India Food Stats

The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), part of the Indian Council of Medical Research, has released revised Dietary Guidelines for Indians.  The last such report was issued in 2011. Links - PDF  (May 2024, 148 pages), online copy These 17 guidelines offer science-based recommendations for healthy living across all age groups - Eat a variety of foods to ensure a balanced diet Ensure provision of extra food and healthcare during pregnancy and lactation Ensure exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continue breastfeeding till two years and beyond Start feeding homemade semi-solid complementary foods to the infant soon after six months of age Ensure adequate and appropriate diets for children and adolescents both in health and sickness Eat plenty of vegetables and legumes Use oils/fats in moderation; choose a variety of oil seeds, nuts, nutricereals and legumes to meet daily needs of fats and essential fatty acids (EFA) Obtain good quality proteins and essential ...

‘My Plate for the Day’ representing proportions of different food groups is a model suggested by ICMR - National Institute of Nutrition for healthy eating to meet energy requirements of ~2000 Kcal -

The  Codex Alimentarius , established by the UN and WHO, offers a global framework for food labelling standards. While adherence to this "food code" is voluntary, its implementation varies worldwide.  In terms of nutritional labelling, it is a compulsory practice in most major economies, including the US (since the 1990s), India, China (2013), Japan, Australia, and EU nations (2016). Labelling helps consumers to make an informed choice while purchasing their foodstuffs. Nutrition information on labels on the back or side of packaging is provided per 100 grams or per 100 millilitres and sometimes per portion/serving of the food or drink. According to UK's biggest health website, NHS , the following values are considered high : Total fat - more than 17.5g of fat per 100g Saturated fat - more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g Sugars - more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g Salt - more than 1.5g of salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium) The table below shows how high, medium, ...