The NNWA nutrition handbook
The nutrition handbook
One page for each nutrient, supplement, hormone and diet, written for an Indian reader and checked against Indian guidelines. 24 entries across 8 subjects, each saying what the thing is, how much is needed, where it comes from on an Indian plate and what the evidence shows, with the source beside every figure.
Every entry, by subject
Open a subject for its introduction, or go straight to an entry.
Carbohydrates
Starch, sugars and fibre: how much of an Indian plate they fill, and what the type and amount do to blood glucose.
Entries: 1
Open carbohydratesProteins and amino acids
Protein and the amino acids it is built from: requirements, quality, and how cereal and pulse meals combine.
Entries: 1
Open proteins and amino acidsFats
Cooking oils, ghee and the fatty acids in them: how much visible fat is advised, and which kinds matter.
Entries: 1
Open fatsMinerals
Iron, calcium and the other minerals: Indian requirements, food sources, and who runs short.
Entries: 9
Open minerals- Iron: ICMR-NIN Requirement by Age and Sex, Absorption, Anaemia Figures and Programme DosesFe; haem and non-haem iron
- Calcium: ICMR-NIN Requirement by Age, Absorption, Indian Intake and the Kidney Stone QuestionCa
- Zinc: ICMR-NIN Requirement by Age, Phytate in Cereal Diets and Zinc with ORS for DiarrhoeaZn
- Magnesium: ICMR-NIN Requirement by Age, Indian Food Sources, Supplement Forms and the Laxative LimitMg; sold as magnesium oxide, citrate, chloride or sulphate (Epsom salt)
- Iodine: ICMR-NIN Requirement, Iodised Salt, FSSAI's Standard and India's Deficiency ProgrammeI; iodide and iodate, the forms added to salt
- Potassium: ICMR-NIN's 3,500 mg Intake, Indian Food Sources, Blood Pressure and Kidney CautionsK; the mineral that balances sodium
- Sodium and Salt: The 5 g Limit, What Indians Actually Eat, Hidden Salt and FSSAI Label RulesNa; common salt is sodium chloride
- Selenium: ICMR-NIN Intake, Indian Food Sources, Punjab's High-Selenium Belt and the Upper LimitSe; selenomethionine, selenite
- Phosphorus: ICMR-NIN Requirement, the Calcium Balance, Phosphate Additives and Kidney DiseaseP; phosphate
Vitamins
The fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins: requirements, Indian sources, deficiency and upper limits.
Entries: 9
Open vitamins- Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin): Requirements, Indian Sources and DeficiencyCobalamin
- Vitamin A (Retinol and Beta-Carotene): ICMR-NIN Values, Indian Sources and the Child Dose ScheduleRetinol; provitamin A carotenoids such as beta-carotene
- Vitamin D (D2 and D3): ICMR-NIN Value in IU, Sunlight, Fortified Foods and TestingCalciferol; ergocalciferol (D2) and cholecalciferol (D3); the sunshine vitamin
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): ICMR-NIN Values by Age, Indian Sources, Cooking Losses and Iron AbsorptionAscorbic acid; ascorbate
- Folate and Folic Acid (Vitamin B9): ICMR-NIN Values, Indian Sources, Neural Tube Defects and the IFA TabletVitamin B9; folic acid (the synthetic form); folacin
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): ICMR-NIN Requirement, Indian Sources, Upper Limit and Nerve DamagePyridoxine; pyridoxal; pyridoxamine
- Thiamine (Vitamin B1): ICMR-NIN Requirement, Polished Rice, Beriberi and AlcoholVitamin B1; thiamin; aneurin
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): ICMR-NIN Requirement, Milk and Millet Sources, and Angular StomatitisVitamin B2
- Niacin (Vitamin B3): Niacin Equivalents, ICMR-NIN Requirement, Pellagra and High-Dose RisksVitamin B3; nicotinic acid and nicotinamide
Supplements
What the common supplements are, what the trials show, and what FSSAI allows on a label.
Entries: 1
Open supplementsHormones
Insulin and the other hormones that govern blood glucose, appetite and metabolism: what each does, and how food interacts with it.
Entries: 1
Open hormonesDiets
Named diets such as DASH: what each plan asks, an Indian day on it, the trial evidence and whom it does not suit.
Entries: 1
Open dietsStill deciding which course fits?
A counsellor will look at your background and tell you honestly which programme fits, including telling you when a shorter, cheaper course is the better answer.