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Topic : Meeting nutrition challenge: What new guidelines prescribe
GS-2 Mains : Health
Revision Notes
National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) releases guidelines to address:
- Rising non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease, diabetes and cancers, affecting all ages including adolescents and children.
- Unhealthy diets – estimated to cause 56.4% of India’s disease burden.
Key Points:
- Focus on mothers and children:
- Optimal nutrition from conception to age 2 crucial for proper growth and development.
- Can prevent undernutrition (micronutrient deficiencies) and obesity.
- Childhood health concerns:
- 2019 National Nutrition Survey shows high prevalence of lifestyle diseases in children:
- 5% of children (5-9 years) and 6% of adolescents overweight or obese.
- Almost 2% have diabetes and 10% pre-diabetes.
- High levels of bad cholesterol (LDL/triglycerides) and low good cholesterol.
- 2019 National Nutrition Survey shows high prevalence of lifestyle diseases in children:
- Dual burden of malnutrition:
- Micronutrient deficiencies (zinc, iron, vitamins) in 13-30% of children (1-19 years).
- Anaemia prevalence: 40.6% (under 5), 23.5% (5-9 years), 28.4% (10-19 years).
- Shifting dietary patterns:
- Increased affordability and accessibility of unhealthy processed foods (HFSS) high in fat, sugar and salt.
- Contributes to micronutrient deficiencies, anaemia, and overweight/obesity.
- General Principles:
-
- Get nutrients from 8 food groups: vegetables, leafy greens, roots, dairy, nuts, oils.
- Limit cereals (staple) to 45% of energy intake (down from 50-70%).
- Increase protein intake (pulses, meat, fish) to 14% (up from 6-9%).
- Vegetarians: consume flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts for PUFA and B12.
- Limit salt intake to 5g per day.
- Avoid highly processed foods (high fat, salt, sugar).
Group-Specific Guidelines:
-
- Pregnant women: small frequent meals, fruits & vegetables rich in iron & folate.
- Infants (0-6 months): exclusive breastfeeding, no water, honey, glucose, diluted milk.
- Infants (6+ months): introduce complementary foods along with breastfeeding.
- Elderly: focus on protein, calcium, fiber, micronutrients.
- Consume:
- Pulses & cereals (1/3 whole grains)
- 200-400ml low-fat milk/milk products
- Nuts & oilseeds (fistful)
- 400-500g vegetables & fruits
- Exercise for bone density & muscle mass.
- Consume:
Recommendations:
- Reduce consumption of salt and highly processed foods.
- Promote healthy diets and physical activity.
- Guidelines include ideal diet charts for various age groups considering micronutrient deficiencies and overnutrition diseases.
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