'Dal is a source of carbs that has some protein in it': Rishabh Telang on India's diet gap and supplement boom

A decade ago, the idea of an organised, tech-enabled fitness culture in India was largely localised to premium standalone gyms in Tier 1 pockets.

Today, as home-grown fitness giant Cult.fit celebrates its tenth anniversary, the conversation has fundamentally shifted from casual calorie-burning to complex nutritional literacy.

In the wake of the post-Covid-19 pandemic era, India's nutritional supplement industry has undergone an unprecedented democratisation.

What once existed as a hyper-niche subculture of bodybuilding staples — primarily whey protein isolates and amino acids hidden away in grey-market retail shops — has transformed into an institutionalised, mainstream consumer phenomenon.

Modern e-commerce platforms and quick-commerce channels routinely deliver whey protein, creatine monohydrate, and magnesium glycinate to household doorsteps within minutes.

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Yet, this rapid commercial acceleration raises a critical structural question: Is this boom the byproduct of an authentic, scientifically grounded upgrade in public health awareness, or is it an algorithmic distortion fuelled by the relentless hyperbole of social media fitness influencers?

To unpack the mechanics behind India’s widening macro-nutritional gap, the realities of laboratory-backed supplementation, and the noise of the digital fitness economy, Firstpost sat down with Rishabh Telang, co-founder of Cult.fit and host of The Health Edit podcast.

The anatomy of the Indian plate: Beyond the 'dal-chawal' myth

For generations, the cultural baseline of the standard Indian diet has been heralded as a complete, self-sustaining paradigm of holistic nutrition. The combination of rice or flatbreads with lentils (dal) is a staple across millions of households.

However, modern metabolic data paints a far more troubling picture.

Data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) indicates that the vast majority of urban and rural Indians consume an overwhelmingly carbohydrate-dense diet that fails to meet baseline amino acid requirements.

When asked about the deep-seated cultural belief in the nutritional sufficiency of traditional meals, Telang is quick to dismantle the foundational misconceptions surrounding everyday staples.

"So traditionally, our diet is predominantly carbs. In general, when we eat food — it's, let's say, rice along with dal — most of us would think that dal is a source of protein, whereas dal is more carbs than protein. I generally say that it's a source of carb that has some protein in it. It's not really a source of protein," he tells Firstpost.

This misclassification of lentils as a primary protein source has compounding consequences on public metabolic health.

Because lentils possess a high carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, an individual attempting to meet substantial daily protein targets exclusively through dal inevitably overconsumes carbohydrates, triggering insulin spikes and caloric surpluses,

The structural imbalance extends beyond a mere over-indexing on starchy grains. The systemic deficit in dietary diversity directly correlates with India’s skyrocketing rates of non-communicable metabolic disorders.

Telang connects these nutritional patterns directly to the physiological vulnerabilities seen across the domestic demographic:

"So overall, our diet is a little carb-heavy. Even from the fibre standpoint, we're lacking. Our nutrition habits traditionally haven't been the most healthy, and hence we see diabetes, pre-diabetes, and a lot of visceral fat being prevalent."

Visceral fat — the intra-abdominal adipose tissue that wraps around vital internal organs such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines — is highly metabolically active and directly drives systemic inflammation.

This specific fat distribution explains the "thin-fat" phenotype common in South Asia, where individuals may appear within a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) range but possess dangerous levels of internal fat, leaving them highly susceptible to cardiovascular disease and Type-2 diabetes.

Redefining the protein threshold

Despite these entrenched dietary hurdles, the baseline of consumer consciousness is evolving. The post-pandemic wellness shift has forced a reassessment of what it means to eat for longevity rather than mere satiety.

"However, the awareness is sort of changing. People are at least now aware that they need to eat more protein. There is misinformation out there, but there is also good information on the internet, and people are understanding that eating protein is not only for bodybuilders."

Telang points out that the baseline metrics established by global and national regulatory bodies are frequently misunderstood by the public as optimal targets, rather than existential baselines.

"People are now understanding that the guidelines we have — 0.8 grammes of protein per kilogramme of body weight — that is the bare minimum even if you are sedentary. And for whatever is said and done, it is difficult for us to meet our protein requirements, even if someone is targeting 1.2 grammes per kg of body weight. To eat that much through vegetarian food, it becomes a little difficult."

To put this into perspective, a sedentary adult weighing 70 kilogrammes requires roughly 56 grammes of protein daily simply to prevent muscle wasting and maintain basic enzymatic functions.

However, for an active individual trying to sustain lean muscle mass, optimize metabolic health, or support healthy biological recovery, the target steps up to 1.2 to 1.6 grammes per kilogramme.

Meeting a 100-gramme daily protein target on a purely vegetarian diet without overshooting daily caloric boundaries requires intense planning.

Compounding the sheer mathematical difficulty of sourcing protein through plant matter is the critical physiological variable of bioavailability — the proportion of a nutrient that is successfully digested, absorbed, and integrated into systemic circulation.

"Also, in most vegetarian protein sources, the bioavailability is a little low. So basically, the amount of protein that will get absorbed and utilised by the body is better in meat, in non-veg sources, than in vegetarian sources. I'm not saying it's not fully absorbed and not complete protein — when we mix rice and dal and a few other things, it becomes complete protein. But bioavailability is still a little lower, and that makes it even more challenging."

From a biochemical standpoint, animal proteins are structurally complete, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids (EAAs) in ratios that mirror human tissue requirements, achieving high scores on the Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS).

Conversely, individual plant proteins are frequently limited by specific missing amino acids — such as lysine in grains or methionine in legumes.

"Which is why people are also now resorting to supplements — because supplements, as the name says, is anything that is deficient in your diet. It's getting difficult for people to consume enough protein, and they are now aware that consuming sufficient amounts of protein is important not just for their muscles, but for their hair, for their skin, for their nails, for everything. So this is why protein supplements are becoming popular."

The post-Covid supplement surge

According to recent industrial market research reports for 2025-2026, India’s nutraceutical and dietary supplement sector has crossed a valuation of USD 22 billion, with sports nutrition expanding at a compounding annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 12 per cent.

This economic surge is driven by a massive demographic pivot. Protein has transitioned from an esoteric fitness utility into an essential lifestyle ingredient required for synthesis of keratin in hair, collagen in skin, and fundamental structural integrity across cellular walls.

Parallel to the rise of whey and plant-isolated protein powders is the explosion of highly targeted compounds like creatine monohydrate and magnesium glycinate.

Historically caricatured as a risky performance enhancer that causes renal strain or bloating, creatine has emerged in 2026 as one of the most thoroughly researched and universally validated molecules in clinical nutrition.

"There's a lot of science that supports the use of creatine. It's a natural compound that gets created in the body, and we get it through red meat. So for someone who's vegetarian, they don't have any external sources of it. Even for a non-vegetarian — let's say someone eats red meat every day — they can't eat enough, because they would need to eat kilos and kilos just to get 3 to 5 grammes of creatine."

Mechanistically, creatine acts as a crucial substrate for the phosphagen energy system, donating a phosphate molecule to rapidly regenerate Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) back into Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) during short, explosive bursts of cellular activity.

Beyond sports performance, a wave of clinical studies published over the last few years has highlighted its profound neurological benefits.

Creatine supplementation directly addresses brain energy demands, displaying protective effects against cognitive fatigue, sleep deprivation, and age-related neurodegenerative declines.

"And now we know that creatine has benefits on strength and muscle power, and also on the brain — cognitive health is better too. So as we grow older, it's good for us. While it's spoken about on the internet, people still would need a lot more advice from their nutritionists before they start consuming creatine at large."

Similarly, magnesium glycinate has captured a massive share of the urban lifestyle market. Unlike older, cheaper formulations like magnesium oxide — which has a dismal absorption rate and primarily acts as a laxative — magnesium glycinate is a chelated compound where magnesium is molecularly bound to the calming amino acid glycine.

This allows it to bypass normal intestinal competition, offering superior bioavailability while remaining incredibly gentle on the stomach.

As a cofactor in over 300 enzymatic reactions, magnesium glycinate helps regulate blood pressure, manage glycemic control, and mitigate stress by acting as a natural NMDA receptor antagonist in the brain, decreasing the hyper-excitability that prevents restful sleep for millions of overworked professionals.

However, this commercial boom has a darker side: consumer impulsivity.

The ease of purchasing complex supplements has outpaced the general public's understanding of clinical deficiencies. Telang urges caution, drawing a line between structurally validated essentials and speculative fads.

Navigating the digital disinformation & 'influencer' culture

The modern consumer's health journey is deeply tied to their digital consumption. Social media platforms have democratised information delivery, but their underlying monetization models reward sensationalism over nuanced science.

The average consumer is daily bombarded with contradictory lifestyle directives: extreme fasting, aggressive caloric restriction, hyper-specific elimination diets, or exotic botanical extracts packaged as miracles.

When asked how an individual can separate objective scientific truth from algorithmic noise, Telang offers an uncompromising, practical strategy, saying, "First of all, reduce the amount of content that you are consuming. That is just a waste of your time — it gets your brain spinning and you're making wrong decisions."

The psychological friction caused by constant information overload often leads to decision paralysis or erratic dietary choices, where consumers abandon sustainable wellness plans in pursuit of viral hacks.

Telang highlights the specific marketing mechanics used by bad-faith creators to capture immediate digital real estate.

"If you come across content that starts with some amount of fear-mongering, that is where I draw a red flag. Because a lot of times, fear-mongering is a good way to grab attention. So if it starts with, 'don't do this,' or 'this exercise is 0 on 10,' my suggestion is to start avoiding that. People do all kinds of things on the internet — 'stand in this direction and have water.' You will see anything on the internet. So if it is over-the-top advice, just avoid that kind of content."

Creators routinely demonise staple agricultural products or highly efficient, safe workout movements simply to frame themselves as holders of exclusive contrarian knowledge.

To counteract this systemic distortion, Telang argues that consumer trust must be anchored to verifiable real-world execution and professional institutional status, rather than a creator's follower count or cinematic production values.

"Decide which influencers you want to follow. Do a little bit of research on the person that you are following — does this person lead by example or not? And if there's no information available, and if just Instagram videos are the source of information, then maybe don't trust that. I think the person you are trusting should have some credibility out there in the fitness industry," Telang advises.

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Rishabh Telang heavily points out that the path forward cannot rely on quick fixes or viral video trends.

Overcoming India’s structural protein deficit, managing metabolic syndrome, and making smart use of bioavailable supplementation requires an everyday commitment to the unglamorous basics: understanding macronutrient realities, seeking professional diagnostic guidance, and tuning out the noisy hyperbole of the digital frontier.