Rural Indian Regional Diets | 1

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 1

India is divided into 29 states and 9 union territories.

In 2014, Telangana was separated from Andhra Pradesh. As a result, the statistics included inthis document for Andhra Pradesh also includes Telangana.1

Despite India’s reputation for a healthy, vegetarian cuisine, it is not justified. Only 1.6% ofIndians are vegan, 24% are lacto-vegetarian. 3% add eggs to their lacto-vegetarian dietwhich leaves 72% consuming meat. 2

Religion has a strong influence on diet with Muslims being restricted in eating pork andHindus from eating beef. Jain and some Hindus have a strong preference for not eating meat.

There is much variation in diets in different regions of India with the uses of dairy, meat, fish,oils, vegetables, the use of spices and cooking methods.

ReligionThe highest levels of Buddhist population are found in the northeast with Sikkim (27%),Arunachal Pradesh (12%), Mizoram (9%) and Maharashtra (6%).

Muslims are found more in the north with Lakshadweep (97%) and Jammu & Kashmir (68%)in the far northwest having the highest populations. Assam in the northeast has 34% andWest Bengal 27%. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand have a populationbetween 15-20%. In the south, Kerala (27%) is the most significant Islamic area.

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 2

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 2

Christian households consume much more rice than other religious groups such as Jains,Buddhists and Sikhs who consume a much larger portion of wheat.

The lighter the regions, the higher the incidence of the adherents. Data is from 2011 Indian Census. 3

India_Religions_Hindi_50

India_Religions_Muslim_50

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 3

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 3

India_Religions_Buddhist_50

State Total Population Muslim % Buddhist % Hindu %

Andaman and Nicobar Islands 380,581 8.52 % 0.09% 69.45%Andhra Pradesh 84,580,777 9.56 % 0.04% 88.46%Arunachal Pradesh 1,383,727 1.95 % 11.77% 29.04%Assam 31,205,576 34.22 % 0.18% 61.47%Bihar 104,099,452 16.87 % 0.02% 82.69%Chandigarh 1,055,450 4.87 % 0.11% 80.78%Chhattisgarh 25,545,198 2.02 % 0.28% 93.25%Dadra and Nagar Haveli 343,709 3.76 % 0.18% 93.93%Daman and Diu 243,247 7.92 % 0.09% 90.50%Delhi 16,787,941 12.86 % 0.11% 81.68%Goa 1,458,545 8.33 % 0.08% 66.08%Gujarat 60,439,692 9.67 % 0.05% 88.57%Haryana 25,351,462 7.03 % 0.03% 87.46%Himachal Pradesh 6,864,602 2.18 % 1.15% 95.17%Jammu and Kashmir 12,541,302 68.31 % 0.90% 28.44%Jharkhand 32,988,134 14.53 % 0.03% 67.83%Karnataka 61,095,297 12.92 % 0.16% 84.00%Kerala 33,406,061 26.56 % 0.01% 54.73%Lakshadweep 64,473 96.58 % 0.02% 2.77%

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 4

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 4

State Total Population Muslim % Buddhist % Hindu %

Madhya Pradesh 72,626,809 6.57 % 0.30% 90.89%Maharashtra 112,374,333 11.54 % 5.81% 79.83%Manipur 2,855,794 8.40 % 0.25% 41.39%Meghalaya 2,966,889 4.40 % 0.33% 11.53%Mizoram 1,097,206 1.35 % 8.51% 2.75%Nagaland 1,978,502 2.47 % 0.34% 8.75%Orissa 41,974,218 2.17 % 0.03% 93.63%Puducherry 1,247,953 6.05 % 0.04% 87.30%Punjab 27,743,338 1.93 % 0.12% 38.49%Rajasthan 68,548,437 9.07 % 0.02% 88.49%Sikkim 610,577 1.62 % 27.39% 57.76%Tamil Nadu 72,147,030 5.86 % 0.02% 87.58%Tripura 3,673,917 8.60 % 3.41% 83.40%Uttar Pradesh 199,812,341 19.26 % 0.10% 79.73%Uttarakhand 10,086,292 13.95 % 0.15% 82.97%West Bengal 91,276,115 27.01 % 0.31% 70.54%

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Indian Regional DietsFrom the 1990s, there has been a fall in cereal intake with maize, barley, sorghum and milletbeing particularly affected. Consumption of vegetables, fruits and milk products has notincreased significantly in the diet of rural population.

