Nutrition is a cornerstone of individual well-being, providing the energy we need to function daily. Beyond mere sustenance, proper nutrition is a fundamental pillar of a healthy life. Conversely, poor dietary habits and malnutrition are linked to a spectrum of diseases and health conditions. The easy availability of unhealthy food poses a risk of developing poor dietary habits. Many foods common in the Western diet are high in refined carbohydrates, including pasta, pizza, white bread, white rice, breakfast cereals, and sugary juices.
Nutrition: More Than Just Fuel
Food profoundly impacts human health, influencing biological functions. Nutrients play a crucial role in regulating immune responses, brain chemistry, metabolism, and even gene expression. Prioritizing healthy foods over highly processed options is directly associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases and improved mental and physical performance.
Reducing the Risk of Chronic Diseases
A balanced diet significantly reduces the risk of developing noncommunicable chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. A nutritious diet offers extensive and scientifically backed benefits across all ages and life stages. In childhood, it supports proper growth and cognitive development, while in adulthood, it helps maintain metabolic health and productivity.
Understanding Macronutrients
Macronutrients are essential nutrients needed in larger quantities. These are the body's primary source of energy and play an important role in gut health and immune function.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the body's primary source of energy. Simple carbohydrates are found naturally in foods like fruits and milk, as well as in added sugars found in sweets and sodas. Complex carbohydrates are rich in fiber and provide longer-lasting energy. They are found in whole grains, vegetables, and legumes.
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Proteins
Often called the "building blocks" of the body, proteins are essential for the growth, maintenance, and repair of all tissues, including muscles, organs, skin, and hair. Complete proteins contain all the nine key building blocks (amino acids) your body needs but can’t produce itself. Incomplete proteins are mostly plant-based as they lack one or more of the essential amino acid building blocks.
Fats
Dietary fats are crucial for many bodily functions, including energy storage and the absorption of vitamins that dissolve in fat (A, D, E, and K). They also contribute to a feeling of fullness and add richness to the taste of meals. Unsaturated fats (healthy fats) are found in plant-based oils, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish. Saturated fats are primarily found in animal products like red meat, butter and some tropical oils like coconut oil and palm oil. Trans fats are often artificially created and found in processed and fried foods.
Understanding Micronutrients
Micronutrients, though required in smaller quantities than macronutrients, are essential for countless bodily processes and the maintenance of overall health.
Vitamins
These are organic compounds vital for normal metabolic and cellular processes, growth, and disease prevention.
Minerals
These are naturally occurring elements found in soil and water, absorbed by plants, and consumed by animals. They are crucial for strong bones and teeth, nerve transmission, muscle contraction, and many other functions.
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The Importance of Variety
It's important to keep in mind that no single food provides all the necessary nutrients your body requires. The key to optimal health lies in consuming a diverse and balanced diet from all major food groups.
The Longevity Diet
Beyond weight management and physical fitness, your dietary choices can greatly influence long-term health and well-being. One of the most powerful factors influencing longevity is diet. What we eat daily shapes our healthspan and life expectancy. At the heart of this idea is the concept of the “longevity diet”, developed by researchers such as Valter Longo, which emphasizes overall dietary patterns and lifestyle habits designed to extend lifespan. It places a strong focus on plant-based foods, healthy fats (like those found in avocados and whole grains), limited protein intake, and a lower intake of saturated fat.
Supporting Heart Health
What we eat has a major impact on heart health. On the one hand, high intake of saturated fat, excess sodium, and refined sugars increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and hypertension. On the other hand, a diet rich in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help support heart health. 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.
Boosting Brain Health
Our brain health is closely tied to the quality of our diet. The brain is a nutrient-hungry organ, and its performance is heavily influenced by what we eat. Certain foods like leafy greens, berries, and fatty fish, are especially beneficial, as they support neuroplasticity and reduce neuroinflammation. In contrast, excessive intake of refined sugars and saturated and trans fats impairs brain function and increases the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. 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, MIND diet.
Preventing Noncommunicable Diseases
Noncommunicable diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases, are the leading causes of death globally. According to the World Health Organization, noncommunicable diseases killed at least 43 million people in 2021, about 75% of non-pandemic-related deaths globally. The good news is that many of these conditions are preventable through diet.
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Managing Diabetes
For people already living with diabetes, nutrition is critical for managing blood sugar levels, preventing complications, and improving overall quality of life. 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, 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.
Strengthening the Immune System
A strong immune system is fundamental for fighting off infections and illnesses. Specific nutrients play vital roles in supporting the immune function, including Vitamin C (found in citrus fruits and berries), Vitamin D (from sunlight and fortified foods), Vitamin A (in carrots and sweet potatoes), and Vitamin E (in nuts and seeds). Minerals like zinc (in meat and legumes), selenium (in nuts and seafood), and iron (in red meat and lentils) are also crucial for the development and proper functioning of immune cells.
Supporting Oral Health
Recent research suggests that healthy dietary habits can also benefit your gums. In a study with 30 participants, half of the study group continued to consume a typical Western diet for six weeks-where over 45% of their calorie intake came from refined carbohydrates. The other half of the study group switched to a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet after two weeks. This diet was low in refined carbohydrates and animal proteins, and high in omega‐3 fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin D, antioxidants, plant nitrates and fibers. Inflammation of the gums is a delicate and complex process in which the body’s immune response plays an important role. It’s well documented that certain nutritional elements can influence this immune response, such as the antioxidants Vitamin C and E. Further research suggests that oral health doesn’t exist in isolation, it’s closely linked to overall health. Healthy foods, particularly those rich in calcium, phosphorus, and fiber, strengthen tooth enamel and support gum health.
Cultural and Community Aspects of Food
Food is more than just fuel; it's a powerful reflection of our culture and a key driver of public health. Each culture holds its own interpretation of what it means to “eat well” or “live well.” For some, this may mean harmony between food and the environment; for others, it’s rooted in family traditions or religious practices. Traditional diets-such as those followed in Okinawa, the Mediterranean, or among Indigenous communities-have long centered around whole plant-rich foods, seasonal produce, and shared meals within the community. Shared meals build relationships, reduce feelings of isolation, and are associated with greater happiness and life satisfaction.
Building a Healthier Society
A nutritious diet is a powerful tool for building a healthier society. A nutritious diet doesn't only benefit the individual: it reduces the burden on healthcare systems and enhances the productivity and vitality of entire populations. With aging societies and rising chronic disease rates, nutrition serves as a proactive way to address these challenges, lower healthcare costs, and improve quality of life.
Nutrition for Older Adults
As the population ages, the prevalence of chronic and degenerative conditions rises. Nutrition plays a key role in mitigating these effects. Diets rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and adequate protein help preserve muscle mass, brain function, and cardiovascular health in older adults. Maintaining strong oral health becomes increasingly essential for older adults not just for comfort and confidence, but also for ensuring healthy eating habits and overall well-being.
Practical Tips for Healthy Eating
Healthy eating is less about strict rules and more about small, thoughtful choices each day. Filling your plate with a variety of whole, unprocessed foods from all five food groups can make a big difference. Developing healthy eating habits takes time, and patience is key.
WHO Recommendations for 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.
For Adults
A healthy diet includes the following: Fruit, vegetables, legumes (e.g. lentils and beans), nuts and whole grains (e.g. unprocessed maize, millet, oats, wheat and brown rice). At least 400 g (i.e. 5 portions) of fruit and vegetables per day (2). Less than 10% of total energy intake from free sugars (2, 7), which is equivalent to 50g or roughly 12 teaspoons for a person of healthy body weight consuming approximately 2000 calories per day, but ideally should be less than 5% of total energy intake for additional health benefits (7). Free sugars are all sugars added to foods or drinks by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, as well as sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. Less than 30% of total energy intake from fats (1, 2, 3). Unsaturated fats (found in fish, avocado and nuts, and in sunflower, soybean, canola and olive oils) are preferable to saturated fats (found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oil, cream, cheese and ghee) and trans-fats of all kinds, including both industrially-produced trans-fats (found in baked and fried foods, pre-packaged snacks and foods, such as frozen pizza, pies, cookies, biscuits, wafers, and cooking oils and spreads) and ruminant trans-fats (found in meat and dairy foods from ruminant animals, such as cows, sheep, goats and camels). It is suggested that reducing saturated fats to less than 10% of total energy intake and trans-fats to less than 1% of total energy intake (5). In particular, industrially-produced trans-fats are not part of a healthy diet and should be avoided (4, 6). Less than 5 g of salt (equivalent to about one teaspoon) per day (8). Salt should be iodized.
For Infants and Young Children
In the first 2 years of a child’s life, optimal nutrition fosters healthy growth and improves cognitive development. It also reduces the risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing NCDs later in life. Advice on a healthy diet for infants and children is similar to that for adults, but the following elements are also important: Infants should be breastfed exclusively during the first 6 months of life. Infants should be breastfed continuously until 2 years of age and beyond. From 6 months of age, breast milk should be complemented with a variety of adequate, safe and nutrient-dense foods. Salt and sugars should not be added to complementary foods.