A comparison of the Indian Diet with the EAT-Lancet Reference Diet

Abstract Background The 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission report recommends healthy diets that can feed 10 billion people by 2050 from environmentally sustainable food systems. This study compares food consumption patterns in India, from different income groups and regions and sectors(rural/urban), with the EAT-Lancet reference diet and highlights the deviations.Methods The analysis was done using data from consumption expenditure survey of a nationally representative sample of 0.102 million households from 7469 villages and 5268 urban blocks of India by the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) in 2011-12. This is the most recent nationally representative data on household consumption in India. Calorie intake (kcal/capita/day) of food groups was calculated using quantity of consumption and nutritional values of food items from the NSSO report. Diet across rural and urban, poor and rich households across different regions were compared with EAT-Lancet reference diet.Results Average daily calorie consumption in India is below the recommended 2503 kcal/capita/day across all groups compared, except for the richest 5% of the population. Calorie share of whole grains is significantly higher than the EAT-Lancet recommendations while those of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and meat, fish & eggs are significantly lower. The share of calories from protein sources is only 6-8% in India compared to 29% in the reference diet. The imbalance is highest for the households in the lowest decile of consumption expenditure, but even the richest households in India do not consume adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables and non-cereal proteins in their diets. An average Indian household consumes more calories from processed foods than fruits.Conclusions Indian diets, across states and income groups, are unhealthy. Indians also consume excessive cereals and not enough proteins, fruits and vegetables. Importantly, unlike many countries, excess consumption of animal protein is not a problem in India. Indian policy-makers need to accelerate food system wide efforts to make healthier and sustainable diets more affordable, accessible and acceptable.

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A comparison of the Indian Diet with the EAT-Lancet Reference Diet

10.21203/rs.2.19833/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Manika Sharma ◽

Avinash Kishore ◽

Devesh Roy ◽

Kuhu Joshi New

Keyword(s):

Urban Poor ◽

Food Systems ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Food System ◽

Sample Survey ◽

Calorie Intake ◽

Consumption Expenditure ◽

Food Groups ◽

Income Groups ◽

Nationally Representative

Abstract Background The 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission report recommends healthy diets that can feed 10 billion people by 2050 from environmentally sustainable food systems. This study compares food consumption patterns in India, from different income groups and regions and sectors(rural/urban), with the EAT-Lancet reference diet and highlights the deviations. Methods The analysis was done using data from consumption expenditure survey of a nationally representative sample of 0.102 million households from 7469 villages and 5268 urban blocks of India by the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) in 2011-12. This is the most recent nationally representative data on household consumption in India. Calorie intake (kcal/capita/day) of food groups was calculated using quantity of consumption and nutritional values of food items from the NSSO report. Diet across rural and urban, poor and rich households across different regions were compared with EAT-Lancet reference diet. Results Average daily calorie consumption in India is below the recommended 2503 kcal/capita/day across all groups compared, except for the richest 5% of the population. Calorie share of whole grains is significantly higher than the EAT-Lancet recommendations while those of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and meat, fish & eggs are significantly lower. The share of calories from protein sources is only 6-8% in India compared to 29% in the reference diet. The imbalance is highest for the households in the lowest decile of consumption expenditure, but even the richest households in India do not consume adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables and non-cereal proteins in their diets. An average Indian household consumes more calories from processed foods than fruits. Conclusions Indian diets, across states and income groups, are unhealthy. Indians also consume excessive cereals and not enough proteins, fruits and vegetables. Importantly, unlike many countries, excess consumption of animal protein is not a problem in India. Indian policy-makers need to accelerate food system wide efforts to make healthier and sustainable diets more affordable, accessible and acceptable.

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A comparison of the Indian Diet with the EAT-Lancet Reference Diet

10.21203/rs.2.19833/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Manika Sharma ◽

Avinash Kishore ◽

Devesh Roy ◽

Kuhu Joshi

Keyword(s):

