Barley has 5.66% soluble fibre per 100 grams, the highest among cereals consumed in India, while parboiled, milled rice has 0.76% and atta or wheat flour, 1.63%. Gooseberry (amla) is the richest source of vitamin C (252 mg per 100 grams)—no points for guessing—followed by pink-fleshed guava (222 mg). Curry leaves have more beta carotene, a source of vitamin A, at 7,663 micrograms per 100 gram serving than orange-coloured carrots (5,423 units), though few would consume the condiment in such quantities. Red-coloured carrots have half the amount as the orange variety. Bajra and ragi are rich sources of iron and zinc among cereals.
These nuggets have been gleaned from the Indian Food Composition Tables, released by Hyderabad’s National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). It is the first major revision after 45 years and contains original data for 528 key Indian foods and 151 discrete food components. Key foods are those that supply 75% of the population’s nutrients. They are derived from nationwide dietary surveys. The National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau has been conducting these since 1972 in 10 states, which account for three-fourth of the country’s residents.
The information in the tables “of unprecedented analytical quality is statistically representative of both the national food supply and consumption pattern,” the introduction to the 535-page volume says. No data has been borrowed or derived from any other source and “represents accurate nutritional food that are consumed across the country.”
The volume is available at NIN and will be published online “soon,” says its website. Since middle-class Indians are obsessed about food, nutrition and longevity, the entrepreneurially-minded among FE’s readers could break it down into information downloadable with a few finger taps on smartphone screens for use by the over-nourished or those who are plain anxious. They will need the institute’s prior permission, of course.
Releasing the volume in Delhi, mid-January, health minister J P Nadda, hoped that NIN would quickly release an app for those who cannot lug around the “2 kg” volume (he was pretty accurate). Soumya Swaminathan, director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which oversees NIN, responded that the app was a work-in-progress and should be out in two months. “You can order a pizza or a paneer roll and the app should tell you how many calories and nutrients you are going to consume,” she added.
The food items were sourced from six regions. The nutrients and bioactive components were analysed with more than 30 analytical tools. For instance, fatty acid profiling was done with gas chromatography. D2 vitamin content in plant foods has been presented for the “first time in the world.”
There is a close link between nutrition and public health. So, it is no surprise that NIN had its origin in a 1918 inquiry into the prevalence of beriberi which was ascribed to low intake of vitamin B from rice and other grains. Parboiled milled rice was found to contain a considerably higher amount of vitamin B than raw milled rice. The inquiry led to the establishment of a national research laboratory at Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, which later was expanded into NIN at Hyderabad.
The first Indian food composition tables were published in 1937. The values of 17 components were provided for 218 food items. In the third edition, 1941, the importance of amla as a rice source of vitamin C was highlighted. Those currently in their 50s, who suffered a daily ministration of cod-liver oil (for vitamin D) at the hands of their mercilessly caring mothers would note that this edition proposed fish liver oil as a substitute (if that is any consolation).
The 1951 edition included the finding that undiluted buttermilk was similar to whole milk in nutrient composition except for fat content. The sugars in honey were found to be 80% fructose and glucose. Another observation: it had no vitamins, except C.
Nutritional research between this and the 1963 editions found that iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) was more prevalent in India than in Europe due to excessive phosphorus and phytic acid along with low calcium levels in the diet. About 16% of the population had average blood haemoglobin levels of less than 8g/100 dl, not mainly due to low intake of iron but poor absorption by the gut, the presence of anti-nutrients in food and even loss of absorbed iron. (The normal level for women is at least 12g/100 dl). To provide dietetic solutions, the iron and phosphorus content of foods was reported. For the first time, oxalic acid values of 830 food entries were given. Oxalic acid is an anti-nutrient.
Free folic acid and vitamin B12 were included as new components in the 1971 edition to help in fighting certain types of anaemia, cardiovascular disorders and neural dysfunctions.
Between the 1971 and 1989 editions, it was observed that the Green Revolution had decreased the level of nutritional deficiencies. A reduction in iron deficiency (anaemia), vitamin A deficiency and child malnutrition was noted. The incidence of goitre had escalated. Recognising the importance of dietary fibres, values for soluble and insoluble dietary fibres were given for 106 food entries. Trace elements like manganese, zinc and molybdenum in 227 food items were new inclusions. Pulses, millet and green leafy vegetables were regarded as relatively rich sources of dietary iron. Fenugreek seeds were found to contain more dietary fibre than other foods.
Ruth Charrondiere, Coordinator of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s International System for Food Data Systems (Infoods) called the tables “a jewel.” But their release should not be an end in itself; the real test was to make them a tool for improved general health. Simple practices like soaking pulses and cooking them in new water would reduce anti-nutrients and make their iron content bio-available, she said. India should aspire to ensure that the nutrients it produced were enough to meets the nutrient needs of its people, she added.
Mere availability and affordability will not result in improved nutrition unless people eat wisely. But even for those who cannot care less because life is short or they are too weak to resist the good life, the tables can be a guide to sustainable abuse!
The author is editor of http://www.smartindianagricuture.in, a website devoted to promoting modern practices in agriculture including use of genetically-engineered seeds