Actor Nabeel Zafar recently said a line that sounds funny but hits hard: “In winter, definitely give your children dry fruits. Otherwise, the money you save today will go to the doctor, and his children will eat dry fruits bought with your cash.”
At first everyone laughed, but if we think carefully, he has spoken a bitter truth. Winter means cold, cough, flu and weak immunity, especially in children. Almonds, walnuts, cashews, raisins and dates are full of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals that make the body strong from inside. Doctors and nutritionists keep saying the same thing, a handful of dry fruits daily can stop many seasonal illnesses.
Yet most parents ignore this. We think, “Dry fruits are so expensive, let’s buy them later.” A kilo of good almonds costs 2600 to 4300 Rs, so we skip. Then the child gets fever, chest congestion and pneumonia. One visit to the pediatrician, tests, syrups and antibiotics easily cost 4,000 to 10,000 Rs. In serious cases, hospital bills cross lakhs. That same money could have bought dry fruits for the whole family for many months.
Nabeel’s joke is actually a smart money lesson too. Spending less money every week on dry fruits is prevention. Saving that small amount today and paying thousands to doctors tomorrow is bad planning.
