Healthy Diet
Healthy Diet
Eating a healthy diet throughout life helps in preventing malnutrition in all its forms, as well as help in a series of non-pathological diseases (NCDs) and conditions. However, due to increasing production of processed foods, rapid urbanization and changing lifestyle, dietary patterns have changed. People are consuming high food items in energy, fats, free sugars and salt / sodium, and many people do not eat enough grains like fruits, vegetables and other dietary fiber in sufficient quantity.
For Adults
A healthy diet includes the following:- Fruits, vegetables, legumes (such as lentils and beans), nuts and whole grains (like maize, millet, oats, wheat and brown rice).
- Excluding potatoes, sweet potato, cassava and other starch roots, at least 400 grams (i.e. five parts) of fruits and vegetables per day
- Less than 10% of total energy intake with free sugar, which is equivalent to 50 grams (or about 12 teaspoons) for a person with healthy body weight, which consumes approximately 2000 calories per day, but ideally less than 5 % Of total energy intake for additional health benefits Free sugar producers, chefs or consumers have all the sugars added to the food or drinks, as well as the naturally present glucose concentrates in honey, syrup, fruit juice and fruit juice.
- Total energy consumption of fat should be less than 30%. In unsaturated fat (found in fish, avocado and nuts, and sunflower, soybean, and olive oil) saturated fats (fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oil, cream, cheese, Clarified butter and lard and trans) is found. Industrialized trans-fats (found in cooked and fried foods, and pre-packaged snacks and foods, such as frozen pizza, pie, cookies, biscuits, wafers and cooking oils and All kinds of fat including spread). Ruminants are found in trans-fat (cows, sheep, goats and camels, such as ruminant meat and dairy foods). It is suggested that consumption of saturated fat is less than 10% of total energy consumption and trans-fat is less than 1% of the total energy intake. In particular, industrialized trans-fats are not part of a healthy diet and should be avoided.
- Less than 5 grams of salt (approximately one teaspoon equivalent) per day. Salt should contain iodine.
For infants and young children
In the first 2 years of the child's life, optimal nutrition promotes healthy growth and improves cognitive development. This later reduces the risk of overweight or obesity and development of NCDs in life.
Advice on healthy diet for infants and children is similar to adults, but the following elements are also important:
- Babies should be particularly breast-fed during the first 6 months of life.
- Babies should be breast-feeding continuously till the age of 2 years and beyond.
- From the age of 6 months, breast milk should be supplemented with adequate, safe and nutritious dense foods. Salt and sugar must not be mixed in supplements.
Practical advice on maintaining a healthy diet
Fruits and vegetables
Eating at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables per day, or eating five parts reduces the risk of NCDs and helps in ensuring adequate daily intake of dietary fiber.
Consumption of fruits and vegetables can be improved by:
- Always include vegetables in the food;
- Eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables as snacks;
- Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Fat
If the total energy intake is less than 30% of the total energy intake, it helps in preventing unhealthy weight gain in the adult population. Apart from this, the risk of development of NCDs is less than:
- Reduce saturated fats less than 10% of total energy intake;
- Reduce trans-fat by less than 1% of total energy intake; And
- With saturated fat and trans-fats both with unsaturated fats - especially, with polyunsaturated fats.
Fat consumption can be reduced by eating saturated fats and industrialized trans-fats.
- Steaming or boiling instead of frying on cooking;
- Place of butter, lard and Clarified butter with oil rich in polyunsaturated fats, such as soybean,(rapeseed), corn, safflower and sunflower oil;
- Eating low-fat dairy foods and lean meats, or trimming the visible fat from the meat; And
- Limiting consumption of baked and fried foods, and pre-packaged snacks and food items (like donuts, cakes, pie, cookies, biscuits and wafers), including industrially produced trans fats.
Salt, sodium and potassium
Most people consume a lot of sodium through salt (to consume 9 to 12 grams of salt per day) and not enough potassium (less than 3.5 grams). Consumption of high sodium and insufficient potassium contributes to hypertension, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Reduced consumption of salt to the recommended level of less than 5 grams per day can kill 1.7 million people every year.
People are often unaware of the consumption of salt. In many countries, most of the salt food items (such as finished meals such as bacon, ham and salty snacks) or large amounts of food often come from food (like bread). During cooking, salt is also added in the food items or at the time of eating (like table salt).
Salt consumption can be reduced:
- Limiting the amount of salt and high sodium spices (such as soy sauce, fish) when cooking and cooking;
- No salt or high sodium sauce on the table;
- Limiting consumption of salty snacks; And
- Choose products with low sodium content.
Some food producers are improving recipes to reduce the sodium content of their products, and people should be encouraged to check the nutrition label so that it can be seen that before purchasing or consuming any product, sodium How much is
Potassium can reduce the negative effects of increased sodium consumption on blood pressure. Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables can increase the amount of potassium.
Sugars
In both adults and children, free intake of sugar should be less than 10% of total energy intake. Less than 5% of total energy intake will provide additional health benefits.
Eating free sugar increases the risk of dental caries (tooth decay). Extra calories from high food and drinks in the free sugar also contribute to unhealthy weight gain, which can lead to overweight and obesity. Recent evidence also shows that free sugar influences blood pressure and serum lipid, and states that the use of free sugars reduces risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
Sugar consumption can be reduced:
- Foods and beverages such as high amount of sugary snacks, candy and sugar-sweet beverages (i.e. all types of beverages, including free sugars - such as carbonated or carbonated soft drinks, fruits or vegetables juice and drinks) Limiting consumption, and
- Instead of sugar snacks, eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables in the form of snacks.
How To Promote Healthy Diet
Diet develops over time, is influenced by many social and economic factors that negotiate complex ways to shape individual diet patterns. These factors include income, food prices (which will affect the availability and afford ability of healthy foods), personal preferences and beliefs, cultural traditions and geographical and environmental aspects (including climate change). Therefore, promoting a healthy food environment - which includes food systems that promote a diverse, balanced and healthy diet - requires involvement of many sectors and stakeholders including government and public and private sectors.
Governments have a central role in creating healthy food environments that enable people to adopt and maintain healthy dietary practices.
