A healthy diet is more than just a trend; it's a cornerstone of overall well-being. It's essential for good health and nutrition, protecting you against many chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars, and saturated and industrially produced trans fats are essential components of a healthy diet. This article explores the multifaceted benefits of embracing a healthy dietary pattern, supported by scientific evidence and expert recommendations.
What Constitutes a Healthy Diet?
A healthy diet comprises a combination of different foods. These include staples like cereals (wheat, barley, rye, maize, or rice) or starchy tubers or roots (potato, yam, taro, or cassava), legumes (lentils and beans), fruit and vegetables, and foods from animal sources (meat, fish, eggs, and milk).
Here is some useful information, based on WHO recommendations, to follow a healthy diet, and the benefits of doing so.
Starting Early: Breastfeeding for a Healthier Future
A healthy diet starts early in life. Breastfeeding fosters healthy growth and may have longer-term health benefits, like reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing noncommunicable diseases later in life. Feeding babies exclusively with breast milk from birth to 6 months of life is important for a healthy diet. It is also important to introduce a variety of safe and nutritious complementary foods at 6 months of age, while continuing to breastfeed until your child is two years old and beyond.
The Power of Fruits and Vegetables
Vegetables and fruits are important sources of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, plant protein, and antioxidants. People with diets rich in vegetables and fruit have a significantly lower risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Always including vegetables in meals, eating fresh fruit and raw vegetables as snacks, eating fresh fruit and vegetables that are in season, and eating a variety of fruit and vegetables are all ways to improve fruit and vegetable intake.
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Fats: Choosing Wisely
Fats and oils are concentrated sources of energy. Eating too much, particularly the wrong kinds of fat, like saturated and industrially produced trans fat, can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Using unsaturated vegetable oils (olive, soy, sunflower, or corn oil) rather than animal fats or oils high in saturated fats (butter, ghee, lard, coconut, and palm oil) will help consume healthier fats. To avoid unhealthy weight gain, consumption of total fat should not exceed 30% of a person's overall energy intake. Fat intake, especially saturated fat and industrially-produced trans-fat intake, can be reduced by steaming or boiling instead of frying when cooking, replacing butter, lard, and ghee with oils rich in polyunsaturated fats, such as soybean, canola (rapeseed), corn, safflower, and sunflower oils, eating reduced-fat dairy foods and lean meats, or trimming visible fat from meat, and limiting the consumption of baked and fried foods, and pre-packaged snacks and foods (e.g., doughnuts, cakes, pies, cookies, biscuits, and wafers) that contain industrially-produced trans-fats.
Limiting Sugars for Optimal Health
For a healthy diet, sugars should represent less than 10% of your total energy intake. Consuming free sugars increases the risk of dental caries (tooth decay). Excess calories from foods and drinks high in free sugars also contribute to unhealthy weight gain, which can lead to overweight and obesity. Free sugars influence blood pressure and serum lipids, and suggests that a reduction in free sugars intake reduces risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Sugars intake can be reduced by limiting the consumption of foods and drinks containing high amounts of sugars, such as sugary snacks, candies and sugar-sweetened beverages (i.e. soft drinks, fruit or vegetable juices and drinks, liquid and powder concentrates, flavoured water, energy and sports drinks, ready‐to‐drink tea, ready‐to‐drink coffee and flavoured milk drinks), and eating fresh fruit and raw vegetables as snacks instead of sugary snacks.
The Macronutrient Balance: Fueling Your Body Right
A healthy diet is one in which macronutrients are consumed in appropriate proportions to support energetic and physiologic needs without excess intake while also providing sufficient micronutrients and hydration to meet the physiologic needs of the body. Macronutrients (i.e., carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) provide the energy necessary for the cellular processes required for daily functioning.
Carbohydrates: The Primary Energy Source
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy in the diet and are found in the greatest abundance in grains, fruits, legumes, and vegetables. In terms of deriving a health benefit, whole grains are preferred over processed grains, the latter having been stripped of germ and bran during the milling process, resulting in lower amounts of fiber and micronutrients. Meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies have linked increased whole-grain intake to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, as well as to the decreased risk of mortality due to any cause, cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, diabetes, and infectious disease. Fresh fruits and vegetables supply energy as well as dietary fiber, which promotes the feeling of satiety and has positive effects on gastrointestinal function, cholesterol levels, and glycemic control. In addition, fresh fruits and vegetables are key sources of phytochemicals (e.g., polyphenols, phytosterols, carotenoids), which are bioactive compounds believed to confer many of the health benefits associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. The mechanistic effects of these various phytochemicals are unclear but include their antioxidative properties, as well as their role in regulating nuclear transcription factors, fat metabolism, and inflammatory mediators. For example, flavonoids have been shown to increase insulin secretion and reduce insulin resistance, suggesting that these phytochemicals provide some benefits in obesity and diabetes. Additionally, polyphenols interact with gastrointestinal microbiota in a bi-directional manner by enhancing gut bacteria and being metabolized by these bacteria to form more bioactive compounds.
