Recommended dietary allowances, ICMR 2020 guidelines: A practical guide for bedside and community dietary assessment – A review

Assessment of diet bedside and in the community is crucial for the management and prevention of various ailments. Recommended dietary allowances and nutritional requirements of humans is a growing science that keeps changing, hence medical fraternity needs to be updated. ICMR-NIN are the nodal agencies in India for refining and reformulating dietary needs as per the nutritional transition occurring globally. They have published Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements - A Report of the Expert Group 2020, consisting of vital changes which are developed to satisfy the needs of the healthy population, keeping in view the reduction of disease risk and maintaining optimal health of the population. Most textbooks of community medicine have not yet adopted the newer recommendations and it is crucial that current students follow the paradigm shift which has happened in nutritional needs. The twenty-four-hour (24 hr) semi-quantitative dietary recall method is the preferred dietary assessment method at the bedside and community due to its less administration time and usability even on illiterates. It is considered the best method when there is no patience or motivation to answer food-related questions. Here is an attempt to compile and simplify all required information for dietary assessment from reliable sources in one place which empowers healthcare professionals to perform a dietary assessment.