Prioritising balanced diet key to combat nutrition crisis in India: Experts

Shifting to balanced diets is key to combat the alarming nutrition crisis caused by unhealthy diets in India said health expertsAccording to the latest report of the Indian Council of Medical ResearchNational Institute of Nutrition ICMRNIN India is facing a health crisis with 564 per cent of the total disease burden attributed to unhealthy dietary practicesUnhealthy eating habits including the consumption of processed foods high in salt sugar and fats have become alarmingly prevalent with the proliferation of fastfood chains and the easy availability of packaged snacksIndia faces a unique and alarming nutrition crisis with abdominal obesity being more prevalent than overall obesity More than 50 per cent of the population suffers from dietrelated disorders including obesity diabetes type 2 fatty liver etcrdquo said Dr Hemalatha R exdirector of ICMRNINHemalatha said this while delivering a keynote address at the 30th Continuing Medical Education CME seminar recently organised by the Physicians Association for Nutrition India PAN India in collaboration with Indian Medical Association IMA BengaluruNonCommunicable Diseases NCDs account for 66 per cent of all mortality in the country Unlike the muchdeveloped Western world where NCDs typically manifest later in life India faces these diseases at a much younger ageAlarmingly twothirds of Indians with NCDs fall within the 2659 age group the most productive years of their lives Most of it is due to unhealthy diet choices and other lifestyle practicesThe ICMRNIN study highlights that 56 per cent of the disease burden is due to an unhealthy diet This trend poses significant challenges not just to individual health but also to the nationrsquos economic and social fabricldquoUnhealthy diets account for over 56 per cent of the countryrsquos disease burden and the impact begins as early as foetal development with pregnant women consuming processed foods and sugars risking their childrenrsquos cognitive healthrdquo Hemalatha saidldquoThis underscores the urgent need to shift towards balanced diets rich in pulses legumes whole grains vegetables and fruits aligning with global recommendations to combat this alarming unhealthy dietrdquo the expert addedDr G Rajendiran MBBS MD DM Cardiology Prof amp Head of Preventive Cardiology PSGIMSR Coimbatore DirectorVR Heart health initiative also emphasised the importance of whole food plantbased diet in prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases This gains importance given the increasing prevalence and mortality despite the recent medical advances she saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever