The computer programme 'MSU Nutriguide: Asian Indian Foods' is effective in assessing nutrient intakes of Indian populations

Abstract

A nutritional study was conducted on 150 female college students aged 18 to 23 at the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India, to evaluate the effectiveness of 'MSU Nutriguide: Asian Indian Foods,' a computer programme for assessing nutrient intakes and total energy expenditure (TEE) of the Indian population. A non-significant difference between analysed and calculated values for energy, protein, iron, and ascorbic acid revealed that the intake of the nutrients calculated with the MSU Nutriguide was a correct assessment in most of the subjects. TEE estimation by MSU Nutriguide gives values based on age, height, weight, and four levels of physical activity (sleeping and light, moderate, and heavy activity), whereas prediction equations are based on the body weight of each subject and a single level of activity. Therefore, MSU Nutriguide can be efficiently used to assess the TEE of people in India.