Survey reveals India’s ‘Diet Paradox’

By Puja Gupta

New Delhi, Aug 11 As many as 97 percent Indians are aware of the essential nutrients and micro-nutrients required for their body, of which 60 percent ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ make a conscious effort to add nutritive elements or additional supplements to their diet, reveals a survey.

Nu-Shakti – a brand of Royal DSM – released its report on India’s ‘Diet Paradox’ that highlights the importance of a healthy immune system in protecting people from infections and ailments, the report stresses the role of adequate nutrition in building immunity.

Based on a survey conducted with more than a thousand people across all age groups in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, it shows that unprecedented awareness levels in terms of health and nutrition are very often matched with a lax attitude in adopting healthy practices.

According to the findings, even though nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of respondents know the connection between healthy eating and losing weight, more than half (55 percent) admitted that they had not consumed leafy vegetables in the required quantity the previous day.

In fact, the Global Burden of Diseases study ranked India 118 on its global index because poor dietary habits accounted for 310 deaths per 100,000 people. Despite awareness levels about proper nutrition and diet being high, these do not necessarily result in the right action.

The survey revealed one of the reasons for this gap between awareness and action is because meals were being skipped regularly:

84 percent of respondents admitted they skipped meals

46 percent confessed they would forgo a meal because of an important work meeting

42 percent claimed they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ consumed healthy or nutritious home-cooked meals during festivals

Additional survey highlights:

Nearly one-third (31 percent) consider working timings the top barrier to a healthy lifestyle

More than one-in-five (22 percent) believe their family is the constraint

62 percent claimed it was ‘extremely difficult’ or ‘difficult’ to influence family members to eat a healthy diet