Urban Poor ◽

Food Systems ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Food System ◽

National Sample ◽

Sample Survey ◽

Consumption Expenditure ◽

Calorie Consumption ◽

Income Groups ◽

Nationally Representative

Abstract Background The 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission report recommends healthy diets that can feed 10 billion people by 2050 from environmentally sustainable food systems. This study compares food consumption patterns in India, from different income groups, regions and sectors (rural/urban), with the EAT-Lancet reference diet and highlights the deviations. Methods The analysis was done using data from the Consumption Expenditure Survey (CES) of a nationally representative sample of 0.102 million households from 7469 villages and 5268 urban blocks of India conducted by the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) in 2011-12. This is the most recent nationally representative data on household consumption in India. Calorie consumption (kcal/capita/day) of each food group was calculated using the quantity of consumption from the data and nutritional values of food items provided by NSSO. Diets for rural and urban, poor and rich households across different regions were compared with EAT-Lancet reference diet. Results The average daily calorie consumption in India is below the recommended 2503 kcal/capita/day across all groups compared, except for the richest 5% of the population. Calorie share of whole grains is significantly higher than the EAT-Lancet recommendations while those of fruits, vegetables, legumes, meat, fish and eggs are significantly lower. The share of calories from protein sources is only 6-8% in India compared to 29% in the reference diet. The imbalance is highest for the households in the lowest decile of consumption expenditure, but even the richest households in India do not consume adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables and non-cereal proteins in their diets. An average Indian household consumes more calories from processed foods than fruits. Conclusions Indian diets, across states and income groups, are unhealthy. Indians also consume excess amounts of cereals and not enough proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Importantly, unlike many countries, excess consumption of animal protein is not a problem in India. Indian policymakers need to accelerate food-system-wide efforts to make healthier and sustainable diets more affordable, accessible and acceptable.

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Food consumption patterns, nutrient adequacy, and the food systems in Nigeria

Agricultural and Food Economics ◽

10.1186/s40100-021-00188-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Daniel A. Mekonnen ◽

Laura Trijsburg ◽

Thom Achterbosch ◽

Inge D. Brouwer ◽

Gina Kennedy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Household Head ◽

Household Survey ◽

Calorie Intake ◽

Food Groups ◽

Nutrient Adequacy ◽

Total Calorie ◽

Nationally Representative

AbstractPrevious studies in Nigeria examined food and nutrition security mainly using anthropometric indicators, total calorie intake, or the household dietary diversity score (HDDS). However, recent evidence on nutrient and dietary gaps, especially from nationally representative surveys, is weak. This study contributes by examining factors influencing household mean nutrient adequacy and HDDS with focus on components of food systems in Nigeria. Based on the 2015/16 Nigeria General Household Survey, we found that fruits and animal source foods were the least consumed food groups. Yet, these food groups seem to be the main sources of difference in HDDS and were strongly associated with the mean probability of nutrient adequacy, given covariates. Among 11 nutrients under study, large shortfalls were observed in consumption of iron, vitamin B12, and riboflavin with probability of adequacy being 0.2 or below, followed by niacin, vitamin C, and zinc with corresponding probability of adequacy ranged between 0.48 and 0.58. Further, results suggested that mobile phone ownership by the household head, household’s access to electricity, improved sources of water for household consumption, and percent of the community with improved sanitation were strongly associated with HDDS. Heterogeneities in food groups and nutrient consumption and food system drivers are discussed.

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Consuming insects: are there health benefits?

Journal of Insects as Food and Feed ◽

10.3920/jiff2017.x007 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 225-229 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

N. Roos ◽

A. van Huis

Keyword(s):

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Food Systems ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Health Benefits ◽

Health Claims ◽

Insect Species ◽

Food Groups ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Varied Diet ◽

Enormous Number

How healthy are insects? This is a highly relevant question in view of the global interest in the potential of insects as a sustainable food source in food systems and diets. Edible insects, like other foods, can provide nutrients and dietary energy to meet the requirements of the human body as a part of a varied diet. They also have the potential to provide bioactive compounds that have health benefits beyond simple nutritional values, as is the case for other food groups such as fruits and vegetables. Various recent studies have indicated such bioactivity in different insect species. The enormous number of edible insect species may be a source of novel bioactive compounds with health benefits addressing global health challenges. However, any identified health benefits need to be confirmed in human studies or in standardised assays accepted in health research prior to making health claims.

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"Grow what you eat, eat what you grow": urban agriculture as middle class intervention in India

Journal of Political Ecology ◽

10.2458/v25i1.22970 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 221 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Camille Frazier

Keyword(s):

