Indians eating more protein than ever, but the real shocker is the spike in fat consumption

A new report by India’s statistics office has found that while people across the country are eating more protein than before, their fat intake is rising even faster. The Nutritional Intake report, based on household data from 2022-23 and 2023-24, shows big changes in food habits since 2009-10.

In urban areas, the average person consumed 63.4 grams of protein per day in 2023-24, up from 58.8 grams in 2009-10, an 8% rise. In rural areas, the increase was smaller, from 59.3 grams to 61.8 grams per day.

Most states followed this trend, though Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh saw a slight drop in protein intake.

Egg, meat and fish see biggest jump

Among all protein sources, eggs, meat and fish saw the fastest rise in consumption, especially in urban areas. In contrast, pulses intake dipped in cities and only rose slightly in villages.

Even though people are turning to more protein-rich food, cereals like rice and wheat remain the main source of protein in India. In rural areas, cereals made up 46–47% of total protein intake in 2023-24, while in urban areas it was about 39%.

However, the share of cereals in protein intake has dropped, down by 14% in villages and 12% in cities since 2009-10. This decline has been balanced by a rise in the consumption of milk, meat, eggs and other foods.

Fat consumption growing sharply

What’s more worrying is the sharp increase in fat intake. In rural India, it jumped from 43.1 grams per person per day in 2009-10 to 60.4 grams in 2023-24. In cities, it rose from 53 grams to 69.8 grams per day, an increase of over 15 grams in both areas.

All major states showed this upward trend in fat intake.

Inputs from TOI