By Dr. Liji Thomas, MDJun 14 2023 There is much interest in discovering and assessing diets to maintain or enhance health without imposing an undue cost on the ecosystem. In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission published recommendations about healthy diet patterns that can sustain 10 billion people in an environmentally friendly manner by 2050.
India suffers from both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Over the years from 1990 to 2016, heart disease was reported to be the number one killer among diseases. This is typically related to overnutrition or eating too much. The central point at which the EAT-Lancet reference diet diverges from other recommended daily allowances established by various professional bodies is that it also accounts for the ecological footprint of the foods included. In the current paper, however, this aspect of the Indian diet is not explored.
They are also fond of sweet drinks, such as tea, coffee, and other drinks, along with chips and chocolates. Spices make up 1-2% of total calories in the Indian diet but are unaccounted for in the EAT-Lancet reference diet. Cereal-based calories When compared to the EAT-Lancet reference diet, the average Indian consumes more calories from whole grains but less from fruits and vegetables, legumes, and foods of animal origin such as meat, fish, and eggs.
Legume intake is lowest among the people of North-eastern India. The production of legumes has declined steadily over the last half-century. The mean fruit consumption accounts for less than half of the reference diet, while vegetable consumption falls short but by a smaller margin. Animal protein consumption is strikingly low in India. Thus, overconsumption of animal meat or products is not an issue in India. Even while up to 80% of Indians now report themselves to be non-vegetarian, “majority of the non-vegetarians report that they consume meat only occasionally.”