Middle Class ◽

Urban Agriculture ◽

Food Systems ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Food System ◽

Farming Community ◽

Urban Gardening ◽

Food Quality And Safety ◽

The City

In Bengaluru, India's "IT Capital" and one of its fastest growing cities, an increasing number of middle class residents are growing fruits and vegetables in their private spaces for home consumption. This article examines the motivations and practices of Bengaluru's organic terrace gardeners ("OTGians") in order to understand the possibilities and limitations of urban gardening as a middle class intervention into unsafe food systems and decaying urban ecologies. OTGians are driven primarily by concerns about worsening food quality and safety, and secondarily by the desire to create green spaces that counteract environmental degradation in the city. Like community gardeners in the Global North, they understand urban gardening as a way to mediate problems in the contemporary food system and the urban ecology. However, like other alternative food and environmental movements, OTGians' efforts are anchored in class-specific concerns and experiences. While they have been successful in creating a vibrant community, their efforts remain limited to the middle class. This is in large part due to the site, scale, and production practices that anchor their interventions. I briefly consider a different approach to food production in Bengaluru—that of a caste-specific farming community that has been dispossessed of much of its agricultural land in the name of urban development—to illuminate divergent histories, narratives, and practices of urban agriculture. However, I also emphasize the sites of intersection between these narratives, and suggest that OTGians can find commonalities with other food producers in the city in ways that might revolutionize Bengaluru's food future. I thus look for potential sites of collaboration and intersection in understanding the uneven power relations and politics of urban socio-natures.

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You Say You Want a Data Revolution? Taking on Food Systems Accountability

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11050422 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 422

Author(s):

Quinn Marshall ◽

Alexandra L. Bellows ◽

Rebecca McLaren ◽

Andrew D. Jones ◽

Jessica Fanzo

Keyword(s):

Value Chain ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Data Availability ◽

Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽

Related Data ◽

Critical Data ◽

Income Groups ◽

Systems Learning

Dramatic improvements in data availability and quality are needed to meet the challenge of monitoring and analyzing food systems, so that appropriate policies and actions to improve human and planetary health can be identified and data-informed accountability mechanisms put in place to strengthen food systems governance. Studying food systems is complex due to diverse actors and interlinking processes that operate on multiple spatial and temporal scales, and their multiple outcomes, which may be subject to hidden feedback mechanisms and tradeoffs. However, descriptive research to characterize food system components and make comparisons across geography, income groups, and population groups is an important foundation. The first part of this article details a series of critical data gaps and limitations that are currently hindering food systems learning and accountability, also comparing these gaps across regions and income groups. The second part of the article introduces the Food Systems Dashboard, a new data visualization tool that aims to improve access to and usage of food systems-related data, thus strengthening the data value chain and better informing policies and actions intended to improve diets, nutrition, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability.

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DEPRIVATIONS OF THE URBAN POOR IN MULTIDIMENSIONAL CONTEXT IN THE NORTH EASTERN INDIAN STATE OF MIZORAM

EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) ◽

10.36713/epra6882 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 436-441

Author(s):

James L.T. Thanga ◽

Joseph Lalremsanga

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Poor ◽

Urban Poverty ◽

Multidimensional Poverty ◽

Sample Survey ◽

Calorie Intake ◽

Poor People ◽

Poverty Index ◽

Multidimensional Poverty Index ◽

The Poor

It is now widely accepted that poverty everywhere is no longer a question of lack of income or insufficient calorie intake, it has broadened to include several areas of deprivation such as inadequate housing, health & nutrition, assets, etc. So, multidimensional poverty index has been developed and used to examine the levels deprivations of people on basic necessities of life. Multidimensional poverty index has been constructed based on the sample survey data to examine deprivation of the poor people living in urban areas of Mizoram, India. It is observed that a quarter of the urban poor are severely deprived, while substantial proportion of the poor can easily fall back to severe deprivation with a slight change in their access to basic necessities of life. KEY WORDS: Multidimensional Poverty Index, Deprivation, Urban Poverty, Assets, Standard of Living, Health & Nutrition, Financial Inclusion.

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Trends in Complementary Feeding Indicators and Intake from Specific Food Groups among Children Aged 6–23 Months in Bangladesh

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19010550 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 550

Author(s):

Sabuj Kanti Mistry ◽

Md Belal Hossain ◽

Nafis Md Irfan ◽

Manika Saha ◽

Silvia Saberin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Complementary Feeding ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

