NEW DELHI: Stressing that over 56 percent of the total disease burden in India is due to unhealthy diets, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) released 17 dietary guidelines on Wednesday to prevent nutrient deficiencies and address the rising risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country.
Highlighting that healthy diets and physical activity can reduce a substantial proportion of coronary heart disease (CHD) and hypertension (HTN) and prevent up to 80 percent of type 2 diabetes, the Hyderabad-based institute said, “A significant proportion of premature deaths can be averted by following a healthy lifestyle.”
Emphasising the importance of a balanced diet, the dietary guidelines for Indians stated that it would help prevent all the adverse effects of nutritional deficiencies and ensure optimal growth and development. It particularly highlighted the upsurge in the consumption of highly processed foods laden with sugars and fats, coupled with reduced physical activity and limited access to diverse foods, exacerbating micronutrient deficiencies and overweight and obesity problems among Indians.
Research indicates that unhealthy, highly processed, high-fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) foods have become more affordable and accessible than healthier alternatives.
The guidelines focus on eating a balanced diet; vegetables and legumes; nutrition for pregnant and lactating mothers; food for infants, children, and adolescents; including nutrient-rich foods for the elderly; eating safe, clean food; and drinking adequate amounts of water. The guidelines recommended sourcing macronutrients and micronutrients from a minimum of eight food groups for ‘my plate of the day’, with vegetables, fruits, green leafy vegetables, roots, and tubers forming essentially half the plate of the recommended foods per day. It said the other major portion is occupied by cereals and millets, followed by pulses, flesh foods, eggs, nuts, oil seeds, and milk or curd.
Intake of cereals should be limited to 45% of the total energy, while for pulses, eggs, and flesh foods, the total energy percentage should be around 14 to 15%; total fat intake should be less than or equal to 30% energy, while nuts, oil seeds, milk, and milk products should contribute to 8-10% of total energy per day, respectively. It also called for avoiding protein supplements for building body mass, restricting salt intake, moderating intake of oil and fats, adopting a healthy lifestyle to prevent obesity, maintaining proper exercise, minimizing ultra-processed foods, and reading information on food labels to make informed and healthy food choices.
It mentioned that cereals contribute 50 to 70% of total energy per day. Pulses, meat, poultry, and fish contribute 6 to 9% of the total energy intake per day as against the recommended intake level of 14% of total energy from these foods.
“The dietary habits of Indians have undergone significant changes over the past few decades, leading to an increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases while some of the problems of undernutrition continue to persist,” said Rajiv Bahl, Secretary of the Department of Health Research, Director General, ICMR.