Nutritional problems in India are caused by both poverty and poor food choices. While poverty has traditionally been the main cause of malnutrition, recent research shows that even wealthy urban Indians can suffer from nutritional deficiencies due to imbalanced diets high in fats, refined carbs, and sugars. The government has implemented several programs since the 1960s to address malnutrition through iron and folic acid supplementation, vitamin A distribution, and addressing nutritional blindness and goiter.

1. Dr.Amal Abbasi

2. What is the Cause of Nutritional Problems in India?
Typically, nutritional deficiency is considered a problem
plaguing the poor, who cannot afford a balanced meal.
Thus poverty remains the biggest cause of nutritional
problems in India.
However, lately, research has shown prevalent
malnutrition even in urban, wealthy individuals. The
urban rich have enough to eat, but poor food choices
have caused nutritional deficiencies among them.
The influence of the Western diet has led to people
consuming more fats, refined carbohydrates, and
sugars that only provide empty calories without any
substantial nutrition.

3. Primary: This type of deficiency is caused by an
imbalanced diet and improper food intake. Taking a
nutritious, balanced diet and vitamin supplements
eliminates these deficiencies.
Secondary: Secondary nutritional deficiencies occur
because of some type of underlying medical cause,
for example, lactose intolerance, celiac disease, etc.
Unless and until the underlying disorder is treated,
secondary nutritional deficiencies will linger.
Types of Nutritional Deficiencies
Nutritional problems in India can be divided into two
types:

4. The National Nutritional Anaemia Prophylaxis Programme,
1970
Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation
Programme, 2013
National Prophylaxis Programme against Nutritional
Blindness due to vitamin A deficiency, 1970
The National Goitre Control Programme, 1962
Malnutrition has been a prime concern when it comes to public health in our country. The
Government has taken multiple steps to reduce nutritional problems in India. Here are some of
the programmes and plans launched:
National Nutrition Mission, 2003
National Nutrition Mission, 2003

5. Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM)
PEM is due to insufficient food intake and occurs frequently among children in age.
group 1-3 years but more so in the first yeas of life. Eligibility per cent of PEM cases
are mild and moderate which remain unrecognised. The most serious
form of PEM are Kwashiorkar and marasmus. ,
Incidence of severe PEM cases is 1 to 8 per cent in pre-school age children. In
India the problem of PEM exists in all states. Nutritional marasmus is more
frequent than Kwashiorkar. The concept of protein gap has given place to food
gap'. PEM is primarily due to an inadequate intake of food both in quantity and
quality, and due to infections, notably diarrhoea, respiratory infections, me;~:;les and
intestinal worms which increase requirement of calories, proteins and other
nutrients, while decreasing their absorption and utilisation. It is a vicious circle -
infection contributing to malnutrition and ~malnutrition contributing to infection. It is
possible to prevent as well as cure PEM in children through adequate and judicious
use of inexperience, locally available cereal pulse based diets.

18. The basic approaches to the prevention and control of iron deficiency are:
i) supplementation with medicinal iron: Iron-folate is commonly used. Some
individuals develop mild gastrointestinal side effects. It is always better to take
the tablets along with food and should take for 2 to 3 months.
ii) Education and associated measures to increase dietary iron intake:
Women must be convinced of the importance of iron for their health and the
health of their unborn child; Since Vitamin C enhances iron absorption in .
the body, people should take fresh fruits and vegetables along with their regular
food e.g. Guava, Lemon, Cabbage, Tomato, etc. A void consuming too much
tea which contains tannin that inhibits the absorption of iron in the body.
iii) The control of infection: Effective, timely, curative care could diminish the
adverse nutritional consequences of viral and bacterial diseases. Hookworm
causes chronic blood loss causing anaemia. Giardia reduces iron absorption
causing anaemia. Deworming should be done routinely as part of primary
health care.
iv) The fortification of a staple food with iron: Fortification of widely
coqsumed and centrally processed staple food with iron, is done in flour mills
and other food processing plants, e.g., wheat flour, corn-meal, bread, infant
formulas and weaning foods.

19. – You are what you eat