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Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Nadia Koyratty

Research Fellow

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Bio

Nadia Koyratty is a Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit. Her research interests include food insecurity and water insecurity in low- and middle-income countries and during disasters. Her doctoral thesis focused on maternal and child health in Zimbabwe, and her post-doctoral research examined food security during the COVID-19 public health emergency and other natural disaster events. Nadia received her PhD in Epidemiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2022. She also holds a double master’s degree in Sustainable Management of Food Quality from the Université de Montpellier, France, and the Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Italy.

Languages: Creole, English, French, Italian

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Publications

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Diets, fruit and vegetable intake, and nutritional status in Sri Lanka: A scoping review

2026Koyratty, Nadia; Nwabuikwi, Odiche; Silva, Renuka; Hess, Sonja Y.; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Diets, fruit and vegetable intake, and nutritional status in Sri Lanka: A scoping review

Suboptimal diets, including low fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, are major contributors to malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Sri Lanka. Understanding dietary patterns is essential for addressing these challenges. This scoping review synthesizes the literature on diet, F&V intake, and nutritional status across different population groups in Sri Lanka. Searches were conducted in PubMed in October 2023. In total, 30 publications on diet, 13 on F&V intake, and 26 on nutritional status met the inclusion criteria. Sri Lankan diets were found to be rice-dominant with limited variety of nutrient-dense foods such as animal-source foods (ASF) and F&V. Trends in nutritional status varied across life stages. Among children < 5, undernutrition was prevalent, with stunting affecting 14%–21%, wasting 10%–15%, and underweight 17%–21%. Anemia was found in 8%–15% of children < 5 and 25%–30% of pregnant women. Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly vitamin D, iron, and zinc, affected more than one-third of pregnant women. In adults, over one-third were overweight/obese, 8%–12% had diabetes, and 20%–25% had hypertension. Diet, F&V intake and nutrition outcomes also differed by socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic characteristics, with estate sector residents, Indian Tamil populations, and low-income groups disproportionately affected by poor diet quality, low F&V intake, insufficient nutrient intake and malnutrition, while women (vs. men) and urban (vs. rural/estate) residents exhibited higher prevalence of overweight/obesity and NCDs. This review revealed evidence gaps such as the lack of recent dietary intake data based on individual quantitative dietary assessments that limit understanding of current diet adequacy. Additionally, only one impact evaluation designed to improve diet was identified. More research is needed to understand how to effectively improve diet including increasing intake of F&V and ASF in Sri Lanka.

Year published

2026

Authors

Koyratty, Nadia; Nwabuikwi, Odiche; Silva, Renuka; Hess, Sonja Y.; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Koyratty, Nadia; Nwabuikwi, Odiche; Silva, Renuka; Hess, Sonja Y.; and Olney, Deanna K.. 2026. Diets, fruit and vegetable intake, and nutritional status in Sri Lanka: A scoping review. Maternal and Child Nutrition 22(1): e70157. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70157

Country/Region

Sri Lanka

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Diet; Fruits; Vegetables; Nutritional Status; Food Intake; Health

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70157 Source record

Project

Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Journal Article

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Brief

Improving fruit and vegetable intake and production in Sri Lanka: An evaluation of the FRESH end-to-end approach

2026Koyratty, Nadia; Marshall, Quinn; Kumar, Neha; Silva, Renuka; Hemachandra, Dilini; Hess, Sonja Y.; Aheeyar, Mohamed; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Improving fruit and vegetable intake and production in Sri Lanka: An evaluation of the FRESH end-to-end approach

Inadequate diets are a major contributor to malnutrition and the leading risk factor for morbidity and mortality worldwide. Low fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake contributes significantly to these burdens. F&Vs are essential sources of micronutrients, and their production has a lower environmental footprint compared to other nutrient-dense foods, making them critical for both health and sustainability. Despite these well-documented benefits, global F&V intake remains below the recommended 400 grams (about 5 servings) per person per day. This is particularly true in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where less than 20% of adults meet this target. This is likely due to a complex interplay of factors including availability, affordability, accessibility, and other context-specific barriers. Narrowing F&V intake gaps requires a nuanced understanding of the interconnected factors influencing their consumption. The approach must be comprehensive and encompass addressing factors across the food system. Generating high-quality, context-specific evidence on these factors is essential to designing effective strategies that enhance F&V desirability, affordability, accessibility, and availability, ultimately supporting healthier, more sustainable diets.

