Assessing intake and consumption level of spices among urban and rural households of Ludhiana district of Punjab, India

Abstract Background: Spices are the esoteric food adjuncts that are used for enhancing the sensory quality of the food in Punjabi diets and add many health benefits. Estimating the intake of spices at the individual level is a challenging task as they are consumed in very small quantities as compared to other foods. The present study was aimed to assess the intake and spices consumption level of spices among adult women.Methods: A study was carried out among 100 urban and 100 rural households from Ludhiana district of Punjab, India to collect the information regarding the frequency, spice usage, portion sizes using a spice intake questionnaire. The commonly used 25 spices in Punjabi diets were selected to assess their dietary intake at the individual level among households. Results: Spice consumption frequency was more in urban households in comparison to rural households. The maximum mean consumption frequency score among urban and rural households was observed for red chilli powder (5.00) and turmeric powder (5.00). A maximum of 76 % of urban and 72 % of rural households preferred to use the unroasted form of spices. The highest mean intake and range was observed for red chilli powder (3.19 g with range 0.35-5.23 g, respectively) among urban women and (2.41 g with range 0.25-3.75 g, respectively) for rural women. Spice intake from individual dishes showed the maximum number of portion sizes for red chilli powder were from dhal<vegetable<curry preparations among urban and vegetable<dhal<curry preparation among rural households. Average urban adult women consumed 10.04 g of spices per day which was higher as compared to spices per day for rural adult women (7.68 g).Conclusions: The study concluded that assessment of spices intake at the individual level among urban and rural households with the frequency of usage and portion sizes, the form of spices used to provide the quantifying intake of spices at the individual level and show higher consumption of spices among urban households and compared to rural households which could provide numerous health benefits.