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The exact make-up of a diversified, balanced and healthy diet will vary depending on individual characteristics (e.g. age, gender, lifestyle and degree of physical activity), cultural context, locally available foods and dietary customs. However, the basic principles of what constitutes a healthy diet remain the same. For adults
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- Balance your calorie intake with physical activity. Weight gain is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and taking in more calories than you burn off leads to weight gain.
- Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Consuming a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables (which are full of nutrients and many types of beneficial plant molecules) is linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and early death, the guidelines point out.
- Choose whole-grain foods and products. The guidelines stress the importance of eating whole grains (like whole-wheat bread or brown rice) over refined grains (such as white bread or white rice).
- Choose healthy proteins. The guidelines suggest eating mostly plant-based proteins, such as nuts or legumes (beans, lentils), along with two to three servings of fish per week.
- Eating lots of vegetables and fruit. This is one of the most important diet habits. Vegetables and fruit are packed with nutrients (antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre) and help you maintain a healthy weight by keeping you full longer.
- Choosing whole grain foods. Whole grain foods include whole grain bread and crackers, brown or wild rice, quinoa, oatmeal and hulled barley. They are prepared using the entire grain.
- Eating protein foods. Protein foods include legumes, nuts, seeds, tofu, fortified soy beverage, fish, shellfish, eggs, poultry, lean red meats including wild game, lower fat milk, lower fat yogurts, lower fat kefir and cheeses lower in fat and sodium.
- Limiting highly and ultra-processed foods. Highly processed foods — often called ultra-processed — are foods that are changed from their original food source and have many added ingredients.
Nov 20, 2023 · A healthy diet will combine all the nutrients and foods groups mentioned above, but you need to balance them, too. A handy way to remember how much of each food group to eat is the plate method.
- Brian Krans
May 26, 2020 · The paleo diet includes meat but excludes grains and legumes, while the vegan diet includes grains and legumes but excludes meat and other animal products. How can both diets work? When planned well, each diet includes lots of vegetables and minimizes highly processed foods. Those are the common denominators of a healthy diet.
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5 days ago · Experts from the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, as well as independent nutritionists explain what five factors contribute to a healthy diet and why.
Oct 24, 2024 · The exact make-up of a diet will vary depending on individual characteristics, preferences and beliefs, cultural context, locally available foods and dietary customs. However, the basic principles of what constitutes healthy diets remain the same.
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