Regions with higher intake of cereals and milk consume the highest amount of nutrients.

Coarse cereals consist of maize, barley, sorghum, millet and other minor grains.

Pulses, beans and lentils are the central to Indian food. Pulse refers to dried seed. Dhal refersto the split version of pulses such as lentils, peas, chickpeas and kidney beans.

Green gram is the same as mung beans. Black gram is known in India as urad which is similarto the mung bean.

Tomatoes were introduced via Portuguese explorers in the early 16th whilst potatoes were

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 5

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 5

introduced in the early 17th centuries.

The following table shows the percentage difference in food intake when compared to thenational average. If the difference is between 90-110%, then it is omitted.

Food Products North Central West East North East South

Rice & Rice Products 32% 72% 85% 126% 190% 136%Wheat & Wheat Product 167% 150% 78% 82% 15% 18%Coarse Cereals 147% 81% 113% 48% 36% 81%Total Cereal 112%Pulses 114% 114% 77% 77%Milk (litre) 203% 83% 63% 51% 74%Sugar and Products 167% 121% 54% 67%Edible oil 67% 84% 74%Meat Products 61% 61% 67% 133% 139%Vegetables 86% 129% 115% 80%Fruits 113% 113% 81%

Rice consumption is greatest in the eastern, northeastern. southern and coastal partsof India.

Wheat consumption is highest in northern, western and central regions. 4

Rice consumption is highest in northeast, eastern and southern regions. 5

Western India consume more coarse cereals as well as wheat.Meat is highest in southern, north-eastern and north-western regions.The major source of fat is edible oils (57%).A high level of fish is consumed in the western plains and Ghat, western dry and lower-Gangetic plain regions.Vegetable consumption is low throughout the country with a greater prevalence insouthern, eastern and northeastern regions.Whilst India is known for its lentil dishes, the east and northeastern regions are low intheir consumption.The northern regions and Gujarat have a particularly high level of dairy products.

There are many species of millets grown in the west and south of India with the statesKarnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujart being the major

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 6

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 6

areas. Although millets have always been secondary to rice, wheat and barley, it has beenimportant in these areas. Millets are able to be grown on land that is not suitable for othercereals.

Millets are good sources of thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine (B6) compared to wheatand rice. Millets also have high amounts amounts of folic acid, iron, zinc, calcium,magnesium, sodium, potassium compared to rice and wheat. They are also high in fibre. 6

During the years 1987-1988 and 1999-2000, the consumption of cereals decreased withmillets decreasing significantly. Dairy, added oils, meat and processed food rose with meat,fish, eggs and processed food being particularly significant. These changes were not evenlyspread throughout India. Meat, fish and egg consumption rose more than 100% from analready high level in West Bengal. 7

Contribution of millets in total food grain production of India reduced from 22.17 % to 6.94 %over the last six decades from 1950-51 to 2011-12. 8

The consumption of cereals barley, maize and millets in rural areas was reduced 50% from2.59 to 1.30 kg/per capita/30 days during the period from 1987-88 to 1999-2000. In AndhraPradesh, the consumption was reduced by 75% from 2.3 kg/per capita/30 days.9

Central Region

From north to south, the Central Region consists of the states

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 7

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 7

Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh.

Uttaranchal is a mountainous region with wheat, buckwheat and millet the predominantgrains. Dairy is use is limited.

Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state and home to the Taj Mahal at Agra. Whilst theHimalayas border the state in the north, most of the state are plains. There are wide regionaland cultural diversity in food. Wheat consumption is greater than rice.

Madhya Pradesh consumes a greater consumption of dairy and less meat than the otherstates. Wheat consumption is greater than rice.

Chhattisgarh consumes a greater proportion of meat than the other states. Wheat is theprominent grain along with corn, millet and pulses.

References in the Koran forbidding the use of onion and garlic results in a greater use ofasafoetida. It is the dried gum of several species from the Umbelliferae family (parsley,carrots, fennel). It has a pungent, bitter smell that is transformed on cooking into a moresubtle garlic or onion flavour.

As well as wheat, maize, millet, wheat, barley, peas, lentils, gram, mustard and potato aregrown. The western regions have a high proportion of non-meat eaters with Madhya Pradesh(42%) and Uttar Pradesh (38%).

Fermented foods, including dairy, is important in Uttaranchal and northern Himalayan regionsof Uttar Pradesh where food is less spicy and with a greater proportion of chicks, lamb, goat,pork, beef and yak. Some Hindus and Buddhists are strict vegetarians.

Eastern Region

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 8

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 8

The eastern region consists of the states Bihar, West Bengal

(Bengale Occidental), Jharkhand and Odisha (Orissa). Rice is a more important cereal thanwheat in the eastern states than the western states.

Bihar has the highest rural population (90%) of the Indian states. Chicken and mutton arethe most common meat consumed. Fish is prevalent in the northern region which is a flatregion with numerous rivers. Dairy products are common: butter; ghee; yogurt; matha (asweet, spiced buttermilk); and lassi (a drink made from yogurt, spices, water and fruit). Biharhas the highest non-meat consumers (18%) in the region.

West Bengal (Bengale Occidental) contains Kolkata and the Ganges delta. Darjeeling is inthe far north of the state which is in the foothills of the Himalayas with an altitude of up to2000m.

Jharkhand staple foods are rice, pules, vegetable and tubers. As well as potatoes, there area number of foods that are gathered from the forest. The food of Jharkhand and Odisha isless spicy than other regions.

Odisha is located on the eastern coast. The eastern region consists of a narrow coastal plainwith mountainous regions to the west. Major rivers intersect the state. The prohibition ofgarlic and onions is lifted. Rice replaces wheat as the major cereal. Vegetable and fruitconsumption is high as is meat consumption. Dairy consumption is low. Garlic, turmeric, chiliand ginger are common spices.

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 9

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 9

Northeastern Region

The northeastern region comprises of 7 contiguous

states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura withSikkam being a separate state in the NW of the region. The climate is mostly subtropical witha very high rainfall.

The northern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are mountainous regions with coldwinters and mild summers. The other states are are mostly subtropical with a very highrainfall.

Rice is the important grain. Tea is grown extensively.

Arunachal Pradesh is the northern most state of the region. Pork, poultry and mithun(bovine species that is native to the northeastern region as well as Bangladesh, Myanmar,Yunnan, province in China.)

Assam is another state that has a high meat diet with duck, goose as well as other poultryand fish prevalent. Food is preserved by drying and fermentation. Mustard oil is usedextensively. Leafy greens are gathered from the wild.

Manipur has a greater variety of food than the other northeastern states. The food is spicierwith more vegetables. It shares with its neighbours an extensive use of mustard oil.

Meghalaya is a mountainous region – the wettest place on earth. Pork, chicken and fish arecommon with a limited use of spices. Local gathered foods such as mushrooms are utilised.

Mizoram consume pork, chicken and mithun which are dried and smoked for preservation.

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 10

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 10

Plants and mushrooms are gathered from the wild as well as produced that is provided bysmall home gardens. Garlic, chili, onions, ginger and mustard oil are utilised extensively.Orchards provide a plentiful supply of fruit.