Proteins: Building and Repairing
Dietary proteins provide a source of energy as well as amino acids, including those that the human body requires but cannot produce on its own (i.e., essential amino acids). Dietary proteins are derived from both animal (meat, dairy, fish, and eggs) and plant (legumes, soya products, grains, nuts, and seeds) sources, with the former considered a richer source due to the array of amino acids, high digestibility, and greater bioavailability. However, animal-based sources of protein contain saturated fatty acids, which have been linked to cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, and certain cancers. Although the mechanisms are unclear, red meat, and processed meat in particular, have been associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Animal-derived proteins also increase the dietary acid load, tipping the body’s acid-base balance toward acidosis. Adequate dietary protein intake is important for maintaining lean body mass throughout the life span. In older adults, protein plays an important role in preventing age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, preserving bone mass, and reducing fracture risk. There are many sources of protein other than meat that you can incorporate into your diet. If you eat seafood, fish and shellfish are options. Dairy and eggs may also be options. For people who are vegan, you can choose pulses, which include beans, dry peas, and lentils. You can also get protein from tofu, tempeh, seitan, and soy. Your individual protein needs will vary based on your age, activity level, and if you have a pre-existing health condition.
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Fats: Essential for Structure and Energy
Fats (or lipids) are the primary structural components of cellular membranes and are also sources of cellular energy. Dietary fats fall into 4 categories: monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats, and trans fats. The fat content of food is generally an admixture of these different types. Unsaturated fats are found in a variety of foods, including fish, many plant-derived oils, nuts, and seeds, whereas animal products (and some plant-derived oils) contribute a larger proportion of saturated fats. Trans fats found in foods are predominantly the result of processing vegetable oils but are also present in small quantities in animal products (i.e., ruminant trans fats from cows, sheep, and goats). Among the types of dietary fats, unsaturated fats are associated with reduced cardiovascular and mortality risks, whereas trans fats and, to a lesser degree, saturated fats are associated with negative impacts on health, including increased mortality risk. Two families of polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6, are described as essential fatty acids, because they are required for normal growth and reproduction but are not produced by the body and, therefore, must be obtained from dietary sources. Omega-3 fatty acids, in particular, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been widely studied for their potential health benefits, with evidence suggesting positive effects including cardioprotection, preventing cognitive decline, reducing inflammation, sustaining muscle mass, and improving systemic insulin resistance. Seafood, especially oily fish, provides EPA and DHA, and supplements are widely available for those not meeting recommended intakes with diet alone.
Micronutrients and Hydration: The Unsung Heroes
Although required in trace amounts compared with macronutrients, micronutrients are necessary for normal growth, metabolism, physiologic functioning, and cellular integrity. The shift from whole foods to processed, refined foods has reduced the micronutrient quality of the modern Western diet. Vitamin and mineral inadequacies have been implicated in cellular aging and late-onset disease, as scarcity drives chronic metabolic disruption. Water is the principal component of the body, constituting the majority of lean body mass and total body weight. Water not only provides hydration but also carries micronutrients, including trace elements and electrolytes. Drinking water may supply as much as 20% of the daily recommended intake of calcium and magnesium. Our understanding of water requirements and water’s effect on health and disease is limited, although the global increase in intake of high-calorie beverages has refocused attention on the importance of water for maintaining health and preventing disease.
Dietary Patterns for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Based on our understanding of nutritional requirements and their likely health impacts as described above, healthy dietary patterns can be generally described as those that are rich in health-promoting foods, including plant-based foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, antioxidants, soya, nuts, and sources of omega-3 fatty acids, and low in saturated fats and trans fats, animal-derived proteins, and added/refined sugars. Patterns such as these are naturally occurring in certain regions of the world and rooted in local/regional tradition and food sources, as is the case for the traditional Mediterranean and Asian diets.
