Nutrition & Diet

Obesity is a long-term condition where excess body fat raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, fatty liver, arthritis, sleep apnoea, and several cancers. It is a disease — not a character flaw — and it can be treated.

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and keeps bones, muscles, nerves, and the immune system working. Despite year-round sunshine, 70–80% of urban Indians are vitamin D deficient — it is probably our most common vitamin shortfall.

Vitamin D deficiency means the blood level of vitamin D is too low to support healthy bones, muscles, and immunity. It is the most common vitamin deficiency in India — studies repeatedly show 70–90% of urban adults, pregnant women, children, and older people are deficient.

Carbohydrates are the body's main fuel. The Indian diet is very carb-heavy — rice, wheat, sugar, sweets — and the problem is not carbs themselves but which carbs.

Sodium (the main part of salt) is needed in small amounts for nerves, muscles, and fluid balance. The problem in India is too much of it, and the main harm is high blood pressure — a leading cause of stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure.

Safe drinking water is the single most important food-safety issue in India. Unsafe water causes diarrhoea — still a leading killer of children under 5 — plus typhoid, hepatitis A and E, cholera, and intestinal worms.

Iron is the mineral that makes haemoglobin — the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Iron deficiency is the single most common nutrition problem in India, and it causes anaemia (low haemoglobin).

Body weight alone is a rough guide to health. For South Asians, where fat is stored — belly vs.

Dietary fats are a vital nutrient — needed for cell membranes, hormones, brain health, and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K). The Indian concern is not total fat — it's the type of fat and how it is cooked.

Malnutrition is when the body doesn't get the right balance of calories, protein, vitamins, or minerals. India carries a double burden — large numbers of undernourished children and women and a growing population with obesity and micronutrient deficiencies.

Potassium is an electrolyte that helps nerves, muscles, and the heartbeat work properly. A potassium-rich diet partly offsets the BP-raising effect of salt, so it's especially useful in India where sodium intake is high.

A healthy diet is not one branded plan — it's a long-term eating pattern. For most Indians, the goal is simply to shift toward more vegetables, fruits, pulses, whole grains, and moderate protein, while cutting refined carbs, sugar, salt, and deep-fried food.