ICMR's Latest Guidelines On Nutrition And What You Can Incorporate

Indian Council of Medical Research along with the National Institute of Nutrition released the latest edition of Dietary Guidelines for Indians on May 8 and it has been in the news since then among the medical, nutrition, and wellness community.

The guide states that 56.4% of the total disease burden in the country is due to unhealthy diets. Increased consumption of ultra-processed foods, reduced physical activity, and limited access to diverse foods are leading to obesity. The easy availability of HFSS (high-fat salt sugar) foods is further aggravating obesity. 

The 148-page guide is available as a PDF for free download and is written in easy language for everyone to follow. It lists 17 dietary guidelines specifically designed for the Indian population and takes into consideration the current diet and nutrition scenario as well as the increasing risk of non-communicable diseases. Plenty has already been written about these guidelines in the past week, both in the mainstream media and social media.

Here’s a gist of what it says and what you can incorporate into your diet:

Variety Of Foods

Fresh vegetables, leafy vegetables, and roots and tubers. The advice is to go for root vegetables over tubers and to eat a variety of veggies in various forms like curry, chutney, raita, dal, etc. The recommended daily quantity is 400 grams of vegetables (including green leafy veg, regular vegetables, and roots/tubers) and 100 grams of fruit.

Children's And Adolescent Diets

Course-correcting children’s diets is of utmost importance to give a solid nutritional foundation for their growth and adulthood. It also helps build good food habits at a young age, hopefully sticking to them for life. Discourage overeating and mindless eating, encourage one hour of physical activity per day, and include more fibre-rich foods like whole grains, millet, pulses, and veggies. Restrict HFSS foods and ultraprocessed foods.

Oils and Fats

Possibly the most asked question by consumers is what oil should I use? The recommendation is to keep it diverse by including a variety of invisible fats from nuts, seeds, avocados, and eggs. About 20-50g of visible fat could be used for cooking per person per day. This seems to be quite a wide range and those looking to lose weight are better off sticking to 4-5 teaspoons per day. The recommended fat depends on the activity level and the caloric requirement of a person. Include foods rich in essential fatty acids like nuts, oil seeds, soybeans, and millet, with a moderate use of refined oils. Omega-3-rich marine fish can also be a part of the diet if you eat fish.

Protein Consumption

The baseline intake given as 0.8g protein/kg body weight may be good for sedentary individuals in the normal weight range, but may not be adequate for active individuals who exercise regularly or those looking to lose fat while retaining muscle mass. The advisory asks to avoid protein supplements to build muscle mass. Asking people not to take protein supplements for the risk of kidney damage and osteoporosis is not an entirely science-backed statement. Enough and more studies have proven the safety of whey protein in a normal healthy individual. The more valid reason and advice would be to stick to independently tested brands that have honest labels, and use no added sugars and dangerous additives like anabolic steroids or heavy metals.

Also read: https://www.thecore.in/health/protein-vegetarian-sources-tempeh-tofu-3781201

Salt Intake

The recommendation is to use iodized salt with a limit of 5g per day. While we may not add too much salt to our food, consumption of ultra-processed or packaged foods like sauces, biscuits, chips, cheese, etc automatically increases our salt intake, which is why we need to cut down on their intake. 

Food Hygiene

Buying food from reliable sources, proper cleaning and refrigeration, segregation of cooked foods from raw, and thorough cleaning of hands, cooking surfaces, and implements are some of the important ways to ensure food hygiene. 

Also read: https://www.thecore.in/lifestyle/how-to-ensure-that-the-food-you-eat-is-safe-and-hygienic-4550272

Healthy Cooking Tips

The guide includes a useful primer on washing, prepping, and cooking food at home. Some quick tips here are to wash vegetables before cutting and not wash grains and legumes repeatedly to minimise nutrient loss, prefer steam cooking over frying, choose earthen cookware, consume more fermented foods, and avoid reheating/reuse of over-heated oils. The cookware section includes the much villainised non-stick cookware, asking the consumers to use and clean it as per instructions and discard it when the coating gets damaged. It also gives a green signal to microwave cooking which is quick with the least damage to nutrients. 

Water and Beverages

The guide recommends 8 glasses of water or 2 litres a day which has been called a myth. The advice of consuming buttermilk, lemon water, and coconut water over synthetic soft drinks loaded with sugar is a valid one. It also includes whole fruit juice without added sugar as a good option. It might be a better option as compared to sugary carbonated beverages which are empty calories, but eating a fruit whole is better than having fruit juices. There’s a clear indication to limit tea and coffee to keep caffeine intake less than 300 mg/day and also to avoid these beverages one hour before and after a meal so that the tannins do not interfere with iron absorption. There is a strong directive to avoid alcohol completely, which is a welcome advisory, given that no quantity of alcohol is beneficial to health. 

Other Guidance

Some other pointers clearly outlined in the dietary guidelines are not eating more than 2-3 meals per day, avoiding snacking regularly, restricting the intake of ultra-processed foods, including millet as a cereal regularly, and 50% of cereal consumption in the day as whole grains. 

One must remember that these guidelines are drawn keeping in mind the entire population of India which comes from diverse socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds with varying pre-existing diseases, health, and fitness goals, so even attempting to give generalised advice for the masses is a laud-worthy attempt. 

Ultimately we have to pick advice that works towards our goals and modify it to suit our lifestyle and requirements. This is where your health coach, doctor, or nutrition coach can help tailor these broad guidelines to assist your goals.