Nagaland has many different tribal groups with their own style of cooking. Poultry, pork,beef and fish are eaten. Food is preserved by salting, smoking and fermenting. A very spicychili is frequently used.

Tripura is a hilly area with a subtropical climate in the south of the region. Pork, bison andfish are common meats. Fermented fish products are common. Mustard oil, with its pungenttaste, is used liberally.

Sikkam has the highest proportion of Buddhists (27%) than any other Indian state and as aresult has a greater proportion of vegetarian dishes than the other states of the NE.Fermented food is an important part of the diet.

Northern Region

Indian northern region comprises of the states Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan as well as the cities and union territories of Delhi andChandigarh.

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 11

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 11

Delhi contains New Delhi, the capital of India. Chandigarh is the capital of the neighbouringstates of Punjab and Haryana.

Wheat is the main grain in the north with wheat being produced and consumed in muchgreater quantities than rice. There are many wheat flat breads such as roti and naan.

Muslims are happy to use onions and garlic, whereas the Hindus prefer to use asafoetida. It isthe dried gum of several species from the ubiquitous Umbelliferae family (parsley, carrots,fennel). It has a pungent, bitter smell that is transformed on cooking into a garlic or onionflavour. Wheat is the main grain. The use of millets and barley are declining due tocommercial growing of wheat although concerted efforts are being made to reintroduce theseimportant foods.

Dairy in the form of milk, cream, panner (a fresh soft cheese made by curdling milk with fruit-derived acid) cottage cheese, ghee (clarified butter) and yogurt are utilised.

Mustard oil is an important part of diet.

Jammu and Kashmir is a former state that was reorganised into three union territories in2019: Jammu and Kashmir in the west and Ladakh in the east. This is the only region in Indiawith a Muslim majority population. The main meats consumed are lamb, chicken and beef.

Himachal Pradesh is a mountainous region in the western Himalayas. 45% of thepopulation are non-meat eaters. Fish is consumed less frequently. In common with the 4southern states, there is a higher consumption of dairy and lower consumption of meat thanother areas of India. Bread, lentils, yogurt, pickles and chutney as well as rice are commonfare.

Punjab has a high consumption of dairy with 50% of the population being non-meat eaters.Significant use of ghee, panner and fermented milks and mustard oil. Poultry, lamb and goatare the main meats consumed.

Haryana has a high consumption of dairy with 70% of the population being non-meat eaters– the highest in India. It mostly consists of plain region with foothills of the Himalayas in thenorth east and a desert region in the south west.

Potatoes, onions, tomatoes, brassicas, green leafy vegetables, legumes and fruit (citrus,guava and mango) are important components of diet. Spices include garlic, fenugreek andginger.

Murrah, a breed of water buffalo, is utilised for milk production. Similarly with other northern

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 12

states, dairy is consumed in high quantities.

Rajasthan is a largely desert state. A range of mountains run for most of the state from thesouth west to north east. The capital is Jaipur. Rajasthan has a very high consumption ofdairy, with only Haryana being higher, with 60% of the population being non-meat eaters.Consumption of meat is very low, being the lowest in India.

It is similar to other northern states with less vegetables because of shortage of water. Thefood is spicy.

Southern Region

The coastal Western and Eastern Ghats border the southern part of India with the southernplateau and hills in the central region. In 2014, Telangana was separated from AndhraPradesh. Both states share the capital Hyderabad.

The region consists of the states Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu andKerala. Paducherry is a union territory consisting of two separate districts within the state ofTamil Nadu.

Telangana is an inland state in the north of the region. Rice is consumed much more than

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 13

wheat. Millets are being reintroduce after several decades of neglect. Food is very spicy withhot varieties of pickles prevalent.

Andhra Pradesh has a long coast line. As a result, fish and coconut oil are important foods.Rice is the main grain along with lentils which are used in sambars (lentil-based vegetablestew with tamarind) and dhals.

