-VillageSquare.in A new survey by the Development Intelligence Unit shows that obesity is a rapidly evolving problem, especially in rural India, and needs to be addressed through policies and awareness campaigns Thirty years ago, obesity was not considered a public health issue. Even as late as the 1990s, obesity was only seen as a western concern, whereas undernutrition or malnutrition was more of a problem for developing nations such as India. But the...

-The Telegraph An important cause of this new epidemic is the aggressive marketing and the rising consumption of ultra-processed foods — usually high in salt, sugar and bad fats A report published in BMJ Global Health has revealed that obesity and other conditions related to weight are costing India around 1 per cent of its gross domestic product annually. Overweight and obesity make up the most common lifestyle ailment in India and...

-Hindustan Times The Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention Academy (NCDPA), a subspecialty of Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), has written to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Mumbai Paediatricians from around the country are batting for inclusion of nutrient-specific warning labels on packaged foods as a way to counter the obesity pandemic among Indian children. They recommend easy-to-interpret symbols (similar to a green dot for vegetarian food and red dot for non-vegetarian) to...

-ThePrint.in The intense industrial processes used to produce ultra-processed foods destroy the natural structure of the ingredients and strip away many beneficial nutrients. * In some countries, ultra-processed foods now account for 50% or more calories consumed. * Two new studies have shown that poor nutrition may not be enough to explain health risks. * Some researchers have theorized that ultra-processed foods increase inflammation. * Ingredients such as emulsifiers, thickeners, protein isolates, and other industrial-sounding...

-The Pioneer Every year, India observes September as Poshan Maah (nutritional month) to raise awareness about proper eating habits and also about nutrition. Speaking to ARCHANA JYOTI, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition Director, Dr R Hemalatha, discusses in length about the nutrition landscape of India, the proposed revision of the dietary guidelines, the need for increased focus on maternal nutrition and the reasons behind India's sluggish performance on key maternal and child...