Hectic lifestyles and easy availability of convenience foods has led to irregular meals and frequent snacking on energy-dense foods among urban Indians. Consumption trends have revealed an increased intake of sweetened carbonated drinks and sweetened juices among the Indian masses.

“Overall, this nutritional transition, particularly noticeable in children, has resulted in high consumption of calories, saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, simple sugars and salt,” said Dr Anoop Misra, director, department of diabetes and metabolic diseases, Fortis Hospitals, New Delhi. “Childhood overweight/obesity is increasing in urban cities in India. Three-year data from eight big cities, including Mumbai and Lucknow, show highest prevalence of obesity among Delhi school children with 32.6%, with the lowest in Lucknow with 14.9%.”

Over 200 experts representing reputed medical institutions, hospitals, government funded research institutions, and policy-making bodies participated to develop Asian Indians-specific dietary guidelines.

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If you are conscious of nutrition and have a healthy diet, you probably already know that you need to eat protein! But do you know what protein its? Or where to find protein? Whilst many of the healthy foods in your local supermarket contain protein, such as eggs, nuts, dairy products and seeds, some of the best sources or protein are chicken, beef, fish and other meats. Protein is vital to your health, as you use protein to repair and replace tissues in your body. Your muscles, your organs, and your immune system are made up mostly of protein, and need protein to maintain optimum performance Protein is particularly important when weight training, as when you train you intentionally tear and damage the muscle to causes your body to use protein to repair and heal the muscle tissue. The addition of protein not only heals the muscle, but also makes them bigger and stronger than before.

Carbohydrates are necessary for nutrition and a healthy diet. There are two main types of carbohydrates: simple and complex.

Simple carbohydrates are also known as simple sugars. Sources of simple sugars are the white sugar you put in your coffee, sugar based candies and even the pop that you buy your kids. There are other more nutritious foods that also contain simple sugars. Some you might not expect like fruit and milk. In a health diet, and for good nutrition, it is important to choose where you get your simple sugars. Fruit and milk is normally a much healthier choice as they also contain vitamins, fiber and other nutrients like calcium, all of which provide far more nutrition in a healthy diet.

Complex carbohydrates are also known as the starches. Foods containing starch are breads, crackers, rice and pastas. Not all carbohydrates are bad for you and. A nutritious, balanced and healthy diet can contain carbohydrates. However, you should try and stay away from the white flour and white rice products as these have been processed and most of the nutrients have been depleted. A healthier choice is whole wheat bread and brown rise products which still have their vitamins and minerals and provide much greater nutrition.