Over the past eight years, Sobha, who has been in their fifties and works as a domestic help, has been diabetic. In addition to religiously taking her Metformin tablets, she did not think too much about her condition. Recently, however, constant fatigue, swollen ankles and vision problems made it return to his doctor. She was shocked when he was told that her blood sugar was too high, that her levels of hemoglobin and vitamin D were dangerously low and that she was obese.
“But I eat a normal diet and I don’t often give myself up to candies. I don’t know why my sugar is rich or why I seem to gain weight, despite not having much. Legumes at subsidized prices in ration stores, ”she says.
Sobha’s story takes place across the country. People like it are among the millions of people with malnutrition, obese, people with diabetes in the country, which, over time, will develop serious diabetes complications such as renal failure, because basic lifestyle changes – in particular food changes – which are necessary to maintain non -transmitted diseases (NCDS) under control are beyond their means.
Eating healthy is expensive
“In order to ensure that people are not hungry, the nation has opted for food security and that this calorie grains and cereals are provided at suckled prices for people through the public distribution system. Malnutrition, obesity and MNT will continue, ”explains TS Anish, associate professor of community medicine, Government Medical College, Manjeri.
The Global Food Policy Report 2024, “Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition”, published last year by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), reported that 16.6% of Indians suffered from malnutrition due to bad food habits. He said that at least 38% of the Indian population ate unhealthy foods, while only 28% ate the five recommended food groups, which included at least one stucing staple food, a vegetable, a fruit, a pulse, a nut or seed, and an animal source food.
Another report, the United Nations state, food security and nutrition in the world report published in July of last year, said that 55.6% of Indians could not afford a healthy, balanced and diversified diet because eating healthy is an expensive affair. However, this is lower than the 2017 data, when the figure was 69.5%. The report, published by five United Nations agencies, described a “healthy food” as comprising four key aspects: diversity (within food groups), adequacy (sufficiency of all essential nutrients in relation to requirements), moderation (food and nutrients linked to bad results for health) and balance (energy and contribution in macronutrient).
Economic and gender disparities
Socio -economic and gender disparities have fueled the double burden of the malnutrition of India – a paradox in which malnutrition coexists with obesity. According to the WHO, “the double burden of malnutrition is characterized by the coexistence of the fighter as well as by overweight and obesity, or non -transmitted diseases linked to the regime, within individuals, households and populations, and through life.”
Urbanization seems to be one of the motor factors of this double burden, because the urban lifestyle encourages the easy availability of foods and drinks rich in fat and ultra-tail. The situation is exacerbated by additional factors such as low levels of physical activity and sedentary lifestyles.
Maternal introduction compromises fetal growth and increases the risk of children that can be insufficient, stunted and micronutrients. On the other hand, maternal obesity or superpature could lead to gestational weight gain (perhaps complicated by gestational diabetes) and babies who run the risk of resistance to insulin later in life.
In accordance with the National Family Health Survey – 5 data, undernutrition in children is endemic – 36% slowdown, 19% wasted, 32% in weight insufficiency – while in adults, 31.7% of women and 28.6% of men in urban areas and 19% of women and 18.8% of men in rural areas were obese.
Too much carbohydrates, too little protein
Food guidelines for Indians (DGI) developed by the National Institute for Medical Research (ICMR) -National Institute (ICMR-Nin), Hyderabad, and published last year, said that 56.4% of the total loading of diseases in India could be attributed to unhealthy regimes.
The report recommended that no more than 45% of calories in the daily diet come from cereals and millers; 15% of pulses and beans (sources of protein), and the rest should come from nuts, vegetables, fruit and milk. But the reality of the Indian diet is that it is very deficient in protein, with almost 70% of the calorie needs satisfied by carbohydrates and the supply of vegetables rich in micronutrients, and the fruits a lot below the recommended levels.
In 2019, the Eat-ilet commission published recommendations concerning healthy diets which can maintain 10 billion people respectful of the environment by 2050. In 2020, the International Institute for Research on Food Policies published a document on the way in which the Indian diet has adapted to the Eat-Lancet diet.
The study revealed that Indian households who spend the least for food show the greatest dependence on whole grains, starchs and processed foods, with few others. This scheme is maintained through the rural-urban ditch. Proteins represent only 6 to 8% of the calorie intake, against the 30% in the reference regime. Fruits and vegetables represent around 8% of daily calories in the reference regime.
The richest city dwellers obtain nearly a third of their calories from processed foods. Even among the poorest, 8% of calories come from these foods for urban and rural residents. In southern India, processed foods represent 13% of regimes, compared to 8% in the northeast and northern India.
The study stressed “a lack of availability, accessibility, awareness and acceptability” as other major causes for the poor quality of Indian regimes and recommended that healthy food subsidies are the norm. Large -scale awareness campaigns were necessary to help people understand why their food diversity had to improve.
The need for affordable and diverse diets
Sreejith N. Kumar, a doctor based in Thiruvanthapuram who was at the forefront of the well-eaten campaigns in Kerala, says that food diversity or food quality should not be a complicated affair.
“It is enough to follow the” MyPlate “food directive (from the American department of agriculture) which says that half of your plate is filled with fruits and vegetables, a quarter each is filled with grains and proteins. This is almost online with the ICMR-Nin guidelines which do not exceed 45% of calories from cereals, “he said.
The high dependence on carbohydrates in each meal and sedentary work led to an abdominal obesity spiral in rural and urban India. This excessive contribution of carbohydrates and fructose (from sweet and processed products) is the starting point for fatty liver disease, a phenomenon that has swallowed Kerala, known as Dr. Sreejith.
Ensuring food diversity or consumption from a wide range of food groups is essential to reach optimal nutrition and states micronutrient deficiencies and therefore malnutrition.
NFHS-5 data show that only 28% of adults consume the five recommended food groups.
Dr. Sreejith says that the first imperative to a healthy diet should be aware of the importance of food diversity and a change of mind on what must be on the plate.
“For a healthy diet to be affordable, the emphasis should be to encourage people to eat vegetables and fruits that are available locally and seasonal.
The idea is to prioritize vegetables, include moderate quantities of protein and fat, and reduce the amount of carbohydrates.
The need for healthy food policies
In Kerala, local auto-government and Kudumbasree units have taken several initiatives at the service to encourage household vegetable farming in crop bags so that fresh products are available at least in a small way in each cleaning. However, larger political initiatives are necessary to meet the nutritional needs of a huge section of the country’s population, including the subsidized supply of healthy and diverse food options as well as the taxation of a fat or health tax on the sale of ultra-transformed and high food to limit the consumption of these articles.
In this context, Arun Gupta, pediatrician, expert in public health and responsible for advocacy in nutrition in the public interest, stresses that the laws on low and subjective labeling and advertising allow the junk food to take advantage of the freedom to achieve profits to the detriment of public health.
In an article by The Hindu, “erroneous food regulations fuel the obesity crisis”, Dr. Gupta says that the recommendation of the 2025 economic survey that a health tax is imposed on ultra-transformed food to brake their consumption is derailed by the same “friendly and friendly food marketing regulations”.
“India should adopt a rigorous pack marketing labeling system (to limit advertisements without restriction of unhealthy processed foods); Set clear limits in salt / sugar / fat for foods rich in fat / salt and sugar and frame strict advertising laws.
Also at the state level, agricultural policies should be able to take advantage of local food systems which include a diversified variety of vegetables, pulses and local millers, so that the nutritional content of powerful diets can be improved.
Published – May 27, 2025 03:03 PM ist
