Chapter 7 — Dietary Considerations and Food Quality

Dietary planning is a process of developing meal plans for adequate nutrition within available resources. It is a scientific method of saving energy, time, and money while ensuring food quality and reducing wastage.

Age, gender, physical activity level, physiological state, economic considerations, time and skill, region/religion/culture, individual food preferences, sensory appeal, satiety value, media and advertisement influence, and food accessibility all affect dietary planning.

For general fitness, 3–5 g of carbohydrate per kg body weight per day is sufficient. For intensive sports like football, gymnastics, and weight lifting, 5–10 g per kg body weight per day may be required.

Depending on the intensity of the sport, protein requirement ranges from 1.2–2.0 g per kg body weight per day. A carbohydrate-to-protein ratio of 3:1 or 4:1 is recommended for better performance in endurance events.

Food adulteration is an unhealthy and illegal practice of adding low-grade ingredients to original food or deleting a vital component, usually done intentionally to increase profits. Under the Food Safety Standards Act (2006), adulterated food is termed substandard food, unsafe food, or food containing extraneous matter.

FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) is a statutory body under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. It ensures the availability of wholesome food safe for consumption, encompasses eight previously employed food acts, and is responsible for setting maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides.

Perishable foods remain fresh for a few hours to 1–2 days (e.g., milk, meat, green leafy vegetables); semi-perishable foods remain fresh for about 5–7 days (e.g., some vegetables and fruits); non-perishable foods remain fresh for more than a month (e.g., grains, sugar, oil, pulses).

The five techniques are: (1) heat treatment such as pasteurisation of milk, (2) refrigeration and freezing to limit microbial activity, (3) drying or dehydration to remove moisture, (4) addition of natural or chemical preservatives such as sugar, salt, or sodium benzoate, and (5) irradiation using gamma rays from Cobalt 60 to extend shelf life.

Consuming adulterated food can cause diarrhea, vomiting, headache, abdominal cramps, and fatigue. Long-term effects include liver disorder, heart disease, paralysis, brain damage, and cancer. Consumption by pregnant women may lead to abortion or brain damage in the baby.

Put a drop of milk on a polished vertical surface. Pure milk either stops or flows slowly, leaving a white trail. Milk adulterated with water flows immediately without leaving any mark.

Symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dizziness, and numbness. In severe cases, it may cause difficulty in breathing, blurred vision, and convulsion. Pesticides can damage the brain, nervous system, liver, and kidneys, and are especially harmful to the fetus.

Females need more iron (hemoglobin) due to blood loss during menstruation. Lack of iron puts them at high risk of iron deficiency or anemia.

Drinking 2–2.5 litres of water may be adequate under normal conditions, but up to 5–6 litres a day may be needed in hot weather and during intense exercise. Sometimes addition of glucose and salt is also needed. Cool but not cold water is better absorbed.

Look for quality marks such as FSSAI, AGMARK, and ISI on food articles. Also check for the FSSAI code, manufacturing and expiry date, permitted colors and preservatives, and seal integrity of the packaging.

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