India’s top medical research body, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), this week issued new dietary recommendations for Indians, stating that food and lifestyle choices alone may be responsible for more than half of the country’s disease burden. A balanced diet should contain no more than 45% of calories from cereals and no more than 15% of calories from beans, legumes and meat. Recommendations state that the rest should come from nuts, vegetables, fruits and milk. It is necessary to limit the intake of salt, sugar and highly processed foods, and to use fats and oils in moderation. In a nutshell, these 17 dietary guidelines are designed to encourage people to eat foods that contain essential nutrients and limit those that contribute to a surge in lifestyle diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
The surge in preventable diseases has been well documented. ICMR guidelines state that a healthy diet and adequate physical activity can prevent up to 80% of type II diabetes and a significant proportion of coronary heart disease. Today, most Indian meals contain excess carbohydrates, snacks are mostly ultra-processed foods, and end up with saccharine desserts. Meals are often cooked with excessive or unhealthy amounts of oil, clarified butter, or fat. Together they create an unhealthy cocktail that leads to excess calorie intake, triggers fat accumulation, increases blood vessel-clogging cholesterol, and creates or exacerbates micronutrient deficiencies. It’s easy to picture this – what proportion of your plate is made up of carbohydrates like rice or grilled meat? How sweet is your tea? How often do you reach for a bag of potato chips?
Adjusting the eating habits of any population is no easy challenge by any measure. India is one of the world’s major producers of cereals, and carbohydrate-rich cereals and starchy vegetables are cheap. Then came the march of modernity, with quick service, gig delivery, discount fast food and ready-to-eat meals. On top of this, people are becoming more sedentary. Now is the time for Indian policymakers and health authorities to redouble their efforts to come up with recommendations such as new dietary recommendations to stem the decline in public health. Nutritional labeling and classification of unhealthy foods are crucial, as is public infrastructure that makes walking, exercising or biking easier. But the biggest change needs to come from within—and it has to start with educating yourself on what and how much to eat.