In 1884, the first correlation between beriberi and a dietary factor was made by Takaki Kanehiro, a Japanese Naval doctor. He noticed that crews on ships fed unpolished rice had fewer beriberi cases than those fed polished rice. Later, Christian Eijikman in the Dutch East Indies (Now, Indonesia) demonstrated that polished rice could induce beriberi in chickens and this could be reversed by feeding them unpolished rice. This experiment provided strong evidence that beriberi was linked to food, especially the lack of a nutrient in polished rice. Eijkman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1929 because his observation led to the discovery of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine). Similarly, scurvy was found to be linked with nutrient Vitamin C which we normally get from our foods.

It is also well known that there are so many other essential nutrients we regularly get from our foods such as carbohydrate, proteins, iodine, phosphorous (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), Iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), sodium (Na), potassium (K) etc. which play a vital role in our well -being. The foundation of our health is what we eat. Evolution of the nutritional profile of food we consume regularly suggests that in the last three decades or so, many of our food items have rapidly lost their nutritional values. For example, carbohydrate levels in Bajra (Pearl Millet) have reduced by 8.5 per cent, and in whole wheat by 9 per cent.

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Similarly, pulses are being depleted of their key nutrient ~ protein as it has been reduced by 10.4 per cent in mas – oor (whole brown) and 6.12 per cent in moong (who le green). In potatoes, thiamine, Mg and Zn have been reduced. Micronutrients such as Fe, Thiamine, Mg and Zn have reduced by as much as 41-56 per cent in cabbage. Red tomatoes have lost thiamine, Fe and Zn by 66-73 per cent, Green tomatoes and apples have lost Fe by 76.6 and 60 per cent respectively. With a growing number of health conscious and concerns about gluten content in rice and wheat, many now prefer coarse grains as they come loaded with micro – nutrients.

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An analysis shows that the levels of thiamine, Fe and riboflavin have reduced in pearl millet, barley, sorghum and maize. Analysis of the nutrient profiles of harvested rice and wheat grains deserves special mention, because these food grains, whi – ch meet over 50 per cent of the daily energy requirements of people of India, have lost up to........

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