Building better health

India needs a more targeted approach to raise protein consumption

- POOJA BIRAIA JAISWAL

The statistics are stark, but they are a true reflection of the prevailing situation in the country. Over 53 per cent of young Indians (aged 18-35) find nutrition access challenging, while over 50 per cent feel that they eat a balanced diet, despite failing to identify nutritional food sources correctly. The Nutrition Awareness Index 2023, a state-wise index assessing awareness, affordability and accessibility of nutrition in India as perceived by end-consumers, provides key insights about nutritional access.

Punjab emerged the top state on nutritional access, while Bihar ranked at the bottom. Uttarakhand has the highest recognition of fats as a part of a balanced diet at 70 per cent, while Andhra Pradesh has the lowest recognition of pulses and legumes (29 per cent) as bodybuilding foods. The recognition of protective foods like eggs (28 per cent), vegetables (60 per cent) and fruits (60 per cent) are among the lowest of all states in Rajasthan. Eighty-five per cent of Indians are unaware of vegetarian sources of protein, while more than 50 per cent are unaware of healthy fats.

The Nutrition Awareness Index, developed by YouGov, an internet-based market research and data analytics firm, is part of the Right To Protein campaign. It was prepared after a survey among more than 2,000 adult urban internet users, who can read and understand English. The survey was spread across 20 states with the highest GDP. The index is a dynamic, quantitative ranking model constructed from the average of the scores of all 20 states weighted by the relative share of each state as per population numbers from Census 2011. It presents interesting data points on statewise awareness of and access to nutrition.