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.

WHO recommends

• 1. to meet the needs of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals through a varied diet, largely plant based, and balancing energy intake with expenditure;
• 2. obtaining the largest amount of energy from carbohydrates, mainly through legumes and wholegrain cereals;
• 3. reducing total fats to less than 30% of total energy intake, shifting fat intake away from saturated and trans fat to unsaturated fats, and eliminating industrial trans fats from the diet;
• 4. reducing free sugars to less than 10% (ideally 5%) of total energy intake;
• 5. limiting sodium intake to less than 2 grams per day (equivalent to 5 grams of salt); and
• 6. consuming at least 400 grams of vegetables and fruit per day in adults and children above 10, and 250–350 grams per day in younger children.