Tamarind with its tangy sour taste is often tempered with sugar. Tamarind rice with greenchilies, chutneys and pickles make this food the hottest and spiciest in India.

Karnataka comprises of a coastal region, the western hills and the plateau region. There aredistinct dietary areas with coconut and fish more prevalent on the coast. Wheat is utilisedmore in the north. Mutton and pork with curries that are milder than other southern regions.

Tamil Nadu is another relatively high meat consuming region. It shares with Andhra Pradeshthe liberal use of tamarind. Curries are sweeter and not as spicy as Andhra Pradesh.

Kerala has the highest life expectancy of the Indian states (this does not include Goa whichis not included in the statistics). In contrast with other Indian states, the difference betweenrural and urban life expectancy is less than one year. Kerala has a tropical, monsoonalclimate.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Kerala when Vasco da Gama arrived in1498. As well as taking political control of the region, they introduced foods such as potatoes,tomatoes, cashews, mangoes, pineapples, chillies and vinegar which had a significant impacton the diets of the region.

The food is similar to that of Goa in the north but the food tends to be spicier than that ofGoa.

Western Region

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 14

The western region consists of the states Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa.

Gujarat has the longest coastline of the Indian states. Gujarat has a low consumption ofmeat with only Rajasthan and Punjab being higher.

The northern peninsular of Gujarat is a sparsely populated dry area consisting of sand andmud flats. To the west, are low lying marsh lands with saline soils. These soils are much lessfertile than other regions of Gujarat which consist of productive, fertile loams. Due to thepoorer soils of northern Gujurat, the population consumes significantly less calories, vitaminC, protein and minerals in general.[efn_notes]Ghosh, S. & Kumar, M. (2019) Prevalence andassociated risk factors of hypertension among persons aged 15–49 in India: a cross-sectionalstudy. BMJ Open. 9 (12), e029714.[/efn_note]

The state consumes more rice than wheat. Millets were an important component of the dietwhich are making a resurgence. Gujarat food is high in dairy, sugar and fat. Fat consumptionis the highest in India.

Cereals, roasted cereals, potatoes, sweet potatoes, legumes, tomatoes, yogurt, sweeten milk,ghee and butter-milk. Spices sweet, salty, and spicy with fenugreek, green and red chili,thyme, garlic and mustard. Chutney and pickles are utilised. Chicken, goat, mutton andseafood in coastal areas are the main meats.

Maharashtra state consists of a narrow coastal plan, the western ghats (a narrow ruggedhill region that rises to 1,000m) with the majority of the state consisting of the DeccanPlateau.

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 15

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 15

Once again, there are regional and religious differences. The food is high in dairy, sugar andfat. Cow and water buffalo milk, yogurt, spiced buttermilk, butter and ghee are consumed

In the northern coastal regions, rice is more predominant. Coconut and coconut milk alongwith fish and very hot spicy food. In other regions, wheat is much more predominant withwheat and millet flat breads.

Peas, potatoes and gram dhal, tomatoes, bananas and jackfruit are also used utilised. Spicesinclude asafoetida, turmeric, mustard seeds, coriander, cumin, dried bay leaves and chili.Herbs used include tamarind, coriander, garlic, onion, ginger and read and greenchilli. Chicken, goat and mutton are the main meats.

Goa was under control of Portuguese colonial rule from 1510 until 1961. Two centuries prior,there was a strong Muslim influence. It has the highest GDP per capita of the Indian states.Life expectancy figures are not available for Goa.

It has a tropical, monsoonal climate.

As as result of Portuguese influence, consumption of beef and pork is higher than otherstates. Whilst fish consumption is high, the consumption of other meats are low.

Hindu cuisine is lacto-vegetarian or lacto-vegetarian with fish (pesco-vegetarian). The Hinducuisine is tends to be mild, using spices asafoetida, fenugreek, curry leaves, mustard, garlic,onion and tamarind.

