• Calories should be sufficient to maintain appropriate body weight for a given height.
• Carbohydrate should constitute 55-75% of calories with emphasis on complex carbohydrates
• Proteins should provide around 10-15% of the total calories (min. 1 gm per kg of ideal body weight)
• Total fat intake should be between 15-35% of total calories
• Cholesterol should not exceed 300mg/day in the diet.
• Saturated fat should be less than 10% of the total calories
• Polyunsaturated fat should not exceed 8% of the total calories
• MUFA is a recommendation (10 – 15 % of total calories)
• P/S ratio should be between 0.8-1.0
• Trans Fatty acids should be avoided
• Trans Fatty acids should be avoided
• Alpha-Linoleic acid (n3) should not be less than 1% of calories.
• LA/ALNA ratio should be between 5-10
• Sugars should be less than 10% of total calories and should be kept minimum
• Salt intake should be between 5-7 g/day
• Dietary fibre should be around 40g/day
• 1.5 – 2 liters of water is recommended
• Variety of foods should be included in the daily diet for vitamins, minerals and phyto-chemicals

Dietary Guidelines (Food Groups)

• Variety of whole grains, millets and pulses should be included in he daily diet
• 2 Glasses (1 glass = 240 ml) low fat milk and equivalent milk products should be included in the diet
• 4 – 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (all colors) should be included (1 serving = 1 bowl = 125 g)
• Encourage intake of salads.
• 15 – 20 g of healthy oil (low Saturated Fatty Acids and Trans Fatty Acids) is recommended. Promote alternate oils.
• Substitute nuts and oilseeds in place of fats and oils
  
  For non-vegetarians egg white, lean chicken and fish is recommended

Behavior Guidelines

• Small frequent meals at regular intervals. Gap between 2 meals should not be less than 3 hours.
• Do not skip breakfast and have early dinner.
• Choose healthy snack options.
• Follow the healthy dietary guidelines while eating out.
• Boiled / steamed / roasted / grilled cooking methods should be preferred over frying
• Alcohol is not a recommendation. However, 1 small drink for women and 2 small drinks for men along with healthy eating could be beneficial.

Food based guidelines

• Consume a wide variety of foods across all food groups and a wide selection within each of these groups.
• Consume nutrient dense foods like fruits, vegetables, wholegrain cereals and pulses, low-fat milk and dairy products, nuts, soybean products, fish etc
• Emphasize healthy traditional dishes: dal palak, dal methi, sprouts chat, vegetable raita, missi roti, carrot halwa with nuts to name a few. Encourage consumption of available protective foods (fish, nuts,garlic, onion, cruciferous and leafy vegetables, tomatoes, soy, other pulses, citrus fruits, grapes, berries, herbs, spices and green tea etc.
• Limit traditional dishes/foods like mithai, cream pastries, balushahi, achars heavily preserved/pickled in salt, or fried bhaturas , mathi, kachodi, dalmoth, patties etc.
• Consume mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated dietary visible fats obtained from mustard, ricebran, soybean, safflower, groundnut,sunflower, til, and limit fatty spreads in cooking or on bread containing saturated fats and trans fats. Minimize or combine foods containing hidden animal fats (fatty meat, full-fat dairy products, some fast/processed food, and hydrogenated plant fats (some fast/processed food, commercial cakes/biscuits).
• Limit visible oil consumption to about 20g/day. Added oils may assist in the absorption of fat soluble nutrients and phytochemicals from plant foods. Consume a variety of fats for cooking which have been minimally processed (cold pressed or 'extra virgin').

Enjoy food and eating in the company of others, but avoid the regular use of energy dense (nutrient poor) celebratory foods and beverages which are high in fat and or sugar.