Context: In a latest survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Nutrition it was found that Urban Indians consume nearly 50% more fat than rural counterparts.

According to the survey report named "What India Eats". It categorised fat into two groups

• Visible or added fat, comprising oils and fat in preparing food, in fried food and those derived from meat and poultry
• Invisible fat, includeing fat / oils from rice, pulses, nuts and oilseeds.

Moreover, The survey claimed that

• Added (visible) fat / oils intake contributed to 68.2 per cent and 46 per cent of total fat intake in north and south urban regions respectively.

Urban-Rural data

• 84 per cent of the rural population secured their energy (E) per day requirement from total fats/oils, or visible / added fats.
• On the other hand, less than 20 per cent of the urban population derived their E / day from this category.
• In urban areas of the country, northern India had the highest intake of added fat with 45.9 g / day.
• Southern India reported the lowest per capita consumption of added fat/oils with 22.9 g / day in this segment of the population.
• In the urban region of north India, fat intake (67.3 g) was among the highest; and overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity were highest when compared to other regions.

Key Highlights of ‘What India Eats’ report on Nutrition

• 5% of rural Indians and 18 % of urban populace in the country consume the recommended amount of good quality proteins.
• While it is recommended that carbohydrates-rich cereals should contribute just 45 % of a day’s energy and the rest must be from other foods, the report says that cereals contribute to 51 % of energy among urban Indians and 65 % among rural Indians.
• High protein foods such as pulses, legumes contribute just 11 % of daily energy needs, whereas the recommended value is 17 per cent.
• Also, only 8.8 % rural and 17 % urban Indians consume vegetables in the required quantities, whereas just 8.7 % rural and 14.3 % urban Indians consume the recommended quantity of milk.
• Junk food like chips, biscuits and chocolates contribute to around 11 % of the energy needs among the rural and urban Indians.

Revised Definitions

• It also revised its recommended dietary allowance (RDA) and estimated average requirement (EAR) of nutrition for Indians.
• While the weight of an ideal or reference Indian man was 60kg in 2010, it has now increased to 65kg. In case of women, it has gone up to 55kg from 50kg a decade ago.
• Along with this, the earlier height for a reference Indian man was 5.6 feet (171cm) and a woman was 5 feet (152cm). It is now revised to 5.8 feet (177cm) for a man and 5.3 feet (162cm) for a woman. This will now be taken for normal body mass index (BMI).
• The definition for reference Indian adult man and woman with regard to age was changed to 19-39 years instead of 20-39 years, which was fixed in 2010.

Revised RDA

• Nutrient requirements, for the first time, include estimated average requirement and also the tolerable upper limit of nutrients along with recommended dietary allowance.
• The calcium requirement proposed as RDA for an adult man and an adult woman is 1,000mg per day. It was 600mg per day in 2010.
• Common salt intake remains at 5 grams per day with the sodium intake limited to 2 grams.
• For the first time, the ICMR expert committee on nutrition considered recommendations for fiber based on energy intake. About 40grams per 2,000 kilo calories of food consumption has been considered as safe.
• The visible fat intake for individuals with sedentary, moderate and heavy activity has been set at 25, 30 and 40 grams per day, respectively, for an adult man and 20, 25 and 30 grams per day, respectively, for an adult woman.
• Also for the first time, recommendations have been made for dietary intakes of carbohydrates setting the estimated energy requirement at 100 grams per day for ages one year and above with a recommended dietary allowance of 130 grams per day.