What five things do you need to take into account to make sure you have a healthy diet? We investigate. Image credit: Iryna Shepetko/ Stocksy . Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) published a joint statement outlining some key points about what makes a diet healthy.
The statement emphasizes the importance of whole foods, especially fruit and vegetables, unsaturated fatty acids, and obtaining an adequate amount of calories from carbohydrates.
It also stresses that red meat has been associated with a wide array of diseases and chronic conditions, suggesting that people avoid red meat products.
Finally, the report reminds everyone how and why ultra-processed foods, such as fast foods, are harmful to health and best if avoided.
Our diets are one of the topmost factors when it comes to health risks. There is strong evidence that a healthy diet can help lower a person’s risk of cardiovascular diseases and dementia . Modeling studies suggest eating healthily could even help prolong a person’s life span .
Recent research has heralded several different diets as “healthy,” suggesting that they bring cardiovascular, metabolic and brain health benefits. These include: Mediterranean diets, the MIND diet , and the DASH diet .
But what elements do all of these diets have in common, and what makes a diet, any diet, healthy?
A joint statement recently published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) has sought to outline the “dos” and “don’ts” of healthy dietary habits.
It offers an overview of what nutrients are essential, what the best sources for those nutrients are, how many calories each of these nutrients should account for, and which foods a person would do best to avoid.Additionally, two registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), not affiliated with the WHO or the FAO, have spoken to Medical News Today to explain the building blocks behind a truly healthy diet. 1. How many carbs should a healthy diet include? The recent WHO and FAO statement notes that carbohydrates are an […]
5 ways to tell if your diet is healthy, according to experts
