What Does It Cost to Improve Household Diets in Nepal? Using the Cost of the Diet Method to Model Lowest Cost Dietary Changes

This study compared models of the most nutritious version of a commonly consumed diet given locally available foods (“common diet”) in 3 agroecological zones of Nepal with the least expensive possible diet meeting micronutrient needs (“optimal diet”). Optimal diets include foods not currently available while the common diet lacks key nutrients. The model suggests that optimal diets are more expensive than the common diet in the mountains and hills but less expensive in the terai.