Growing up, I used to roll my eyes at the constant advice from my mom. From my phone habits to my eating choices and my late-night lifestyle, she was always a critic. But you know what? She was right all along.
Take food, for example. Did you know that India is the top importer of palm oil? And guess what? It’s everywhere now—from dosas at breakfast to the ice cream we enjoy for dessert. Palm oil and Dalda (a hydrogenated vegetable oil) are terrible for our health when consumed regularly. Then there’s paneer, which many of us vegetarians rely on for protein. The scary part? Most of the paneer you get at restaurants these days is adulterated. Analogue paneer, made with unhealthy fats instead of pure milk, is what’s being served to maximize profits. The worst part is that neither companies nor restaurants are transparent about it. It’s all about cutting corners.
But it doesn’t stop with food. Mom’s also been after me about my phone usage, and she’s not wrong there either. Doomscrolling, the habit of endlessly consuming content on our phones, is proven to mess with our brains. Studies show it leads to higher levels of anxiety, lower attention spans, and poor mental health. I used to mindlessly scroll for hours, only to end up feeling drained, demotivated, and unfocused. Once I started limiting my screen time, I noticed a huge improvement in my mood and productivity.
Making paneer at home, cooking with better ingredients, cutting down phone usage, and getting enough sleep—these are just a few of the things my mom has been right about. It’s funny how we often don’t appreciate the wisdom we get until later in life. But now I see: mom knows best.
EDIT: Added Analogue Paneer screenshot sold by Zomato.