In the 75th year of Independence, India has a lot to rejoice about and a lot to reflect on. Of all the problems confronting the youth, nutritional insecurity is the worst, holding the power to cripple the future of an entire generation. Recent UNICEF report stated that nearly 12 lakh children could die in low-income countries in t…

#Plant-based #beverages are entering the market from different directions and from unheard of ingredients. While there is nothing wrong in consuming these products and is good for both consumers as well as the World at large; being trapped in #marketing #fallacy of targeting established products like #cow #milk and painting th…

Indians on average eat more carbohydrates, less protein (both animal and plant-based) and less fruit and vegetables than newly published dietary recommendations. They also tend to eat much more of sugar and processed food than what is recommended, even when they have the money to eat more diversified diets. The new recommendati…

Forty-six million children in India are stunted because of malnutrition and 25 million more defined as ‘wasted’. A major study published warned of a malnutrition crisis in almost every country in the world with India holding about one-third of the world’s burden for stunting. Forty-six million children in India are stunted beca…

Poor diets are among the top causes of ill health globally, accounting for nearly one in five deaths, according to a Global Nutrition Report that called on governments and businesses to do more to improve eating habits. Eating unhealthy food, or not having enough food – including children unable to breastfeed – contribute to wid…

Proteins are made of individual “building block” units called amino acids (AAs) that are linked together A chain of AAs is called a peptide Long peptides are proteins The order of the AAs allows different proteins to have different functions Functions: Enzymes All biological enzymes are made of protein For example, the dige…

The nutrients in food are broken down into the three types of macro-nutrients. Macro-nutrients mean nutrients we need in large amounts. Micro-nutrients are vitamins and minerals – we need these in small amounts. Each type of nutrient performs specific functions in the body, but interacts with other nutrients to carry out those …

Protein powder is considered the most widely used supplement in sports nutrition. Most commonly associated with strength, speed and power athletes, protein shakes are now used in endurance-based sports too. This is because protein has been shown through scientific studies and research to contribute to both the growth and main…

A protein’s strength or weakness is based on the quality and quantity of its essential amino acid profile for healthful growth effects. For example, Soy protein generates known cardiovascular benefits, while Whey protein reproduces significant muscle growth effects. Protein quality may therefore be judged by its essential amin…

Protein quality (From Wikipedia and other sources) Protein quality is the digestibility and quantity of essential amino acids for providing the proteins in correct ratios for human consumption. There are various methods that rank the quality of different types of protein, some of which are outdated and no longer in use, or n…