study<\/a> that characterised the Indian diet as dominated by low-quality carbohydrates\u2014white rice, milled grains, added sugars\u2014combined with high saturated fat and insufficient protein.<\/p>\nThat study, part of the ICMR-INDIAB series, found that only about 12 per cent of the average Indian\u2019s energy intake comes from protein, most of it plant-based.<\/p>\n
WHY PROTEIN QUALITY MATTERS<\/p>\n
Protein forms the fundamental structure of every cell in the body. Nearly half of it is housed in our muscles, with the rest spread across bone, cartilage, and skin. These proteins are built from 20 amino acids, nine of which are \u201cessential,\u201d meaning they must be obtained from food because the body cannot produce them.<\/p>\n
The remaining amino acids can be synthesised internally, but a steady supply of dietary protein is critical for functions ranging from tissue repair and immunity to enzyme and hormone production.<\/p>\n
Protein needs also vary across the lifespan and increase sharply during periods of growth, pregnancy, illness, and physical stress.<\/p>\n
The recommended dietary allowance for a sedentary adult is about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. While both animal sources\u2014milk, eggs, fish, meat\u2014and plant sources like pulses can meet these needs, they do so with varying efficiency.<\/p>\n
According to the 2024 ICMR-NIN dietary guidelines, animal proteins provide all essential amino acids in optimal proportions and are more bioavailable, whereas most plant proteins lack one or more essential amino acids and are harder for the body to fully use.<\/p>\n
Apoorve Khandelwal, a fellow at CEEW, notes that the findings highlight a \u201csilent crisis\u201d marked by excessive dependence on poor-quality protein, high caloric loads from cereals and oils, and insufficient consumption of nutrient-rich, diverse foods.<\/p>\n
PROTEIN GAINS ARE SLOW AND INEQUITABLE<\/p>\n
Although India\u2019s protein intake has risen slightly over the past decade, the gains are modest. Government data show that daily per-capita protein intake increased from 60.7 grams to 61.8 grams in rural areas and from 60.3 grams to 63.4 grams in urban areas between 2011\u201312 and 2023\u201324.<\/p>\n
Yet these averages mask sharp disparities. According to CEEW, the richest 10 per cent of Indians consume 1.5 times more at-home protein than the poorest 10 per cent and have far better access to animal-based sources.<\/p>\n
Milk consumption illustrates this inequality clearly: the poorest rural households consume only about one-third of the recommended amount, while the richest surpass the recommendation by more than 10 per cent.<\/p>\n
The gap is even starker for eggs, fish, and meat. The poorest manage to meet only 38 per cent of the recommended daily allowance, while the wealthiest exceed it at 123 per cent.<\/p>\n
Pulses\u2014once central to India\u2019s protein economy\u2014now account for just 11 per cent of total protein intake, well below the recommended 19 per cent.<\/p>\n
Every state underconsumes them, despite their affordability and superior protein quality compared to cereals.<\/p>\n
Together, these findings point to a nutritional landscape where quantity masks a deeper problem of quality, diversity, and inequity\u2014one that policymakers and households will need to confront to ensure India\u2019s protein security.<\/p>\n
– Ends<\/p>\n
Published On: <\/p>\n
Dec 10, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new analysis by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) reveals a troubling shift in India\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339357,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[64,63,188641,137,188644,188645,188643,188642,532,188640],"class_list":{"0":"post-339356","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-ceew","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-icmr-indiab-survey","13":"tag-icmr-nin-dietary-guidelines","14":"tag-low-quality-proteins","15":"tag-nsso-2023-24","16":"tag-nutrition","17":"tag-protein-intake-of-indians"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}