Madan, J., Hussain, N., Joshi, S., Mehra, J., . . . Thomas, J. (2021). Understanding whole grain awareness and consumption in select Indian cohorts. Journal Indian Medical Association, 119(1), 88-94.

Abstract:

Background and Introduction: Grains are an integral part of Indian diet. Carbohydrates constitute to 60-70% of total daily calorie intake and grains are the key carbohydrate source. Including whole grains(WG) in the diet for its health benefits is recommended in dietary guidance around the world. There is consistent evidence to support existence of barriers to WG consumption in Indian population but limited evidence assessing their level of awareness and knowledge on WG. Thus, an independent survey was designed for assessing the level of awareness and consumption of WG amongst millennials and nutritionist and dieticians. Data collection and analysis: Tool employed was self-developed questionnaire. SPSS software and MS Excel were used for analysing data. Results: Only 2% of the surveyed millennials were aware of all aspects of WG. Nutritionists and dieticians showed better responses than millennials. Daily WG consumption in millennials was less than 10% (42 g/day) compared to total grain consumption (432g/day) across food categories. 50% nutritionists and dieticians consume oats for breakfast. Conclusion: Results highlight the importance of raising awareness on the knowledge and consumption of WG amongst urban Indian millennials. It also emphasises the need of national recommendations, encouraging consumers to make half of their total grain consumption as WG. A WG stamp from FSSAI for identification of products with considerable amount of WG and campaigns with public-private partnership supported by nutritionist, dietitians, culinary experts can further help in attaining the goal of a WG rich “Sustainable Healthy Diet” for a healthy living