Nearly half of India's at-home protein now comes from cereals such as rice, wheat, suji and maida, according to a new analysis by the not-for-profit think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

The findings are based on the latest 2023–24 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey. The analysis suggests that while Indians are eating enough protein overall, much of it comes from foods that offer lower-quality amino acids and poorer digestibility than other protein sources.

On average, Indians consume 55.6 grams of protein a day at home, adequate by national standards. But cereals account for nearly 50% of that intake, far higher than the National Institute of Nutrition's recommended 32%.

Their dominance, researchers say, is crowding out better-quality protein sources such as

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