Rice is the main food crop. Maize, barley, sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet(ragi) and small millets (foxtail, barnyard, little, common millet – also known as white or prosomillet) were grown much more frequently in the past.

Coconut is widely used in food and as an oil for cooking.

Indian Agroclimatic RegionsIndia is divided into 15 agroclimatic regions. The Indian Ocean island region of Andaman-Nicobar and Lakshadweep is not considered in the discussion below.

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 16

Indian agroclimatic zones – rice consumption

Indian agroclimatic zones – wheat consumption

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 17

Indian agroclimatic zones – coarse cereal

consumption

Indian agroclimatic zones – vegetable

consumption

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 18

Indian agroclimatic zones – roots and tubers

consumption

Indian agroclimatic zones – pulses and nuts

consumption

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 19

Indian agroclimatic zones – oil consumption

Indian agroclimatic zones – milk consumption

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 20

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 20

Indian agroclimatic zones – meat consumption

Indian agroclimatic zones – fruit consumption

Region Cereal (kg) Wheat (kg) Rice (kg) CoarseCereal (kg)

Pulses &Nuts (kg)

Milk(Litres)

West Himalayan 11.892 5.680 5.763 1.891 1.078 9.421East Himalayan 12.915 1.076 12.157 1.251 0.527 2.726Lower Gangetic Plain 11.447 1.594 10.261 0.568 0.418 2.761Middle Gangetic Plain 12.678 6.230 6.297 1.589 0.797 4.368Upper Gangetic Plain 11.674 8.193 3.410 1.477 0.780 6.136

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 21

Region Cereal (kg) Wheat (kg) Rice (kg) CoarseCereal (kg)

Pulses &Nuts (kg)

Milk(Litres)

Trans Gangetic 9.909 8.881 1.065 1.295 0.813 12.948Eastern Plateau and Hill 13.012 2.451 11.244 1.285 0.648 3.023Central Plateau and Hill 11.914 9.054 2.335 4.640 0.627 6.968Western Plateau and Hill 11.136 5.929 2.325 3.784 1.222 4.078Southern Plateau and Hill 11.412 0.969 9.074 2.880 0.820 3.904East Coast Plain and Hill 11.923 0.834 11.191 0.954 0.864 4.400Western Plain and Ghat 10.422 1.343 8.610 1.866 0.787 4.363Gujarat Plain and Hill 9.790 4.723 1.982 3.831 0.764 6.816Western Dry 11.738 8.233 0.323 7.257 0.502 12.366Indian Average 11.730 4.826 6.992 3.189 0.764 5.490

Region Roots &Tubers (kg)

Vegetables(kg) Fruits (kg) Meat (kg) Eggs

(no.)Edible Oil

(kg)

West Himalayan 2.078 3.005 0.542 0.368 0.003 0.825East Himalayan 1.912 3.812 0.522 0.749 0.003 0.475Lower Gangetic Plain 3.432 3.592 0.548 0.822 0.003 0.561Middle Gangetic Plain 3.396 2.901 0.553 0.326 0.003 0.510Upper Gangetic Plain 2.945 2.420 0.529 0.426 0.003 0.609Trans Gangetic 2.514 2.888 0.712 0.399 0.004 0.719Eastern Plateau and Hill 2.095 3.433 0.571 0.376 0.003 0.520Central Plateau and Hill 1.476 2.445 0.515 0.306 0.003 0.565Western Plateau and Hill 1.242 2.310 0.443 0.353 0.003 0.831Southern Plateau and Hill 1.132 2.940 0.363 0.416 0.003 0.618East Coast Plain and Hill 1.771 3.398 0.397 0.523 0.003 0.672Western Plain and Ghat 1.587 2.249 0.512 1.557 0.004 0.579Gujarat Plain and Hill 1.921 3.086 0.721 0.352 0.002 1.021Western Dry 1.464 2.028 0.460 0.443 0.003 0.720Indian Average 2.169 2.908 0.523 0.598 0.003 0.62