Positive Trend ◽

Food Groups ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Semi Solid ◽

Specific Food

The present study aims to comprehensively analyse trends in complementary feeding indicators (Introduction of solid, semi-solid, and soft foods at 6–8 months (INTRO), Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD), Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF) and Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD)) among children aged 6–23 months in Bangladesh. The study used data from four rounds (2007, 2011, 2014, and 2017–2018) of nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHSs). The Cochran–Armitage test was performed to capture the trends in complementary feeding practices and intake from specific food groups. BDHSs are periodically conducted cross-sectional surveys in all seven administrative divisions of Bangladesh. The present analysis was performed among 8116 children (1563 in 2007, 2137 in 2011, 2249 in 2014, and 2167 in 2017–2018) aged 6–23 months. Overall, a decreasing trend was observed in all the complementary feeding indicators except INTRO from 2007 to 2014, but a substantial increase in MDD, MMF and MAD was noted in 2017–2018. A statistically significant reduction in consumption from different food groups such as legumes and nuts (p < 0.001), dairy products (p = 0.001), vitamin-A-rich fruits or vegetables (p < 0.001), and other fruits and vegetables (p < 0.001) was also observed. However, a positive trend was noted in the consumption of grains/roots/tubers (p = 0.027), and meat/fish/egg (p < 0.001). After experiencing a significant decreasing trend during 2007–2014, the recent BDHS indicates improvements in all complementary feeding indicators among young children in Bangladesh, which calls for integrated, multisectoral, and multicomponent interventions to sustain this progress.

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Global Trends (1961–2017) in Human Dietary Potassium Supplies

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13041369 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1369

Author(s):

Diriba B. Kumssa ◽

Edward J.M. Joy ◽

Martin R. Broadley

Keyword(s):

Food Systems ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Reference Value ◽

Institute Of Medicine ◽

Food Groups ◽

Global Trends ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Wide Range ◽

K Deficiency

Background: Potassium (K) is an essential mineral and major intracellular electrolyte involved in the regulation of blood pressure, muscle contraction and nerve transmission in humans. Major dietary sources of K include fruits and vegetables, starchy roots and tubers, and whole grains. The aim of this study was to assess and report: (i) the sufficiency of K in national food systems globally, (ii) to quantify the contribution from food groups, and (iii) to explore spatial and temporal trends in the period of 1961–2017. Methods: Food supply and demography (1961–2017), K composition and K requirement data were combined to estimate per capita human dietary supplies of potassium (DSK), adequate intake of K (AIK) and K sufficiency ratio (KSR) at national, regional, continental and global levels. Results and Discussion: Globally, the mean ± SD. DSK (mg capita−1 d−1) increased from 2984 ± 915 in 1961 to 3796 ± 1161 in 2017. There was a wide range in DSK between geographical regions and across years, with particularly large increases in east Asia, where DSK increased from <3000 to >5000 mg capita−1 day−1. Roots and tubers contributed the largest dietary source of K, providing up to 80% of DSK in most regions. At the global level, throughout the 57-year period, the population-weighted KSR was <1 based on the 2006 Institute of Medicine AIK recommendation, while it was >1 based on the 2019 National Academies of Science and the 2016 European Union AIK recommendation. While KSR ≥1 shows sufficiency of DSK, KSR <1 does not indicate K deficiency risk. Conclusion: Due to the absence of a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for K, this study used the ratio of DSK:AIK (i.e., KSR) to assess dietary K sufficiency. Estimates of dietary K sufficiency are, therefore, highly sensitive to the AIK reference value used and this varied greatly based on different institutions and years. To quantify the risk of dietary K deficiency, bridging the data gap to establish an RDA for K should be a global research priority.

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Hunger and Obesity as Symptoms of Non-Sustainable Food Systems and Malnutrition

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app9061062 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 1062 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gerald Steiner ◽

Bernhard Geissler ◽

Eva Schernhammer

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Calorie Intake ◽

Sustainable Food Systems ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Great Opportunity ◽

Global Food System ◽

Global Food ◽

Innovation Policies

Among the great challenges the world faces are how to ensure food security for its growing population—projected to rise to around 10 billion by 2050—so it can meet their nutritional needs for a healthy life. Current regulations and literature on food security mainly focus on food quantity (i.e., portion sizes), daily calorie intake and methods for increasing food production and too little on food and diet quality and the holistic effects of (mal)nutrition. From a systems perspective, in order to promote innovation policies for more sustainable food systems, food security cannot be viewed independently; rather, it is characterized by the interplay of an extensive network of economic, environmental and social dimensions that should all be taken into account in a comprehensive resilient and sustainable global food system. Here, we highlight one aspect of this vast network that we consider a particular challenge—yet also a great opportunity—for innovative policies geared toward more sustainable food systems: the interplay of hunger and obesity, including resulting policy strategies beyond potential efficiency improvements in farming practices. Future studies need to emphasize the importance of an in-depth understanding of the interdependencies within the global food system and its interrelatedness with societal and natural systems as part of coupled human-environment systems and in the face of continuing population growth and food demand globally. Recommended strategies for achieving sustainable food security systems include innovative educational approaches and stakeholder-driven innovation policies based on mutual learning processes between society, science, industry and policymakers, as well as fostering increased responsibility of all members of society along the agriculture and food value chain.

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