Protein deficiency? Add these five items to your diet

Team L&M

A recent study has shown that we Indians suffer from significant protein inadequacy. As much as 73 per cent Indians are protein-deficient people, says the survey.

Lucknow tops the list with 90 per cent  of its population suffering from protein deficiency. The next in line are Ahmedabad and Chennai, with 84% protein-deficient people. Vijaywada with 72 per cent  and Mumbai with 70 per cent protein-deficient people are at the third and fourth position. Delhi is at the fifth position with 60 per cent of its population suffering from the deficiency of this important nutrient.

The study, done by International research firm Kantar IMRB, analysed the diet patterns of over 1,800 respondents across different cities.

Avoiding traditional diet of pulses and dairy products is the main reason behind the rising protein deficiency. And this is not something to be taken lightly, for it can cause a number of health problems like learning disability, poor memory and delayed responses to sensory actions like sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. Proteins are the building blocks of our body and we must have the required quantity of it for proper growth and development.

Now that you know protein deficiency is a serious issue, take care to include following food items in your daily diet to keep yourself protein rich.

Milk and dairy products
Milk and milk products like curd, cheese, yoghurt and butter are all rich in protein.

Nuts
Nuts like peanuts, cashews and almonds not only add healthy unsaturated fats to your diet but are rich in protein too.

Green peas
Green peas are rich in protein.

Lentils and Pulses
One cup of cooked lentils provides about 18g of protein. Similarly, pulses like beans and chickpeas are rick sources of protein.

Grains
Grains, like oats, wheat, ragi and bajra are packed with protein.

Among the non-veg items, apart from eggs, fish, chicken, turkey, beef and pork all are rich in protein.