Healthy eating is not simply about cutting down on fat, sugar or calories. It is about eating a sufficiently diverse range of foods, choosing nutrient-rich ingredients, controlling highly processed foods and following cooking practices that preserve nutrients.
Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Indians formulated by ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and FSSAI guidelines, the emphasis is on a food-based approach to achieving nutrient adequacy, supporting holistic growth and reducing the risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases (DR-NCDs).
What you’ll learn in this article
This article breaks down the dietary recommendations into simple, practical numbers and everyday choices, including:
- How much vegetables and fruit you should eat every day
- What proportion of your diet should come from cereals, protein and fats
- The recommended daily limits for sugar, salt and cooking oil
- Why whole fruit is preferred over fruit juice
- What the guidelines say about protein powders and supplements
- Which cooking and food preparation methods help retain nutrients
- Why ultra-processed foods and continuous snacking should be limited
- How much water and daily physical activity are recommended
The recommendations also make an important point: no single food can provide all the nutrients the body needs. A healthy diet, therefore, depends on what we eat across the entire day rather than on any one so-called healthy or superfood.
Build diversity into the daily diet
A balanced diet should include foods drawn from different food groups, including whole grains, pulses, dairy products, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and flesh foods. Foods from at least five to seven food groups should be consumed every day.
A useful way of understanding the recommended balance is through the “My Plate for the Day” approach.
Vegetables, green leafy vegetables, fruits and root vegetables together should make up half of the daily meal plate. Cereals and millets should account for 45% or less of total daily calories, and at least half of the grains consumed should be whole, minimally polished grains or millets.
Protein-rich foods such as pulses, legumes, eggs, fish and lean meats should contribute around 14–15% of daily energy.
Nuts, seeds, milk and curd should contribute around 8–10% of daily energy, while total dietary fat should account for approximately 20–30% of daily calories.
The broader message is to move away from meals dominated by cereals and towards a more diverse plate containing substantial quantities of vegetables, fruits and suitable protein sources.
How much vegetables and fruit should you eat?
Vegetables form a major part of the recommended diet. The guidelines call for at least 400 grams of vegetables every day. This can comprise around 100g of green leafy vegetables, 250g of other vegetables and 50g of roots.
In addition, around 100g of fresh fruit should be consumed daily.
Whole fresh fruit is preferable to fruit juice. Juicing removes or reduces important dietary fibre, while commercially prepared juices may also contain added sugars.
When choosing root vegetables, foods such as carrots, radishes and beetroots should be preferred over high-starch tubers such as potatoes and cassava.
Get protein from food rather than depending on supplements
Protein has become a major focus of modern diets, particularly among people exercising or trying to build muscle. However, the dietary approach outlined in the guidelines favours obtaining protein through regular foods rather than relying on commercial protein supplements.
Combining cereals and pulses in appropriate proportions, such as 3:1 or 5:1, can help provide a more complete profile of essential amino acids.
Commercial protein powders or supplements should not be relied upon for building muscle mass. Prolonged consumption of protein concentrates can lead to bone mineral loss and kidney damage.
The emphasis, therefore, should remain on obtaining quality protein from a varied diet containing foods such as pulses, legumes, eggs, fish or lean meats, depending on individual food preferences.
Don’t overlook nuts and seeds
Small quantities of nutrient-dense foods can also improve the diversity of the diet.
Seeds such as flax seeds, chia seeds, amaranth seeds and basil seeds can be incorporated into the diet three to four times a week.
Nuts and seeds also form part of the overall dietary balance alongside milk and curd.
Ultra-processed foods should be kept to a minimum
One of the clearest dietary recommendations concerns ultra-processed foods or UPFs.
Foods such as soft drinks, packaged snacks, instant foods and bakery products undergo extensive processing and should be minimised. Such processing can reduce dietary fibre and essential micronutrients.
This makes the overall quality of the food important, not merely its calorie content.
A packaged or highly processed food cannot automatically be considered nutritionally equivalent to a minimally processed food simply because the two contain a similar number of calories.
Keep added sugar below 5% of daily calories
Added sugar should account for less than 5% of total daily calorie intake. For adults, this translates to approximately 20g to 25g of added sugar per day.
