The average Indian diet lacks protein, fruits, and vegetables: a study

New Delhi: The average Indian diet is considered unhealthy compared to diets to promote health around the world-including excessive grain intake but adequate protein , Fruits and vegetables are not included.

Findings from the International Food Policy Institute (IFPRI) and CGIAR’s Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) have been widely applied to all states and income levels, helping many Indians eat healthy food. It highlights the challenges you face when eating.

“The EAT-Lancet diet is not a perfect silver bullet for the myriad of nutritional and environmental challenges that currently exist, but it does provide a helpful guide to assessing a healthy and sustainable Indian diet,” the research article states. The lead author said. A4NH Program Manager Manika Sharma.

“At least nutritionally, the Indian diet is far below optimal.”

The EAT-Lancet Reference Diet, published by the EAT-Lancet Food, Planet, and Health Committee, is designed to transform diets, improve food production, reduce food waste and reduce food waste to 10 billion people on a healthy diet on the planet. Suggests that it is important to supply the future population of. boundary.

While the EAT-Lancet Reference Diet recommends eating large amounts of plant-based foods and little or no processed meats or starchy vegetables, this study found that India’s income and preferences differ dramatically. It shows that it is driving consumption patterns.

This study was recently published in BMC Public Health in A4NH Manika Sharma and Devesh Roy, co-authored with IFPRI’s Avinash Kishore and Kuhu Joshi, to compare the Indian diet with the EAT-Lancet reference diet.

Interesting that obesity is still rising in India despite low calorie consumption

-Kuhu Joshi, co-author

The consumption data from Round 68 (2011-12) of the National Sample Survey were used to compare state-wide diets and income levels in India with the EAT Lancet reference diet.

This study compares the differences in calorie consumption between income groups, urban and rural areas, and geographical regions.

The findings show that there is a disparity in overall caloric intake between income groups. The wealthiest 10% of households consume more than 3,000 kcal per person per day, while the poorest 10% consume only 1,645 kcal per person per day.

On average, total caloric intake in India is about 2,200 kcal per person per day, 12% lower than the recommended level for the EAT-Lancet reference diet.

“But it is interesting that obesity is still rising in India despite low levels of calorie consumption,” said Kuhu Joshi, research analyst at IFPRI.

Researchers offer a sedentary lifestyle as a potential source of phenomena, demonstrating the complexity of the link between diet, lifestyle, and health.

Compared to EAT-Lancet’s recommendations for a balanced diet, most Indian home meals are heavily concentrated in some food groups and lacking in others.

I was surprised to learn that even the richest households did not get enough protein-rich foods, fruits and vegetables.

-IFPRI Research Fellow, Avinash Kishore

The EAT-Lancet diet recommends that about one-third of daily caloric intake comes from whole grains, but it accounts for 47% of the average Indian diet.

In the poorest rural households, the number is as high as 70%.

On the other hand, the average Indian fruit calorie intake is less than 40% of that recommended by the reference diet.

Foods of fruit, vegetable and animal origin are generally more expensive and bulge faster than processed foods and grains, researchers say.

Therefore, the EAT-Lancet reference diet, which is composed primarily of fresh food, brings a high cost to the average Indian household.

“But the affordability is only part of the picture,” said Avinash Kishore, IFPRI Research Fellow.

“I was surprised that even the richest households did not get enough protein-rich foods, fruits and vegetables.”

By comparison, researchers say that high-income urban households consume almost one-third of their daily calories from processed foods such as bread, bakery products, refined flour, sweets, and chips. I found that.

Processed foods make up 10% of daily caloric intake in both urban and rural areas.

Researchers point to other relevant factors such as availability, accessibility, cognition, and lack of acceptance as possible explanations for the findings.