Healthy diet

A healthy diet is a diet that maintains or improves overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, macronutrients such as protein, micronutrients such as vitamins, and adequate fibre and food energy.^[2][3]

A healthy diet may contain fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and may include little to no ultra-processed foods or sweetened beverages. The requirements for a healthy diet can be met from a variety of plant-based and animal-based foods, although additional sources of vitamin B12 are needed for those following a vegan diet.^[4] Various nutrition guides are published by medical and governmental institutions to educate individuals on what they should be eating to be healthy. Advertising may drive preferences towards unhealthy foods. To reverse this trend, consumers should be informed, motivated and empowered to choose healthy diets.^[5] Nutrition facts labels are also mandatory in some countries to allow consumers to choose between foods based on the components relevant to health.^[6][7]

It is estimated that in 2023 40% of the world population couldn't afford a healthy diet.^[8]

The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization have formulated four core principles of what constitutes healthy diets. According to these two Organizations, health diets are:

• Adequate, as they meet, without exceeding, our body’s energy and essential nutrient requirements in support of all the many body functions.
• Diverse, as they include various nutritious foods within and across food groups to help secure the sufficient nutrients needed by our bodies.
• Balanced, as they include energy from the three primary sources (protein, fats, and carbohydrates) in a balanced way and foster healthy weight, growth and activity, and to prevent disease.
• Moderate, as they include only small quantities (or none) of foods that may have a negative impact on health, such as highly salty and sugary foods.^{[5] [9]}