The Mediterranean Diet: A Timeless Approach to Healthy Eating
The Mediterranean diet is based on components of the traditional dietary patterns of Euro-Mediterranean countries and encompasses not only the types of foods consumed and their relative contributions to daily nutrient intake, but also an approach to eating that is cognizant of how foods are sourced (e.g., sustainability and eco-friendliness), cooked, and eaten, as well as lifestyle considerations such as engaging in regular physical activity, getting adequate rest, and participating in fellowship when preparing and sharing meals. Within the core framework of the Mediterranean diet, variations based on geography and culture are reflected in the emphasis on the inclusion of traditional and local food products. The primary basis of daily meals in the Mediterranean diet is cereals such as whole-grain bread, pastas, couscous, and other unrefined grains that are rich in fiber and a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colors and textures that are high in micronutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals. Dairy products, preferably low-fat yogurt, cheese, or other fermented dairy products, are recommended daily in moderation as a source of calcium, which is needed for bone and heart health. Olive oil serves as the primary source of dietary lipids and is supplemented with olives, nuts, and seeds. Water (1.5-2.0 L/day or ~8 glasses) is recommended as the main source of hydration, whereas wine and other fermented alcoholic beverages are generally permitted in moderation, to be consumed with meals. Fish, white meat, and eggs are the primary sources of protein; red meat and processed meats are consumed less frequently and in smaller portions. The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet were first described in 1975 by Ancel Keys, who observed a reduction in cardiovascular disease risk among populations whose nutritional model was consistent with practices of peoples from the Mediterranean Basin. Since that time, research has revealed beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet on a number of NCDs and related health measures, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, cancer, glycemic control, and cognitive function. Greater intake of polyphenols (phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, tea, olive oil, and wine) correlated with a 36% reduced risk of hypertension (p = 0.015) and improvements in inflammatory biomarkers related to atherosclerosis (i.e., interleukin [IL]-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1; p < 0.05 for each), as well as in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; p = 0.004).
The DASH Diet: A Strategy to Combat Hypertension
The DASH diet derives its name from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension study, which evaluated the influence of dietary patterns on blood pressure. Patients who consumed a diet that was rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy and that included a reduced amount of saturated and total fat and cholesterol experienced significantly greater reductions in blood pressure than patients who consumed a control diet that was similar in composition to a typical American diet (difference in SBP/DBP, −5.5/−3.0 mmHg; p < 0.001) or a diet rich in fruits and vegetables with a reduced amount of snacks and sweets (−2.7/−1.9 mmHg; p ≤ 0.002).
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Specific Health Benefits of a Healthy Diet
Following a healthy diet has many benefits, including building strong bones, protecting the heart, preventing disease, and boosting mood. A healthy diet typically includes nutrient-dense foods from all the major food groups, including lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables of many colors.
Heart Health: A Diet for a Stronger Heart
The foods people eat can reduce their blood pressure and help keep their hearts healthy. The DASH diet, or the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, includes plenty of heart-healthy foods. The program recommends eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, choosing fat-free or low fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, and nuts, limiting saturated and trans fat intake, such as fatty meats and full-fat dairy products, limiting drinks and foods that contain added sugars, restricting sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day - ideally 1,500 mg daily - and increasing consumption of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Limiting certain types of fats can also improve heart health. For instance, eliminating trans fats reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. This type of cholesterol causes plaque to collect within the arteries, increasing the risk of a heart attack and stroke.
Cancer Prevention: The Role of Diet
The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends a diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and beans to support overall health and potentially reduce the risk of developing cancer. Some people believe that antioxidants in these foods play a key role in preventing cancer. However, according to the National Cancer Institute, while laboratory and animal studies link certain antioxidants to a reduced incidence of free radical damage due to cancer, human trials remain inconclusive. Indeed, doctors advise against using these dietary supplements without consulting them first. Having obesity may increase a person’s risk of developing cancer and result in less favorable outcomes. Maintaining a moderate weight may reduce these risks.
Mood Enhancement: Food for Thought
Some evidence suggests a close relationship between diet and mood. According to a 2020 study, diet can affect several factors which, in turn, may impact a person’s mood. These include blood glucose levels, immune activation, and the gut microbiome. The researchers also found that certain diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, may be linked to better mental health. The opposite is true for diets with high amounts of red meat, processed foods, and high fat foods. It is important to note that the researchers highlighted the need for further research into the mechanisms linking food and mental health. If a person suspects they have symptoms of depression, talking with a doctor or mental health professional may help.
Cognitive Function: Protecting Brain Health
A healthy diet may help maintain cognition and brain health. However, further conclusive research is necessary. The following diets incorporate many of these elements and are associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia: Mediterranean diet, Nordic diet, DASH diet, and MIND diet.
Weight Management: Achieving a Healthy Balance
Maintaining a moderate weight can help reduce the risk of chronic health issues. A person who has more weight or obesity may be at risk of developing certain conditions, including coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, stroke, hypertension, certain mental health conditions, and some cancers. Many healthy foods, including vegetables, fruits, and beans, are lower in calories than most processed foods. Maintaining a healthy diet can help people stay within their daily limits without monitoring their calorie intake.
