Diet-related nutrition and health issues in Indian population

Abstract Food is a basic requirement. Consuming the right combination of foods is highly essential for sound health, normal maintenance of life, survival, and well-being of all living organisms including human beings. The nutrients derived from food depend on the variety, quality, and quantity consumed. The quantity of the nutrients required by an individual is recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research, India (RDA) for our population considering the age, gender, physiological status, and physical activity levels. Failure to meet the RDA of the nutrients would lead to undernutrition and specific nutrient deficiencies, and excess consumption would result in overnutrition manifesting in varied forms of health ailments. On the whole, malnutrition is reported to affect the nation’s economy by diverting a lot of budget toward the healthcare segment that otherwise should have been utilized for the developmental activities. Dietary imbalances are one of the major determinants of malnutrition that the intern is one of the contributing factors for neonatal, infant, and maternal mortality and also for the mortality due to microvascular diseases. The chapter discusses the dietary inadequacies in pregnant women, preschool children, and adults and their association on the nutritional and health status. Time trends in the dietary intake pattern in relation to nutritional status over four decades are discussed. The association between dietary inadequacy during pregnancy and intrauterine growth retardation and low birth weight and their impact on the health and nutritional status in adult life have been depicted from the information of national-level surveys. The chapter has also brought in the occurrence of obesity and overnutrition, chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, their dietary association, and suggestions for managing these diseases.