Bihar adds more fat, Kerala more protein to their diets over the last decade

India's thali has changed a lot since the last decade

Bihar has added more fat to its diet, while Kerala has increased its protein intake, reflecting stark nutritional divergences among Indian states over the past decade, according to a Moneycontrol analysis of new data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on July 2.

Between 2011–12 and 2023–24, Bihar recorded an increase of 20–30 grams in daily fat consumption — significantly higher than the national average increase of 12–14 grams. This shift was accompanied by a steep rise in calorie intake, bucking the national trend where rural calorie consumption has declined.

While rural India's average calorie intake declined marginally, Bihar’s rose by 3.7 percent. Urban Bihar saw a much sharper increase of 13 percent —the fastest among all major states — compared with the all-India urban average of 3.5 percent, as per the ministry data.

Kerala, meanwhile, adopted a more protein-rich diet. The state's rural population increased its protein consumption by 12.9 grams per person per day, compared with the national rural average of 1.1 grams.

In urban Kerala, protein intake rose by 10 grams — more than triple the 3.1 grams national urban average. With over 72 grams per capita daily protein intake, Kerala ranks the highest among all states, well above the national average of 61.8–63.4 grams.

Interestingly, Haryana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh are the only states that saw a decline in protein consumption while fat intake rose.