For children below the age of two, added sugars should be avoided completely.
The recommendations also caution against depending on non-calorie artificial sugar substitutes over long periods. Long-term consumption can disrupt gut microbiota and increase the risks of obesity and hypertension.
Rather than simply replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners, the better approach is to reduce the overall preference for excessively sweet foods and beverages.
Less than 5g of salt a day
Salt is another everyday ingredient that can easily exceed recommended levels, particularly because much of it may come from foods other than the salt added during cooking.
Total salt consumption should be kept below 5g per day, corresponding to a sodium intake of less than 2g per day. Restricting salt is important for preventing hypertension and protecting kidney function.
Consumers also need to account for “hidden” salt contained in commonly eaten foods such as sauces, ketchup, papads, pickles and packaged snacks.
This means that simply using less salt while cooking may not be sufficient if the rest of the diet contains large quantities of salty packaged or prepared foods.
Cooking oil: quantity and method both matter
For sedentary adults, visible cooking oils and fats should generally be restricted to around 20g to 30g per day.
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, commonly known as vanaspati, should be avoided because of their trans-fat content.
How cooking oil is handled is equally important. Used cooking oil should not be repeatedly heated or reused, as repeated heating generates toxic oxidative compounds.
Deep-frying should also not be the default cooking method. Steaming, pressure cooking and cooking with the lid closed are preferable because these methods help retain more nutrients and antioxidants.
How you prepare vegetables can affect their nutrients
Some nutrient loss can occur even before food reaches the cooking vessel.
Vegetables and fruits should first be washed thoroughly in clean water and only then peeled or cut. Washing them after cutting or leaving chopped vegetables soaking in water can cause substantial losses of water-soluble vitamins and minerals.
Another simple practice to avoid is adding baking soda while cooking vegetables or pulses. Apart from its effect on cooking, it introduces unnecessary additional sodium into the food.
Traditional preparation methods can have nutritional benefits too. Sprouting and fermenting whole grains and legumes can improve their digestibility and increase nutrient bioavailability.
Two to three main meals instead of constant snacking
Healthy eating is not only about what goes onto the plate. The frequency of eating also matters.
The recommendations favour restricting eating to two to three main meals a day rather than continuously snacking between meals.
This makes meal planning important. Balanced main meals containing vegetables, whole grains or millets, protein sources and appropriate amounts of fats, nuts or dairy can reduce dependence on packaged snacks and other foods eaten casually between meals.
Water should remain the primary source of hydration
Adults should aim for approximately eight glasses, or around two litres, of clean and safe water every day.
Instead of carbonated beverages and packaged fruit drinks, alternatives can include fresh buttermilk, tender coconut water or fresh lemon water.
Choosing beverages carefully can also help reduce unnecessary consumption of added sugar.
Diet needs to be accompanied by physical activity
Food is only one part of maintaining overall health.
A healthy diet should be accompanied by around 30–45 minutes of physical activity, yoga or exercise every day. Regular activity helps maintain muscle mass, metabolic rate and a desirable body mass index (BMI).
Taken together, the dietary recommendations point towards a relatively straightforward approach to everyday eating: eat a diverse diet, fill a substantial portion of the plate with vegetables and fruit, choose whole and minimally processed foods, obtain protein primarily from regular foods, and control sugar, salt and cooking oil.
Just as importantly, good nutrition depends on habits outside the plate — avoiding continuous snacking, drinking enough water, preparing food in ways that preserve nutrients and remaining physically active.
Rather than searching for a single “perfect” food, supplement or restrictive diet, the food-based approach places the emphasis on the overall quality, diversity, quantity and preparation of the foods eaten every day.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for general information and awareness and is based on the Dietary Guidelines for Indians formulated by ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and FSSAI guidelines, as referenced for this article. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Individual nutritional requirements may vary according to age, sex, activity level, pregnancy, health conditions and other factors. People with medical conditions, dietary restrictions or specific nutritional requirements should consult a qualified doctor or registered dietitian before making significant changes to their diet. Do not discontinue or alter any prescribed treatment or medically recommended diet based on this article.
