Indians have always taken pride in their culinary heritage. From the use of spices to regional and seasonal ingredients comprising essential nutrients, the food landscape of the country is as diverse as it can get. However, this diversity is not replicated in the spread offered to children.
According to the World Health Organization, around 77% of Indian kids aged 6-23 months lack several nutritious ingredients in their diet that make it diverse. The study found that many regions, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Gujarat showed high levels of inadequate diversity, around 80%, in the diet of children.
Sikkim and Meghalaya are the only two states with inadequacy below 50%. Using the Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) score, WHO found out that several children in India are not getting the optimum amount of nutrition from their meals. The team of scientists also analysed the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS) 2019-21 data and found that the country's overall rate of food diversity has fallen from 87.4% (NFHS-S) to a few points more than 75%.
Gaurav Gunnal, Dhruvi Bagaria, and Sudeshna Roy wrote 'Regional patterns in minimum diet diversity failure and associated factors among children aged 6–23 months in India' which was published in The National Medical Journal of India on October 22, 2024. "Our study shows that the prevalence of minimum dietary diversity failure remains high (above 75 per cent) in India," an excerpt from the report read.
What Is A Diverse Diet?
According to the WHO, a diverse diet includes five or more food groups,
- Breast milk
- Legumes and nuts
- Grains, tubers, and roots
- Eggs
- Flesh foods
- vitamin-A rich vegetables and fruits
- Other vegetables and fruits
- Dairy products (yoghurt, milk, and cheese)
The MDD is an indicator that tells how many children aged 6-23 months receive a minimum acceptable diet. The results are proof that kids in India are not getting enough nutrition because their diets are inadequate.
Consumption Of Egg Improved But Dairy Decreased
Comparing the data of NFHS-3 and 5, the researchers found that consumption of eggs has improved from 5% to 17%. While people have started eating more legumes and nuts, the difference is only 3%.
The report further reads, "The consumption of vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables increased by 7.3 percentage points, whereas the consumption of fruits and vegetables increased by 13 percentage points over the same time. For flesh foods, the consumption increased by 4 percentage points,"
The bad news is that the consumption of dairy products has decreased from 87% to 85%. This also comes with a lack of exposure of children from rural backgrounds to mass media. They don’t get regularly checked at Anganwadis or Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centres where the parents could know that their kids’ diet lacks essential nutrients. The authors have suggested intensified ICDS programmes, improvement of the public distribution system, and spreading awareness about nutrition through social media.