This hand book provides detailed information on the nutrient composition of a wide range of common Indian foods available in different parts of India. It also includes a write-up on the basic aspects of human nutrition. The nutrient composition covers 600 foods, both familiar and less familiar. Only those foods with confirmed scientific names have been included. Besides English, names of the foods in several Indian languages are also given for easy identification by the user. The data on nutrient composition of foods given in this book are entirely based on Indian work, mostly carried out at the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, and other research Institutes and University laboratories.

An attempt has been made to give a simple account of current concepts of nutritional principles, nutritional chemistry of major food groups and nutritional deficiency diseases, prevalent in the country. This book should be useful to the lay public as well as to the health professionals. Up-to-date information on nutritional requirement and Recommended Dietary Allowances and Guide- lines for formulation of nutritionally adequate diets are also given, for the benefit of professionals and informed public.

Information on nutritive value of Indian foods was published in 1937 by Dr.W.R.Aykroyd. This booklet, popularly known as Health Bulletin No.23, underwent many revisions and was widely used both by the professionals and the common man. It was revised in 1971 by Drs. Gopalan, Rama Sastri and Balasubramanian and published under the title "Nutritive Value of Indian Foods and reprinted several times. In view of newer information that had accumulated over the years on the nutritional composition of Indian foods and to overcome some of the short-comings of earlier editions, it was felt necessary to revise and update the information. The revised edition, besides data on trace elements, non-nutrient component of several foods, corrected values for nutrient content of foods (specially iron content), contains data on dietary fibre. In light of new data, information on total, insoluble and soluble dietary fibre contributed by Drs. P. Ramulu and P.Udayasekhara Rao is presented in a separate table. Also the write-up on dietary fibre in non- nutrient components of foods is modified and elaborated. The data on fat and fatty acid composition of Indian foods contributed by Dr. Ghafoorunissa are included in a separate table.

It is hoped that this publication will continue to be popular with nutritionists, planners, medical and health professionals and general public. The data presented can be used for computing the nutritive value of diets, for formulating nutritionally adequate and therapeutic diets and for planning food production on sound nutrition principles.