A3. Fat, Sugar & Salt — Reconciling Ayurveda and Modern Guidance

Ayurveda's Vata diet for later life calls for generous ghee. Modern Indian guidance is more cautious: ICMR-NIN (2024) suggests total fat at or below 30% of energy and limiting saturated fats such as ghee, palm oil and coconut oil; it also points out that refined sugar, jaggery and honey are all sugars, none superior to the others, and that added sugar should stay below 5% of energy. [4] The draft elderly guideline suggests about 20 g of visible fat a day. [2] The World Health Organization recommends under 5 g of salt a day. [20]

Topic	Ayurvedic view	Modern guidance	Annapurna Kitchen's position
Ghee	Snigdha; lubricates Vata dryness; 2–3 tsp daily	Saturated fat — limit	2–3 tsp (10–15 g) within ≈ 20–25 g total visible fat; 1–2 tsp for high LDL; seed oils for the rest
Jaggery & honey	Preferred over refined sugar	All are sugars; < 5% energy	Used for taste and tradition in small portions; dates and fruit preferred; diabetic portions in every recipe
Salt	Rock salt on fasts; moderate	< 5 g/day; sensitivity rises with age	¾ tsp per 4 servings; iodised salt daily; no table shakers
Cooking method	Fresh, warm, well-cooked	Boil, steam, pressure-cook; avoid frying	No deep-frying in this volume; steamed and baked alternatives given