by The internet is flooded with nutrition wisdom, be it weight loss diets, intermittent fasting, turning vegan, giving up carbohydrates or taking supplements. The truth is that it is difficult to a balanced meal that works for you from the information around you. That’s why the National Institute of Nutrition, working with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has released a comprehensive guideline on how Indians should eat clean with accessible resources and most importantly, what suits their type body.
Complete with an ideal plate, diet charts, recipes and advisors on how you should cook and what cookware, this is an essential handbook that would be handy for all of us to incorporate into our daily lives. Given India’s increasing burden of non-communicable diseases, these guidelines are significant as they lay down the basic nutritional template in children, starting with pregnant women. The report says that proper nutrition for mother and child (from conception to about two years of age) is linked not only to proper growth and development but also to the risk of diabetes, hypertension and heart attacks later in life.
Over 56 percent of all non-communicable diseases can be attributed to an unhealthy diet. As the report shows, a healthy diet, combined with physical activity, can prevent 80 percent of Type 2 diabetes and significantly reduce the heart disease burden, high blood pressure and prevent premature deaths. He even warned against taking protein supplements to build body mass and recommended limiting salt intake, minimizing sugar and ultra-processed foods and reading information on food labels properly.
DIET WITHOUT PREGNANT AND LACTATING MOTHERS
A woman needs to eat extra calories during pregnancy to meet her nutritional needs. Ideally, she should gain around 10 to 12 kg, less if she is already overweight. Women with healthy body weight during pregnancy babies are more likely to be born with the ideal birth weight and proper organ development. Such newborns are likely to have a lower risk of infection and mortality.
A day, a pregnant woman should eat 240 grams of cereals and millets, 80 grams of pulses, 40 grams of nuts and seeds, 20 ml of cooking oil, 300 grams of vegetables, roots and tubers such as carrots, cauliflower and peppers, 150 grams of leafy vegetables such as spinach or coriander, 150 grams of fruit and 400 ml of dairy products, including milk, curd, 80 grams of meat and lean meat such as chicken per day or 250 to 300 grams per week.
The guideline recommends frequent small meals for mothers with nausea and vomiting. He recommends only breast milk for all infants up to six months because it contains all the nutrients an infant needs. Babies should not be fed anything but breast milk for six months, not even water. They should definitely not be given honey, glucose or diluted milk formula before six months of age. Pregnant and lactating women should not take any medications without consulting a doctor.
NO FORMAL FOR NAMES
After six months, babies need complementary food as well as breast milk. Preparing these at home is better than buying formula, which usually has added sugars. A complementary food can be prepared at home by mixing 25 grams of pureed carrot, pumpkin, spinach, potato or apple with 15 grams of rice rawa, 15 grams of rawa lentil and 200 ml of water. The same can be done with boiled mashed eggs or with fish instead of vegetables or fruits. Children can snack on green peas or lobia – pureed for children under one and cooked for older ones. Fruits like papaya and banana, curd, boiled egg or boiled and mashed fish can also be given to them.
The complementary foods should be given two or three times a day along with breastfeeding until one year. Complementary foods should be given to these children four times a day because it is not possible to get enough food in one go.
CALCIUM FOR TEENS
Between the ages of 10 and 19, adolescents rapidly gain height and weight, undergo hormonal changes and sexual maturation and therefore require a high calorie intake. Their calcium requirement is also high and, therefore, they should be encouraged to consume milk and milk products. The nutritional care of adolescent girls is of particular importance for their own health and in preparation for future motherhood.
This is the age group when the human body needs the highest number of calories, 2,490 kcal for girls and 3,300 kcal for boys. It is equally important to ensure that they do not overeat. Highly processed and packaged foods should be avoided.
COMPETITION FOR ADULTS
The guideline states that older people should eat foods rich in protein, calcium, micronutrients and fibre. Apart from pulses and cereals – and at least a third as whole grains – they should drink at least 200-400 ml of milk or low-fat milk products, a fistful of nuts and oil seeds and 400-500 g of vegetables and fruits. . The guidelines prescribe low salt and spices. Older people need regular exercise to maintain bone density and muscle mass.
PROTEINS FOR PLANT FOODERS
Proteins are not only essential for building and maintaining good muscle mass, they are needed for many functions in our body. Although there is often enough protein in an adult’s diet, what type of protein is consumed is even more important. Our bodies need 20 amino acids — the building blocks of proteins — but nine of these are essential because our bodies cannot produce them. While animal protein eaters can easily get their quota from fish, poultry or lean meat, plant food eaters must eat grains and pulses.
There is a special guideline for vegans that says they should eat grains and pulses in a 3:1 ratio to get the essential amino acids. Vegetarians can add 250 ml of milk.
The guidelines speak of protein powders – made mainly from eggs, milk, or whey (a byproduct of cheese or paneer) – which many athletes take. Arguing that the protein requirement among humans is not as high as is commonly perceived, the calculator says that even athletes can get their needs through food alone. “Prolonged intake of large amounts of protein is associated with potential risks such as bone mineral loss and kidney damage,” the guideline states.
HOW MUCH OIL AND FATS ARE SAFE
Since most foods already contain sodium, added salt should be kept to a minimum. Salt intake should be limited to five grams per day. India’s food intake data shows that average salt consumption ranges from 3 g to 10 g per day in various states with about 45 percent of the population consuming more than 5 g per day.
Oil intake should be minimized and focus more on vegetable-based sources as they do not contain cholesterol. Cooking products such as ghee containing saturated fats should be avoided. More importantly, the new rulebook argues against reusing and reheating oils as they can produce harmful substances.