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 22

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 22

Indian Diet and HealthThe Indian population has the highest prevalence of diabetes worldwide and exhibits high-risk metabolic profiles at younger ages and lower body mass index than their Westerncounterparts. There are significant regional variations in diet and health. According to theauthors’ of a 2011 paper, the “dietary patterns characterized by animal products, friedsnacks, or sweets appeared to be positively associated with abdominal adiposity. Conversely,more traditional diets in the Southern regions were inversely related to diabetes andhypertension.” 10

The following table shows the 15 most populous states and food expenditure in Rural India(which the authors relate to consumption) in 9 food groups as a percentage of total foodexpenditure. All foods belong to one food group. 11

State 1Cereal

2Roots

3Sugar

4Pulses &

Nuts5

Veg & Fruit6

Meat7

Dairy8

Oils9

Misc

ALL 68 3 5 5 2 1 6 7 3Andhra Pradesh 69 1 3 5 2 1 5 8 4Assam 73 3 3 4 3 2 3 7 4Bihar 74 4 3 4 2 0 5 6 2Chhatisgarh 78 2 4 5 2 0 1 6 2Gujrat 58 2 7 5 3 0 9 13 3Haryana 54 2 9 3 2 0 20 6 3Jharkhand 75 5 3 3 2 1 3 6 3Karnataka 66 1 6 7 2 1 6 7 4Kerala 54 4 6 9 3 4 5 6 7Madhya Pradesh 69 2 5 5 2 0 6 8 2Maharashtra 62 2 7 8 2 1 5 10 4Orissa 79 4 2 3 2 1 1 4 3Punjab 50 3 11 5 2 0 17 9 3Rajasthan 65 1 6 3 2 0 15 7 2

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 23

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 23

State 1Cereal

2Roots

3Sugar

4Pulses &

Nuts5

Veg & Fruit6

Meat7

Dairy8

Oils9

Misc

Tamil Nadu 68 1 3 7 2 1 5 7 6Uttar Pradesh 67 4 5 6 2 0 7 7 2West Bengal 73 5 3 2 2 2 2 7 3

Min: 50Max: 78

Min: 1Max: 5

Min: 2Max: 11

Min: 2Max: 9

Min: 2Max: 3

Min: 0Max: 4

Min: 1Max: 20

Min: 4Max: 13

Min: 2Max: 7

I-Cereal, II-Roots & fibre, III-Sugar & honey, IV-Pulses, nuts & oilseed, V-Veg & fruits, VI-Meat, egg &fish, VII-Milk and milk product, VIII-Oils & fats, IX-Misc. food & prod

The reasons why Asian populations exhibit diabetes at a lower threshold than westernpopulations are not known.

According to WHO figures mortality statistics, out of 183 countries, India is ranked: 12

17 for Low Birth Rate37 for Diarrhoeal Diseases40 for Tuberculosis60 for Malnutrition62 for Influenza & Pneumonia

There is a large variation between states in risk factors associated with health between thestates. 13

In the data below, diabetes was defined as a fasting plasma glucose level >= 7.0 mmol/L or>= 11.1 mmol/L for non-fasting. Hypertension as systolic blood pressure of at least 140mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of at least 90 mmHg. The threshold for these definitionsare high with optimal fasting glucose being 5.5-6.0 mmol/L and systolic blood pressure beingless than 120 mmHg.

