Balanced diet key to better life: Dr Mithra

Anantapur: Dr M Akhila Mithra stated that adopting healthy eating habits and engaging in regular physical activity can significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and hypertension (HTN), preventing up to 80% of Type 2 diabetes cases.

Speaking at a workshop on ‘Healthy and balanced diet’ here on Friday, naturopath Dr Mithra said that increasing consumption of highly processed foods, rich in sugars and fats, compounded by reduced physical activity and limited access to diverse, nutritious foods, exacerbates micronutrient deficiencies and overweight/obesity. Research highlights that unhealthy, highly processed, high-fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) foods have become more affordable and accessible than healthier alternatives.

Aggressive marketing strategies, particularly through social media, significantly influence dietary choices in children and adults, often with long-term detrimental consequences.

The ICMR-NIN’s ‘My Plate for the Day’ recommends deriving macronutrients and micronutrients from at least eight food groups. Vegetables, fruits, green leafy vegetables, roots, and tubers should constitute approximately half of the daily plate. The other portion includes cereals and millets, followed by pulses, flesh foods, eggs, nuts, oilseeds, and milk or curd.

Other speakers on the subject quoted Key recommendations include limiting cereals to 45% of total energy intake. Pulses, eggs, and flesh foods should collectively contribute 14%–15% of total energy, while fats should account for no more than 30%. Nuts, oilseeds, and dairy products should together provide 8%–10% of total energy.