Neelu was an adventurous ten-year-old boy. He loved to eat, but not the simple dal-rice made by his mother; he preferred food from shiny packets. One day, a new shop opened at the corner of Neelu's neighborhood—"Mayapuri Sweets." On display behind the shop's glass was a special round ball covered in chocolate, called 'Magic Pop.' The store owner, a strangely looking old magician, called Neelu over and said, "Are you going to eat, kid? Just try one!"
Neelu popped a Magic Pop into his mouth. As soon as he did, he felt a taste he had never experienced in his life. A strange flavor that was sweet, salty, and buttery spread all over his mouth. Before he could chew, the sweet melted away!Neelu said, "Grandpa, give me another one!" The old man chuckled and replied, "Not today. But I’m giving you a silver box. It contains 10 Magic Pops. But remember, you can only eat one a day. Eating too many will cause greater harm than a stomachache."
Neelu took the box home. He thought to himself that he would follow the rule and only eat one each day. The next afternoon, Neelu opened the box and popped a Magic Pop into his mouth. As soon as the sweet hit his stomach, a wave of joy washed over his brain. His stomach wasn't even empty; he had a full meal at lunch. But his mind was screaming, "Have another one! I want that joy again!"
Neelu tried to convince himself, "No, grandpa has forbidden it." But the aroma and flavor of the sweet were whipping his brain in such a way that he couldn't control his hands. He ate the second one, then the third.
By then, his stomach had become as heavy as a rock. He could no longer swallow, but his hands wouldn't stop. He cried as he finished all 10 sweets from the box. Due to overeating, that night Neelu became extremely ill, writhing in pain from vomiting and stomach aches. The next morning, Neelu's mother took him to the magician's shop. The mother angrily said, "What did you feed my son? He couldn't control himself and got sick from eating too much! He’s not a greedy boy!"
The old magician sighed and said, "Ma'am, it's not your son's fault. It's the fault of these sweets. I didn’t make these treats as regular food. They are designed in such a way that people can't stop themselves even if they want to (designed to overeat)."
Neelu got up from the bed and asked, "What does designed mean, Grandpa?" The old man said, "In the laboratory, I created a combination of sugar, salt, and fat that does not satisfy a person’s stomach hunger, but rather stimulates the brain's greed. As soon as it's in your mouth, it melts away, so the stomach doesn't have time to think about how much it has eaten. It’s a trap, Neelu. Big chip and chocolate companies use the same science to design food, so that you buy more and eat more."
That day, Neelu realized he wasn’t to blame. It was the harmful science inside the food that forced him to eat more. From that day on, Neelu stopped eating packaged shiny foods and began eating fresh fruits and homemade meals made by his mother. Because those foods were created by nature, not "designed" in a factory of greed.