Age-standardized diabetes prevalence for men rose from 3.7% to 9.1% for women from 4.6%to 8.3% between the years 1980 to 2014. 14

Smoking – Women: Tamil Nadu (0.0%) to Mizoram (18%)Smoking – Men: Maharashtra (16%) to Mizoram (67%)Obesity (BMI >= 25): Madhya Pradesh (8%) to Kerala (27%)Hypertension: Andhra Pradesh (17%) to Madhya Pradesh (21%)Diabetes – Women: Mizoram (0.5%) to Kerala (5.3%)

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 24

Diabetes – Men: Madhya Pradesh (0.6%) to Kerala (6.5%)

India_Diabetes_Prevalence_Quintiles50

India_Hypertension_Prevalence_Quintiles50

India_Obesity_Prevalence_Quintiles50

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 25

There is a large variation in life expectancy between rural and urban populations and statepopulations. (Data from 1998-2002) The lowest life expectancy in rural India is MadhyaPradesh at 55.6 years with Kerala having the highest at 73.4. The difference between ruraland urban populations is greatest in Assam at 9.5 years. 15

Yellow shows the lowest third, blue the middle third and green the highest third.

State Combined Rural Urban Difference

Madhya Pradesh 56.9 55.6 64.3 8.7Assam 57.9 57.1 66.6 9.5Orissa 58.5 57.8 65.6 7.8Uttar Pradesh 59.1 58.2 63.1 4.9

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 26

Rural Indian Regional Diets | 26

State Combined Rural Urban Difference

Rajasthan 61.1 59.7 66.1 6.4Bihar 60.8 59.9 66.8 6.9Gujarat 63.4 62.1 65.6 3.5Andhra Pradesh 63.5 62.4 67.0 4.6West Bengal 63.9 62.5 69.0 6.5Karnataka 64.5 62.8 68.9 6.1Tamil Nadu 65.2 63.8 68.9 5.1Maharashtra 66.2 64.4 70.3 5.9Haryana 65.2 64.4 68.6 4.2Punjab 68.5 67.7 71.0 3.3Kerala 73.5 73.4 74.1 0.7

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FootnotesRao, Ravikiran, Cacahuate, and Nichalp. 2009. “Map of India (Regions).”1.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_India.png. Rights: Creative CommonsAttribution 4.0Agrawal, S. et al. (2014) Type of vegetarian diet, obesity and diabetes in adult Indian2.population. Nutrition Journal. 13 (1), 1.Census Organization of India (2011) Religion Data – Population of Hindu / Muslim / Sikh /3.Christian – Census 2011 India [online]. Available from:https://www.census2011.co.in/religion.php (Accessed 30 March 2020).Vij, S. (2014) Rice and wheat maps of India: Rajasthan doesn’t eat rice, rotis a rarity in4.Manipur.Vij, S. (2014) Rice and wheat maps of India: Rajasthan doesn’t eat rice, rotis a rarity in5.Manipur.Konapur, A. et al. (n.d.) Millets in Meeting Nutrition Security: Issues and Way Forward for6.India.Konapur, A. et al. (n.d.) Millets in Meeting Nutrition Security: Issues and Way Forward for7.India.Malathi, B. et al. (2016) Growth pattern of millets in India. Indian Journal Of Agricultural8.Research. 50 (4),

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Rural Indian Regional Diets | 27

Chatterjee, S. et al. (2007) Food consumption and calorie intake in contemporary India.9.Daniel, C. R. et al. (2011) A cross-sectional investigation of regional patterns of diet and10.cardio-metabolic risk in India. Nutrition Journal. 10 (12).Indian National Sample Survey Organisation (2007) Nutritional Intake in India 2004-2005:11.NSS 61st Round. page 58 Statement 5A World Life Expectancy (n.d.) World Life Expectancy – Statistics [online]. Available from:12.http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/.Gupta, R. et al. (2012) Regional variations in cardiovascular risk factors in India: India13.heart watch. World Journal of Cardiology. 4 (4), 112.Tandon, N. et al. (2018) The increasing burden of diabetes and variations among the14.states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2016. The Lancet Global Health.6 (12), e1352–e1362.Ghosh, M. (2011) Regional Disparities in Education, Health and Human Development in15.India. Indian Journal of Human Development. 5 (1), 5–28.