Doc Fio

Consuming a healthy diet throughout the life helps prevent malnutrition in all its forms as well as a range of noncommunicable diseases and conditions.

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But the increased production of processed food, rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles have led to a shift in dietary patterns. People are now consuming more foods high in energy, fats, free sugars or salt/sodium, and many do not eat enough fruit, vegetables and dietary fiber such as whole grains.

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The exact make-up of a diversified, balanced and healthy diet will vary depending on individual needs (e.g. age, gender, lifestyle, degree of physical activity), cultural context, locally available foods and dietary customs.

But basic principles of what constitute a healthy diet remain the same.

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For adults

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A healthy diet contains:

-Fruits, vegetables, legumes (e.g. lentils, beans), nuts and whole grains (e.g. unprocessed maize, millet, oats, wheat, brown rice).

At least 400 g (5 portions) of fruits and vegetables a day .

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava and other starchy roots are not classified as fruits or vegetables.

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-Less than 10% of total energy intake from free sugars which is equivalent to 50 g (or around 12 level teaspoons) for a person of healthy body weight consuming approximately 2000 calories per day, but ideally less than 5% of total energy intake for additional health benefits.

Most free sugars are added to foods or drinks by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, and can also be found in sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.

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-Less than 30% of total energy intake from fats. 

Unsaturated fats (e.g. found in fish, avocado, nuts, sunflower, canola and olive oils) are preferable to saturated fats (e.g. found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oil, cream, cheese, ghee and lard).

Industrial trans fats (found in processed food, fast food, snack food, fried food, frozen pizza, pies, cookies, margarines and spreads) are not part of a healthy diet.

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-Less than 5 g of salt (equivalent to approximately 1 teaspoon) per day and use iodized salt.

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For infants and young children

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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 Non Communicable Diseases later in life.

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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 complementary foods. Salt and sugars should not be added to complementary foods.

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Symbols, such as a pyramid, illustrate how the pieces of a healthy diet fit together. The base of the pyramid is typically made up of foods that should be the bulk of your healthy diet. In contrast, foods you should eat in smaller amounts or less frequently are shown in the smaller sections of the pyramid.

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The same principle applies to the dinner plate — half of the plate consists of what should be the bulk of your diet.

Of course, no single food provides all of the nutrients that your body needs, so the idea is to eat a variety of foods from each group to get all the necessary nutrients and other substances that promote good health.

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Whether in pyramid or plate form, most healthy eating plans emphasize the following:

• Eating more plant foods, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains

• Choosing lean protein from a variety of sources

• Limiting sweets and salt

• Controlling portion sizes

• Being physically active

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Practical advice on maintaining a healthy diet

 

High salt consumption  contribute to high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke 

1.7 million deaths could be prevented each year if people’s salt consumption were reduced to the recommended level of less than 5 g per day 

People are often unaware of the amount of salt they consume.

In many countries, most salt comes from processed foods (e.g. ready meals; processed meats like bacon, ham and salami; cheese and salty snacks) or from food consumed frequently in large amounts (e.g. bread).

Salt is also added to food during cooking (e.g. bouillon, stock cubes, soy sauce and fish sauce) or at the table (e.g. table salt

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Evidence indicates that in both adults and children, the intake of free sugars should be reduced to less than 10% of total energy intake, and that a reduction to less than 5% of total energy intake provides additional health benefits.

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.

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.

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