27/12/2025
Indian children often get enough calories but not enough protein.
Daily protein need (approx):
• 1–3 yrs: 1–1.2 g/kg/day
• 4–9 yrs: 0.9–1 g/kg/day
• 10–18 yrs: 1–1.2 g/kg/day
Simple Indian protein foods:
Dal, milk, curd, paneer, eggs, sprouts, peanuts, fish
👉 Small increase in protein + less refined carbs = better growth, immunity, and learning
Dr Sanoj Pasupalak
Brahmapur Sishubhaban
(India’s largest nutrition dataset shows a clear pattern: we eat too many carbs and too little protein. Indian adults get about 65–75% of daily calories from carbohydrates, while protein intake stays around 9–11%. Data from the ICMR-INDIAB study show that higher carb intake is linked to higher risk of obesity, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. The key insight is simple and powerful: replacing just 5% of calories from carbohydrates with protein, especially from plant sources or dairy, is associated with a lower risk of diabetes and metabolic disease. Small dietary shifts, not extreme diets, can make a meaningful difference.)