Goa, Nov. 13 -- Janet Mascarenhas

FROM CHAPATIS TO PACKAGED SNACKS Food habits among children have changed tremendously over the past five decades. Dr Anant Keni, a paediatrician and general physician, points out, "In the 70s children's lunch boxes usually contained chapati, bhaji and fruit or egg sandwiches and orange or some fruit." Milk was also regularly given to children at home. By the 1980s and 1990s, fried foods such as batata wada and samosas had become more common. However, he notes that with the arrival of the 21st century, food preferences took another turn, deteriorating as "parents imitating the West started feeding children pastas, pizzas, noodles, pedas, sugary laddus, Coke, and other aerated drinks that are mostly fast f...