en:Healthy diet

The World Health Organization (WHO) makes the following five recommendations with respect to both populations and individuals:{{Cite web |url=https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet |title=WHO | Diet |website=WHO}}

1. Maintain a healthy weight by eating roughly the same number of calories that your body is using.
2. Limit intake of fats to no more than 30% of total caloric intake, preferring unsaturated fats to saturated fats. Avoid trans fats.
3. Eat at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables per day (not counting potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, and other starchy roots). A healthy diet also contains legumes (e.g. lentils, beans), whole grains, and nuts.{{Cite web|title=Healthy Diet – WHO|url=https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet}}
4. Limit the intake of simple sugars to less than 10% of caloric intake (below 5% of calories or 25 grams may be even better).{{Cite web |url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/ |title=WHO guideline: sugar consumption recommendation |website=World Health Organization |access-date=6 January 2018}}
5. Limit salt/sodium from all sources and ensure that salt is iodized. Less than 5 grams of salt per day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.{{Cite web |url=https://www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/unhealthy_diet_text/en/ |title=WHO – Unhealthy diet |website=who.int}}

The WHO has stated that insufficient vegetables and fruit is the cause of 2.8% of deaths worldwide.{{failed verification|date=March 2021}}

Other WHO recommendations include:

• ensuring that the foods chosen have sufficient vitamins and certain minerals;
• avoiding directly poisonous (e.g. heavy metals) and carcinogenic (e.g. benzene) substances;
• avoiding foods contaminated by human pathogens (e.g. E. coli, tapeworm eggs);
• and replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats in the diet, which can reduce the risk of coronary artery disease and diabetes.{{failed verification|date=March 2021}}

{{main|History of USDA nutrition guides}}

{{main|MyPlate}}

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends three healthy patterns of diet, summarized in the table below, for a 2000 kcal diet.Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. "[http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/Scientific-Report-of-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827012145/https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/Scientific-Report-of-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf |date=2018-08-27 }}." Washington (DC): USDA and US Department of Health and Human Services (2015).{{Cite journal |last1=Jensen |first1=MD |last2=Ryan |first2=DH |last3=Apovian |first3=CM |last4=Ard |first4=JD |last5=Comuzzie |first5=AG |last6=Donato |first6=KA |last7=Hu |first7=FB |last8=Hubbard |first8=VS |last9=Jakicic |first9=JM |last10=Kushner |first10=RF |last11=Loria |first11=CM |date=24 June 2014 |title=2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society. |journal=Circulation |type=Professional society guideline |volume=129 |issue=25 Suppl 2 |pages=S102-38 |doi=10.1161/01.cir.0000437739.71477.ee |pmc=5819889 |pmid=24222017 |last12=Millen |first12=BE |last13=Nonas |first13=CA |last14=Pi-Sunyer |first14=FX |last15=Stevens |first15=J |last16=Stevens |first16=VJ |last17=Wadden |first17=TA |last18=Wolfe |first18=BM |last19=Yanovski |first19=SZ |last20=Jordan |first20=HS |last21=Kendall |first21=KA |last22=Lux |first22=LJ |last23=Mentor-Marcel |first23=R |last24=Morgan |first24=LC |last25=Trisolini |first25=MG |last26=Wnek |first26=J |last27=Anderson |first27=JL |last28=Halperin |first28=JL |last29=Albert |first29=NM |last30=Bozkurt |first30=B |last31=Brindis |first31=RG |last32=Curtis |first32=LH |last33=DeMets |first33=D |last34=Hochman |first34=JS |last35=Kovacs |first35=RJ |last36=Ohman |first36=EM |last37=Pressler |first37=SJ |last38=Sellke |first38=FW |last39=Shen |first39=WK |last40=Smith SC |first40=Jr |last41=Tomaselli |first41=GF |last42=American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice |first42=Guidelines. |last43=Obesity |first43=Society.}}{{Cite web |title=Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 and Online Materials {{!}} Dietary Guidelines for Americans |url=https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/resources/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=www.dietaryguidelines.gov}} These guidelines are increasingly adopted by various groups and institutions for recipe and meal plan development.{{Cite web |date=2019-04-17 |title=Our Nutrition Guidelines And Food Philosophy Healthy Recipes 101 |url=https://healthyrecipes101.com/page/healthy-eating-guideline/ |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=Healthy Recipes 101 |language=en-US}}

The guidelines emphasize both health and environmental sustainability and a flexible approach. The committee that drafted it wrote: "The major findings regarding sustainable diets were that a diet higher in plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in calories and animal-based foods is more health promoting and is associated with less environmental impact than is the current U.S. diet. This pattern of eating can be achieved through a variety of dietary patterns, including the "Healthy U.S.-style Pattern", the "Healthy Vegetarian Pattern" and the "Healthy Mediterranean-style Pattern".{{Cite web |url=http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/15-appendix-E3/e3-7.asp |title=App. E-3.7: Developing Vegetarian and Mediterranean-style Food Patterns - 2015 Advisory Report - health.gov |website=health.gov |access-date=30 September 2015}} Food group amounts are per day, unless noted per week.

