7 August 2023, Mumbai: A healthy diet is a foundation for health, well-being, optimal growth and development. It protects against all forms of malnutrition. Unhealthy diet is one of the leading risks for the global burden of disease, mainly for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer.
Evidence shows the health benefits of a diet high in whole grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes and nuts, and low in salt, free sugars and fats, particularly saturated and trans fats. A healthy diet starts early in life with adequate breastfeeding. The benefits of a healthy diet are reflected in higher educational outcomes, productivity and lifelong health.A healthy diet is also more environmentally sustainable, as it is associated to lower greenhouse gas emissions, lower use freshwater and land mass.
However, healthy diets can be inaccessible, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and also in places and situations with high rates of food insecurity. Around the world, an estimated 3 billion people cannot access safe, nutritious and sufficient food. In addition, the proliferation of highly processed food, supported by aggressive marketing, rapid unplanned urbanization and changing lifestyles have contributed to more people eating unhealthy diets high in energy, free sugars, salt, saturated fats and trans fats.
Recommendation for Healthy lifestyle
The World Health Organisation has renewed its recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. These include information regarding the amount of fat, unsaturated fat, trans fat and carbohydrates that should be included in the diet, based on scientific research and data.
The International organisation suggests that the fat intake shouldn’t be more than 30% of daily energy, in both kids and adults, as most of the consumed fat is unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fats shouldn’t exceed 10% while the trans fatty acids shouldn’t go beyond 1% in our regular diet.Concern about Fats in food Consumption.
Fatty meats, dairy products, butter and oils like coconut oil contain saturated fats. Besides, baked or fried food, packaged snacks, frozen meat and dairy products are loaded with trans fat too.
Saturated fatty acids and trans fat could be replaced with plant-based poly unsaturated fatty acids, mono unsaturated fatty acids and carbohydrates from whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes.
The renewed recommendations note the significance of carbohydrates in our regular diet. The carbohydrates from whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes are essential for everyone who are two years old and above. Besides, adults should include at least 400 gms of vegetables and fruits in their daily diet. Moreover, the food should contain 25 gms of fibre too.
Vegetables and fruits
Kids from 2 – 5 years should consume at least 250 gms of vegetables and fruits.Meanwhile, it should be 350 gms for kids between 6 – 9 years.Those who are above ten years should consume 400 gms of vegetables and fruits daily.
Dietary fibre
Kids between 2 – 5 years require at least 15 gms of fibre.It is 21 gms for kids between 6 – 9 years.WHO recommends including at least 25 gms of fibre in the daily diet of persons who are ten years old and above.
By ASC Priya