Optimum Nutrition tackles India’s protein deficiency on World Protein Day

On World Protein Day, Optimum Nutrition, a sports nutrition brand, announces the launch of Project Protein Thali, an initiative aimed at educating active Indian adults on protein sufficiency. This innovative project seeks to educate consumers to rethink daily meal compositions and prioritise a protein-rich diet.

India faces a significant protein gap, with 73% of the population deficient in protein and over 90% unaware of their daily protein requirements. This deficiency can lead to muscle loss. Project Protein Thali is designed to bridge this knowledge gap and encourage behavioural change by making protein the hero of every meal, leading to muscle gain and fast recovery after a workout/ fitness activity.

At the heart of Project Protein Thali is the concept of introducing one small but powerful change to transform the nutritional composition of your everyday meal. The initiative "Swap the Serve" encourages replacing a portion of carbohydrates with protein. Coupled with Optimum Nutrition's Gold Standard 100% Whey, this “Protein Thali” demonstrates how one can get 40 grams of protein from a single meal.

On this occasion, renowned athlete PV Sindhu said, “Throughout my athlete journey, I have always felt the need to get expert guidance on the diet for peak performance. A well-structured diet is not just important—it's a game changer for any athlete, and protein plays a vital role in enhancing recovery. Recognising the power of protein, I joined forces with Optimum Nutrition to effortlessly integrate it into my daily diet. Now, I’m eager to share my insights and experiences with fellow athletes through "Project Protein Thali," a campaign designed to empower others to harness the incredible benefits of protein.”

“We realised that protein portion in meals is important but is still not a habit for many Indians and, in fact, among many sports and fitness enthusiasts. We have made it very simple. We just picked up the ‘Indian Thali’, which represents quintessential daily meals, and transformed it into the Protein Thali.  All you need to do is Swap the serve! With this initiative, we aim to inspire a movement towards making Indian diets protein-inclusive,” said Sumit Mathur, general manager, South Asia, Glanbia Performance Nutrition.

In an endeavor to walk the talk, Optimum Nutrition activated Project Protein Thali at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), where daily meals for the athletes featured the Protein Thali, including Optimum Nutrition's Gold Standard 100% Whey. This initiative was aimed to inspire young athletes by demonstrating to them how easily protein can be included in their diet and support their goals.