frequently (4-5 times a day). This will keep the digestion and metabolism process going on whole day ensuring more efficient calorie burn.
  
• Eating slowly to trick the body into feeling full. According to recent research by scientists at the University of Rhode Island, once you start eating a meal, a chemical signals the brain after 20 minutes that the stomach is full and it no longer has to feel hungry. The lesser quantity you eat before that full feeling the better.
  
• Drinking enough water to keep the body well hydrated. Water is the main element using which metabolism occurs and any lack of it will impact the process.
  
• Eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Not only will they substitute your meals as healthy alternatives they are rich in fiber. Fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate and the body will spend a lot of calories in an attempt to digest it.
• Consuming items like Green Tea and Fish that are known to boost the metabolism rate besides the other health benefits they afford.
  

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