Nourished Yet Neglected: The Economic Paradox of Malnutrition Among India’s Affluent

Malnutrition is often defined as the lack of sufficient nutrients in the body and is most commonly associated with various nutrient deficiencies and stunted growth. However it assumes diverse forms, including the stark dichotomy of undernutrition (the more commonly thought about term with regard to malnutrition) and overnutrition (the paradoxical term which shall be more deeply delved into in this research paper). This paper seeks to investigate some of the factors that contribute to malnutrition among the affluent societies in India. It embarks on a journey to shed light on the complexities of dietary habits in modern society. Based on my knowledge up until last year, I only knew about one kind of malnutrition, that being undernutrition. It never occurred to me that the nutrition deficiency that is found very commonly among slums in India is actually even prevalent in the well-to-do families. Thus, the motive behind investigating this research question is to reason out with this so considered ‘contradictory’ mindset of malnutrition referring to only ‘lack of nutrition’, and focus on the up and trending concern of overnutrition among the middle class families. The changing trends in inequality indicate that a greater share of overnutrition/obesity comes from individuals of rich households. In light of this research paper I plan to conduct a literature review to discuss in depth the two forms of malnutrition, how overnutrition is prevalent in affluent society, and how it physically manifests within this population.