Diabetes Management: A Diet for Stable Blood Sugar
A healthy diet may help a person with diabetes manage their blood glucose levels, keep their blood pressure within target ranges, keep their cholesterol within target ranges, prevent or delay complications of diabetes, and maintain a moderate weight. People with diabetes must limit their intake of foods with added sugar and salt. They should also consider avoiding fried foods high in saturated and trans fats.
Bone Health: Building a Strong Foundation
A diet with adequate calcium and magnesium is important for strong bones and teeth. Keeping the bones healthy can minimize the risk of bone issues later in life, such as osteoporosis. Dairy products, kale, broccoli, and canned fish with bones are excellent sources of calcium. Food manufacturers often fortify cereals, tofu, and plant-based milk with calcium. Magnesium is abundant in many foods, and some of the best sources include green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Improved Sleep: Diet's Impact on Rest
Eating lots of processed foods that are low in fiber and high in saturated fats can interfere with deep sleep. That’s the stage of sleep that allows you to feel your best when you wake up. For a better night’s sleep, get plenty of fiber from vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Choose low-fat protein sources. And go for foods that are high in B vitamins, which may help regulate melatonin, the sleep hormone.
Vision Health
Eating foods rich in vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids can be good for your eyes. You can lower your risk of serious eye conditions that can cause blindness, such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
Reduce Joint Pain
The Mediterranean diet offers plenty of anti-inflammatory foods. They are rich in antioxidants and vitamins that can help ease joint pain and improve other symptoms of arthritis. Those include fatty fish rich in omega 3s (like salmon), unsalted nuts and seeds, and beans.
Practical Tips for Promoting a Healthy Diet
Diet evolves over time, being influenced by many social and economic factors that interact in a complex manner to shape individual dietary patterns. healthy foods), individual preferences and beliefs, cultural traditions, and geographical and environmental aspects (including climate change). balanced and healthy diet - requires the involvement of multiple sectors and stakeholders, including government, and the public and private sectors.
Governmental and Policy Actions
Governments have a central role in creating a healthy food environment that enables people to adopt and maintain healthy dietary practices. Effective actions by policy-makers to create a healthy food environment include the following: Creating coherence in national policies and investment plans - including trade, food and agricultural policies - to promote a healthy diet and protect public health through increasing incentives for producers and retailers to grow, use and sell fresh fruit and vegetables, reducing incentives for the food industry to continue or increase production of processed foods containing high levels of saturated fats, trans-fats, free sugars and salt/sodium, encouraging reformulation of food products to reduce the contents of saturated fats, trans-fats, free sugars and salt/sodium, with the goal of eliminating industrially-produced trans-fats, implementing the WHO recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children, establishing standards to foster healthy dietary practices through ensuring the availability of healthy, nutritious, safe and affordable foods in pre-schools, schools, other public institutions and the workplace, exploring regulatory and voluntary instruments (e.g. marketing regulations and nutrition labelling policies), and economic incentives or disincentives (e.g. the addition of front-of-pack labelling to facilitate consumer understanding, and providing nutrition and dietary counselling at primary health-care facilities. Promoting appropriate infant and young child feeding practices through implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly resolutions, implementing policies and practices to promote protection of working mothers, and promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding in health services and the community, including through the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative.
Reducing Salt, Sodium, and Potassium Intake
Most people consume too much sodium through salt (corresponding to consuming an average of 9-12 g of salt per day) and not enough potassium (less than 3.5 g). blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Reducing salt intake to the recommended level of less than 5 g per day could prevent 1.7 million deaths each year. People are often unaware of the amount of salt they consume. In many countries, most salt comes from processed foods (e.g. in large amounts (e.g. bread). Salt is also added to foods during cooking (e.g. bouillon, stock cubes, soy sauce and fish sauce) or at the point of consumption (e.g. table salt). Salt intake can be reduced by limiting the amount of salt and high-sodium condiments (e.g. soy sauce, fish sauce and bouillon) when cooking and preparing foods, not having salt or high-sodium sauces on the table, limiting the consumption of salty snacks, and choosing products with lower sodium content. Some food manufacturers are reformulating recipes to reduce the sodium content of their products, and people should be encouraged to check nutrition labels to see how much sodium is in a product before purchasing or consuming it. Potassium can mitigate the negative effects of elevated sodium consumption on blood pressure. Intake of potassium can be increased by consuming fresh fruit and vegetables.
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