Health is Wealth, Defence Colony, New Delhi
In the sea of shops in Defence Colony, I’ve always favoured Malik Bros. because it feels like the owners care more and the employees are eager to help. It seems cleaner too. So any expansion to the store, in my eyes, is a good thing. Leaving his father and uncle upstairs to manage the grocery store, Rohit Malik (one of the brother’s son) has launched “Health is Wealth”, Defence Colony’s first health-centric shop in the basement. I headed down the stairs to see if I would add some healthy bites to my grocery list.
The good stuff
Health is Wealth at Defence Colony, New Delhi
There are stores that stock low-calorie options like Weight Watcher chips and Muesli cereal and there are other health food stores with one dedicated home-grown line, such as Whole Foods in New Friends Colony or Navdanya in Dilli Haat, but Health is Wealth brings together a number of imported and local brands to cater to fitness fans. The store stocks Catagno corn pasta for the gluten-free diet. It offers sugar-free ginger and cinnamon cookies for the diabetic. And, for the lactose-intolerant, Bagry’s soy milk brightens the cooler. The store is bright and cheery—even though it is in the basement. White and green signs suggest the healthiest food options. Quotes on the staircase remind people that “The ground to all happiness is health.” With a huge increase in the population of diabetes sufferers and obesity rates skyrocketing, it’s a good reminder.
The not-so-good
A cheerful atmosphere and a happy staff may not be enough to stand out in the crowded Defence Colony market. Other neighbourhood stores sell similar products and there is a surprising lack of diversity in the stocked items. The products are all dry, packaged goods, which means for busy (and, or, um, lazy people like yours truly), cooking and time for preparation is needed. It would be fantastic to see some already prepped meals packaged for a quick, healthy bite. There are also some strange options: a few feta and mozzarella cheeses that are not specifically organic and, as my editor says, if you think Pringles Reduced Fat chips is a health conscious food, you’re fooling yourself. I’ll still come back, since it’s my grocery store of choice to begin with (plus, the boyfriend is now hooked on the corn pasta) but to draw people in from outside of Defence Colony, Malik needs to come up with some cutting edge offerings to set himself apart.
Talk plastic
The corn pasta costs around Rs125. The Conscious food snacks cost around Rs55. And bags of the Khoob Khao snacks cost around Rs28.
Call 011-24333602 for delivery.
Health Food Stores in Your City
* Magna Nutrition Centre has organic grains and spices, healthy juices
like aloe vera and aamla, sugar-free chocolates, jams and mithai and more.
At Sasoon Building, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai.
* Vinita Mathur’s Health Shop has low calorie baked snacks like chakli,
tacos, etc made from soya, sugar-free breakfast cereals and extra bran
cereals, tofu, sprouts and more. At Peddar Road, Mumbai.
* Whole Foods has its own line of organic grains, breads, juices and crackers. It also stocks aloe vera juice and protein powders. At New Friends Colony Market, New Delhi.
* Navdanya offers locally grown wheat, cereals, and spices, farmed using biodiversity techniques and seed banks. At Dilli Haat, New Delhi.