Year published

2026

Authors

Koyratty, Nadia; Marshall, Quinn; Kumar, Neha; Silva, Renuka; Hemachandra, Dilini; Hess, Sonja Y.; Aheeyar, Mohamed; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Koyratty, Nadia; Marshall, Quinn; Kumar, Neha; Silva, Renuka; Hemachandra, Dilini; et al. 2026. Improving fruit and vegetable intake and production in Sri Lanka: An evaluation of the FRESH end-to-end approach. FRESH Sri Lanka Research Brief 1. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/181539

Country/Region

Sri Lanka

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Fruits; Vegetables; Food Intake; Food Production; Project Evaluation

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Brief

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Understanding the evidence gaps: Diets and fruit and vegetable intake across five diverse low- and middle-income countries

2026
Tharaney, Manisha; Hess, Sonja Y.; Bliznashka, Lilia; Amunga, Dorcas; Azupogo, Fusta; Koyratty, Nadia; Smith, Taryn J.; Angeles-Agdeppa, Imelda; Goyena, Eva A.; Grant, F.
…more Kinabo, Joyce; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; Silatolu, Anasaini Moala; Silva, Renuka; Hambayi, Mutinta; Perera, Thushanthi; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Understanding the evidence gaps: Diets and fruit and vegetable intake across five diverse low- and middle-income countries

Poor dietary quality, particularly inadequate fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, remains a significant public health challenge globally. This article synthesizes findings from scoping reviews examining diet and F&V intake, and interventions to increase F&V consumption among population groups in five countries: Benin, Fiji, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Our analysis confirms previous findings of inadequate F&V intake across all five countries, with most adults consuming well below the WHO recommendations of 400 g per day. Across the five countries, the identified scientific evidence is limited due to heterogeneous dietary assessment methods, limited coverage of population groups in national surveys and smaller studies, and limited data from rigorous evaluations of interventions aiming to increase F&V intake. Although all five countries have developed food-based dietary guidelines promoting F&V intake, research on their implementation and effectiveness remains limited. To build evidence for effective programmes and policies to improve both quantity and diversity of F&V intake, we identify three priority areas for future research: standardizing dietary assessment methods for use in surveys and evaluations, understanding context-specific drivers and determinants of F&V intake and strengthening intervention research in low-resource settings.

Year published

2026

Authors

Tharaney, Manisha; Hess, Sonja Y.; Bliznashka, Lilia; Amunga, Dorcas; Azupogo, Fusta; Koyratty, Nadia; Smith, Taryn J.; Angeles-Agdeppa, Imelda; Goyena, Eva A.; Grant, F.; Kinabo, Joyce; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; Silatolu, Anasaini Moala; Silva, Renuka; Hambayi, Mutinta; Perera, Thushanthi; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Tharaney, Manisha; Hess, Sonja Y.; Bliznashka, Lilia; Amunga, Dorcas A.; Azupogo, Fusta; Koyratty, Nadia; et al. Understanding the evidence gaps: Diets and fruit and vegetable intake across five diverse low- and middle-income countries. Maternal and Child Nutrition. Article in press. First published online October 22, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70117

Country/Region

Benin; Fiji; Philippines; Sri Lanka

Keywords

Tanzania; Africa; Western Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Oceania; Asia; Southern Asia; Consumption; Dietary Assessment; Dietary Guidelines; Diet Quality; Less Favoured Areas; Fruits; Vegetables

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70117 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Events

Better Diets & Nutrition Webinar Series Session 2: Demand Creation for Fruits and Vegetables
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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January 28, 2026, 9:00 – 10:30 am

Better Diets & Nutrition Webinar Series Session 2: Demand Creation for Fruits and Vegetables

Healthy diets are essential for promoting well-being and preventing nutrient deficiencies and diet-related diseases. Fruits and vegetables play a critical role by providing essential vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and bioactive compounds, while generally having a lower environmental footprint than many other foods. Despite their importance, global fruit and vegetable consumption remains well below the World […]

23rd International Congress of Nutrition (ICN)
IFPRI at External Event

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August 24 to 29, 2025

23rd International Congress of Nutrition (ICN)

IFPRI is participating in the 23rd International Congress of Nutrition (ICN), hosted by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) on August 24-29 in Paris, France.  The theme of this year’s congress is “Sustainable Food for Global Health,” bringing together experts to discuss evidence and innovations in nutrition, sustainability, food science, and public health. IFPRI […]

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