Dietary Guidelines and What Indians Eat

Abstract

This study examines the dietary patterns in India, taking into account various factors such as age, activity levels, income, and rural-urban settings. The findings reveal significant disparities in food consumption across different population groups. While cereals are consumed in excess by most groups, there is a substantial lack of intake of protective foods like pulses, legumes, milk, nuts, vegetables, and fruits.

The analysis demonstrates that rural populations tend to consume higher quantities of cereals compared to their urban counterparts. Even the urban dwellers do not come close to the recommended levels of intakes; though, they exhibit higher consumption of protective foods compared to the rural people. However, the urban population have higher intake of added fats and oils, added sugars and foods from outside sources.

These imbalanced dietary patterns raise concerns about their impact on the genesis of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Inadequate consumption of protective foods, coupled with excessive intake of cereals and fats, lead to nutrient imbalance in both urban and rural populations, which may potentially contribute to the increased risk of diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke and other NCDs. Analysis showed association of low intake of vegetables and fruits with a higher risk of diabetes, while low intake of milk and milk products was linked to hypertension.

To address these dietary imbalances and reduce the risk of nutrition-related diseases, it is crucial to promote a diverse and balanced diet that includes protective foods. Public health interventions should target specific groups, such as adult females from low socioeconomic backgrounds, to improve their access to nutritious foods. Additionally, raising awareness about the importance of incorporating a variety of protective foods into daily meals and reduction of foods with high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS foods) can help mitigate the rising epidemic of NCDs in the Indian population. However, both the rural (2012) and the urban data (2016) are old. More recent food consumption data might show a different picture with increasing purchasing capacity and growing availability of convenience foods and HFSS foods.