Indians Eating More Of Junk Food, Less Fruit & Vegetables: Lancet Journal

New Delhi: Why India is becoming the diabetic capital of the world and more adults are dying of stroke and cancer. The answer lies in our diet.

1. According to the prestigious medical journal ‘The Lancet’, Indians on an average eat more carbohydrates, less protein (both animal and plant-based) and less fruit and vegetables than newly published dietary recommendations. They also tend to eat much more of sugar and processed food than what is recommended, even when they have the money to eat more diversified diets.

2. It said intake of junk foods and hanging out in restaurants and eateries have gone up exponentially both in urban and rural India. The daily caloric intake has risen to 140 kcal per day in urban India eating out and 133 kcal in rural India, way above the recommendations.

3. The consumption of pulses has not risen substantially among the richest 5 per cent of people, and the consumption of meat still lags the recommended average. Instead, the consumption of junk food has skyrocketed with rising incomes. Even the richest Indians eat less of protein than recommended.

4. The findings of the study are based on a three-year commission involving a global team of experts, assimilating the latest research to arrive at a consensus on the best mix of foods for the health of individuals and the planet.

5. The commission recommends 2,500 kilocalories (kcal) per day diet with a focus on whole grain instead of processed flour, a mix of animal and plant proteins, a reduction of sugar intake and of dairy based fats and saturated fats.

6. The journal said that universal adoption of the reference diet would prevent over one crore deaths per year or 22·4 per cent of adult deaths from coronary heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes mellitus. Some form of cancers can also be avoided.

7. The Lancet report was published by the Mint, which used it to find the actual consumption and the nutritional value of the same items for average rural and urban Indians taking 2011-12 consumption expenditure survey data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) as a reference.

8. It said that the comparison shows that the average Indian, whether rural or urban, consumes more carbohydrates in the form of cereals than The Lancet commission recommends.

9. On the other hand, the average Indian consumes far less protein than is necessary in a healthy diet.

10. Not just animal proteins, Indians consume too little of plant proteins as well. As against the recommendation of 50 grams (g) of lentils and 25g of soy foods per day, Indians consume just half the amount of lentils and no soy foods.

11. Additionally, Indians eat too few fruits and vegetables and not enough unsaturated oils, while consuming dairy fat (like ghee) which the commission recommends restricting.

12. Indians also consume between 200 and 300kcal every day of foods that the commission says are harmful for individual and planet health. This includes junk food and eating out.

13. As Indians get richer, they consume more fruits and vegetables, but they also begin to consume far more dairy, fat and sugar than is recommended.