Nutritional Wellness Cheat-Sheet For 2017

It’s time to reinvent yourself.

- Neelanjana Singh

THE DIET

We are carb-loving people who eat rice and roti in abundance, but fall short on protein. Incidentally, men need to eat more protein than women as they have more lean muscle mass and less fat as compared to women. The higher percentage of muscle mass demands a higher protein requirement for men. In a vastly vegetarian population like ours, deficient protein intake is fairly common. A man who weighs 60 kg requires about 60 gm of protein per day. From a vegetarian diet one could achieve this number if one consumes the following protein-rich foods in a day: 500 ml low-fat dairy (including yogurt/cottage cheese), 90 gm of dal/soy, 25 gm of nuts. Fruits, vegetables and cereals are not significant sources of protein.

Not many men eat such quantities of the protein-rich foods. A deficiency of protein can lead to a host of problems. Lowered immunity and lack of stamina are just the tip of the iceberg. For those who do eat non-vegetarian foods it is easier to achieve the target of protein requirement as sources such as lean meat, fish, eggs can be consumed. The advantage also is that such foods provide better quality protein and iron, more zinc and Vitamin B12. However, do note that processed meats such as salami, bacon, sausages and ham are not considered healthy meats.