Quick answer: A balanced home-cooked week is mostly grains, dal, vegetables, some fruit and milk, with little oil, sugar and salt. India’s ICMR-NIN guidelines (2024) say cereals should be no more than 45 percent of daily energy, added sugar under 5 percent, and salt about 5 g a day. Plan the week on paper, buy staples in bulk, and cost it with your own local prices, because prices differ by city and month. The planner below does the sums.
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Cooking at home usually costs less than ordering in, but only if the week is planned. A few minutes on Sunday decides what you buy, what you waste and what you spend. This guide gives a simple structure for a week of meals, the official guidance it is based on, and a planner that turns quantities and your prices into a weekly budget. Facts were checked on 25 October 2026. It is general information, not a diet plan for a medical condition.
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What the national guidelines say
The Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) released new Dietary Guidelines for Indians in 2024, the first revision in 13 years. According to news summaries of the guidelines:
- Cereals and millets should give no more than 45 percent of daily energy. Many people currently eat much more, from 50 to 70 percent.
- Pulses, beans and animal foods can provide up to about 15 percent of energy, so dal matters.
- Eat from at least eight food groups each day, including leafy vegetables, roots, dairy, nuts and oils.
- Keep added sugar under 5 percent of energy and salt to about 5 g a day.
- Use oils in moderation, limit saturated fats such as ghee, palm oil and coconut oil, and keep ultra-processed foods to a minimum.
- Protein supplements are discouraged. Get protein from food.
These points come from two news summaries of the guidelines, not the original booklet. The exact gram amounts per food group are in the booklet, which is on the NIN website.
A simple weekly structure
You do not need seven different menus. Fix a pattern, rotate a few items, and shop once or twice. This is a template, not a nutrition prescription.
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Roti, dal, a dry vegetable, curd | Rice, sambar or kadhi, salad |
| Tuesday | Rice, rajma or chole, vegetable | Roti, mixed vegetable, curd |
| Wednesday | Roti, dal, seasonal vegetable | Vegetable pulao or khichdi, raita |
| Thursday | Rice, dal, a green leafy vegetable | Roti, paneer, egg or soya curry, salad |
| Friday | Roti, dal, vegetable, curd | Rice and vegetable curry |
| Saturday | Vegetable khichdi, curd, salad | Roti, a dry vegetable, dal |
| Sunday | A special dish, cooked in bulk | Light meal from leftovers |
Breakfast can rotate between poha, upma, idli or dosa, besan chilla, vegetable paratha and eggs. Add fruit and nuts as snacks instead of packaged biscuits.
Cost your own week
The planner starts from example quantities per person per day and example prices. Neither is an official figure. Change the quantities to match how your household eats, and put in the prices from your local market or app today.
| Item | Buy for the week | Cost |
|---|
Ways to spend less without eating worse
- Buy staples in bulk: rice, atta, dal and oil usually cost less per kilo in larger packs, if you will use them before they spoil.
- Buy vegetables in season and from the local market, not by the piece from an app, and plan around what is cheap this week.
- Cook dal and vegetables in batches and use leftovers for the next day’s meal, so little is thrown away.
- Use dal, curd and eggs as the main protein on most days. Paneer and meat can be occasional.
- Skip packaged snacks. They often cost more per 100 g than home-made snacks, and ultra-processed foods are the group the guidelines say to minimise. If you do buy them, compare the per 100 g column, as explained in our nutrition label guide.
- Write a list and stick to it. Most overspending is unplanned purchases.
A 15-minute Sunday routine
- Check what is already in the kitchen, and use the oldest items first.
- Pick the week’s dals, one or two vegetable-based dishes for each day, and one bulk dish.
- Write the list by group: grains, pulses, vegetables, fruit, dairy, oil and extras.
- Put the quantities in the planner, with today’s prices, and adjust until the total fits.
- Prepare what can be prepared: soak rajma or chole, cut onions and greens, and make a base gravy.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a family of four spend on groceries a week?
There is no single right amount. It depends on your city, the season, the foods you choose and whether you eat non-vegetarian food. Use the planner with your local prices instead of a national average.
Is home cooking always cheaper than ordering in?
For the same meal it usually is, once you count delivery fees and packaging, but only if the ingredients are used and not wasted. Planning is what makes the saving real.
Do I need to count calories?
Not for this guide. The planner is about cost and variety. If you have a medical condition or a specific goal, ask a doctor or a registered dietitian.
This guide is general information. It is not medical or dietary advice for any condition.
Sources
View sources (3)
| Source | What it was used for |
|---|---|
| The South First, “ICMR releases Dietary Guidelines for Indians after 13 years, says no to protein supplements” thesouthfirst.com | cereals up to 45 percent of energy, added sugar under 5 percent, saturated fat and ultra-processed food advice, protein supplements. |
| IAS Gyan, “Dietary Guidelines for India 2024” iasgyan.in | eight food groups, protein share of energy, salt of 5 g a day, food label advice. |
| ICMR-NIN, “Dietary Guidelines for Indians” (2024) nin.res.in | the original booklet. The figures above come from news summaries of it. |
