Healthy diet

A healthy diet is a diet that maintains or improves overall health. A healthful diet provides the body with essential nutrition: water, 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.[4][5] 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.[6] Various nutrition guides are published by medical and governmental institutions to educate individuals on what they should be eating to be healthy. Not only advertising may drive preferences towards unhealthy foods.[7][8][9][10] To reverse this trend, consumers should be informed, motivated and empowered to choose healthy diets.[11] Nutrition facts labels are also mandatory in some countries to allow consumers to choose between foods based on the components relevant to health.[12][13][14]

It is estimated that in 2023 40% of the world population could not afford a healthy diet.[15] This is often a political issue.[16][17] 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.[11][18]
  1. ^ "Healthy Food Display: Image Details". NCI Visuals Online. National Cancer Institute. 1 January 2001. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  2. ^ Lean, Michael E.J. (2015). "Principles of Human Nutrition". Medicine. 43 (2): 61–65. doi:10.1016/j.mpmed.2014.11.009. S2CID 220865321.
  3. ^ World Health Organization, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (2004). Vitamin and mineral requirements in human nutrition (PDF) (2. ed.). Geneva: World Health Organization. ISBN 978-92-4-154612-6.
  4. ^ Harlan, Timothy S.; Gow, Rachel V.; Kornstädt, Andreas; Alderson, P. Wolfram; Lustig, Robert H. (2023). "The Metabolic Matrix: Re-engineering ultraprocessed foods to feed the gut, protect the liver, and support the brain". Frontiers in Nutrition. 10 1098453. doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1098453. ISSN 2296-861X. PMC 10097968. PMID 37063330.
  5. ^ Lustig, Robert H. (5 November 2020). "Ultraprocessed Food: Addictive, Toxic, and Ready for Regulation". Nutrients. 12 (11): 3401. doi:10.3390/nu12113401. ISSN 2072-6643. PMC 7694501. PMID 33167515.
  6. ^ Melina, Vesanto; Craig, Winston; Levin, Susan (December 2016). "Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Vegetarian Diets". Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 116 (12): 1970–1980. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2016.09.025. PMID 27886704. S2CID 4984228. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016.
  7. ^ Lustig, Robert H. (2010). "Fructose: metabolic, hedonic, and societal parallels with ethanol". Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 110 (9): 1307–1321. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2010.06.008. ISSN 1878-3570. PMID 20800122.
  8. ^ Daubenmier, Jennifer; Lustig, Robert H.; Hecht, Frederick M.; Kristeller, Jean; Woolley, Josh; Adam, Tanja; Dallman, Mary; Epel, Elissa (1 March 2014). "A new biomarker of hedonic eating? A preliminary investigation of cortisol and nausea responses to acute opioid blockade". Appetite. 74: 92–100. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2013.11.014. ISSN 1095-8304. PMC 4125886. PMID 24291355.
  9. ^ Moszak, Małgorzata; Marcickiewicz, Justyna; Pelczyńska, Marta; Bogdański, Paweł (13 May 2025). "The Interplay Between Psychological and Neurobiological Predictors of Weight Regain: A Narrative Review". Nutrients. 17 (10): 1662. doi:10.3390/nu17101662. ISSN 2072-6643. PMC 12114007. PMID 40431402.
  10. ^ Gheonea, Theodora Claudia; Oancea, Carmen-Nicoleta; Mititelu, Magdalena; Lupu, Elena Carmen; Ioniță-Mîndrican, Corina-Bianca; Rogoveanu, Ion (20 November 2023). "Nutrition and Mental Well-Being: Exploring Connections and Holistic Approaches". Journal of Clinical Medicine. 12 (22): 7180. doi:10.3390/jcm12227180. ISSN 2077-0383. PMC 10672474. PMID 38002792.
  11. ^ a b FAO (2024). The quest for healthy diets. FAO. doi:10.4060/cd1587en. ISBN 978-92-5-139116-7.
  12. ^ "Food information to consumers – legislation". EU. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  13. ^ "WHO | Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption around the world" (PDF). WHO.
  14. ^ Vlassopoulos, Antonis; Katidi, Alexandra; Savvidou, Tereza; Kapsokefalou, Maria (1 December 2022). "Alignment of Nutri-Score with Mediterranean Diet Pyramid: A Food Level Analysis". Nutrients. 14 (23): 5097. doi:10.3390/nu14235097. ISSN 2072-6643. PMC 9741127. PMID 36501126.
  15. ^ The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024. FAO. 7 June 2024. doi:10.4060/cd0683en. ISBN 978-92-5-138763-4.
  16. ^ Sisa, Ivan; Mena, María Belen (12 May 2025). "A legal battle between Ecuadorian citizens and corporate power". Journal of Global Health. 15 03017. doi:10.7189/jogh.15.03017. ISSN 2047-2986. PMC 12068418. PMID 40354115.
  17. ^ Springmann, Marco; Dinivitzer, Eugenia; Freund, Florian; Jensen, Jørgen Dejgård; Bouyssou, Clara G. (9 January 2025). "A reform of value-added taxes on foods can have health, environmental and economic benefits in Europe". Nature Food. 6 (2): 161–169. doi:10.1038/s43016-024-01097-5. ISSN 2662-1355. PMC 11850278. PMID 39789160.
  18. ^ What are healthy diets?. WHO; FAO. 25 October 2024. doi:10.4060/cd2223en. ISBN 978-92-5-139083-2.
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