Modified diets can reduce groundwater use in India: Study

Modifying diets by a few grams could significantly reduce groundwater use in India, says a new study. These changes include reducing the consumption of wheat and poultry, increasing the consumption of vegetables and legumes and switching to fruits like melon, oranges and papaya. 

The new study published in the first issue of The Lancet Planetary Health says these foods have lower water requirements in production.The lead author of the study, James Milner said



the study is the first to investigate the potential of changing diets as a solution to decreasing freshwater availability. 

Modifying the average diet to increase fruit consumption by 51.5 gm per day and vegetable consumption by 17.5 gm per day, along with a reduction in the consumption of poultry of 6.8 gm per day could lead to a 30 per cent reduction in freshwater use and a 13 per cent reduction in dietary greenhouse gas emissions, the study found.