The American Heart Association, World Cancer Research Fund, and American Institute for Cancer Research recommend a diet that consists mostly of unprocessed plant foods, with emphasis on a wide range of whole grains, legumes, and non-starchy vegetables and fruits. This healthy diet includes a wide range of non-starchy vegetables and fruits which provide different colors including red, green, yellow, white, purple, and orange. The recommendations note that tomato cooked with oil, allium vegetables like garlic, and cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, provide some protection against cancer. This healthy diet is low in energy density, which may protect against weight gain and associated diseases. Finally, limiting consumption of sugary drinks, limiting energy-rich foods, including "fast foods" and red meat, and avoiding processed meats improves health and longevity. Overall, researchers and medical policymakers conclude that this healthy diet can reduce the risk of chronic disease and cancer.{{Cite book |url=http://www.aicr.org/assets/docs/pdf/reports/Second_Expert_Report.pdf |title=Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective |date=1 January 2007 |isbn=978-0-9722522-2-5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507140127/http://www.aicr.org/assets/docs/pdf/reports/Second_Expert_Report.pdf |archive-date=7 May 2016 |author=World Cancer Research Fund |publisher=American Institute for Cancer Research }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002577-pdf.pdf |title=American Cancer Society Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention |website=Last Revised: 1 November 2012}}

It is recommended that children consume 25 grams or less of added sugar (100 calories) per day.{{Cite journal |last1=Vos |first1=Miriam B. |last2=Kaar |first2=Jill L. |last3=Welsh |first3=Jean A. |last4=Van Horn |first4=Linda V. |last5=Feig |first5=Daniel I. |last6=Anderson |first6=Cheryl A.M. |last7=Patel |first7=Mahesh J. |last8=Cruz Munos |first8=Jessica |last9=Krebs |first9=Nancy F. |last10=Xanthakos |first10=Stavra A. |last11=Johnson |first11=Rachel K. |date=22 August 2016 |title=Added Sugars and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children |journal=Circulation |volume=135 |issue=19 |pages=e1017–e1034 |doi=10.1161/CIR.0000000000000439 |pmc=5365373 |pmid=27550974}} Other recommendations include no extra sugars in those under two years old and less than one soft drink per week. As of 2017, decreasing total fat is no longer recommended, but instead, the recommendation to lower risk of cardiovascular disease is to increase consumption of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, while decreasing consumption of saturated fats.{{Cite journal |last1=Sacks |first1=Frank M. |last2=Lichtenstein |first2=Alice H. |last3=Wu |first3=Jason H.Y. |last4=Appel |first4=Lawrence J. |last5=Creager |first5=Mark A. |last6=Kris-Etherton |first6=Penny M. |last7=Miller |first7=Michael |last8=Rimm |first8=Eric B. |last9=Rudel |first9=Lawrence L. |last10=Robinson |first10=Jennifer G. |last11=Stone |first11=Neil J. |date=15 June 2017 |title=Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association |journal=Circulation |volume=136 |issue=3 |pages=e1–e23 |doi=10.1161/CIR.0000000000000510 |pmid=28620111 |last12=Van Horn |first12=Linda V.|s2cid=367602 |doi-access=free }}

The Nutrition Source of Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) makes the following dietary recommendations:{{Cite web |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/ |title=What Should I Eat? |website=The Nutrition Source |date=18 September 2012 |publisher=Harvard School of Public Health |access-date=8 August 2022}}

• Eat healthy fats: healthy fats are necessary and beneficial for health.{{cite web |title=Fats and Cholesterol |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/ |website=The Nutrition Source |publisher=The President and Fellows of Harvard College |access-date=8 August 2022 |language=en-us |date=18 September 2012}} HSPH "recommends the opposite of the low-fat message promoted for decades by the USDA" and "does not set a maximum on the percentage of calories people should get each day from healthy sources of fat." Healthy fats include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and fish. Foods containing trans fats are to be avoided, while foods high in saturated fats like red meat, butter, cheese, ice cream, coconut and palm oil negatively impact health and should be limited.{{cite web |title=Coconut Oil |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/coconut-oil/ |website=The Nutrition Source |publisher=The President and Fellows of Harvard College |access-date=8 August 2022 |language=en-us |date=24 July 2018}}
• Eat healthy protein: the majority of protein should come from plant sources when possible: lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains; avoid processed meats like bacon.{{cite web |title=Protein |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/ |website=The Nutrition Source |publisher=The President and Fellows of Harvard College |access-date=8 August 2022 |language=en-us |date=18 September 2012}}
• Eat mostly vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.
• Drink water. Consume sugary beverages, juices, and milk only in moderation. Artificially sweetened beverages contribute to weight gain because sweet drinks cause cravings. 100% fruit juice is high in calories. The ideal amount of milk and calcium is not known today.{{cite web |title=Drinks to Consume in Moderation |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/drinks-to-consume-in-moderation/ |website=The Nutrition Source |publisher=The President and Fellows of Harvard College |access-date=8 August 2022 |language=en-us |date=4 September 2013}}
• Pay attention to salt intake from commercially prepared foods: most of the dietary salt comes from processed foods, "not from salt added to cooking at home or even from salt added at the table before eating."{{cite web |title=Salt and Sodium |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-and-sodium/ |website=The Nutrition Source |publisher=The President and Fellows of Harvard College |access-date=8 August 2022 |language=en-us |date=18 July 2013}}
• Vitamins and minerals: must be obtained from food because they are not produced in our body. They are provided by a diet containing healthy fats, healthy protein, vegetables, fruit, milk and whole grains.{{cite web |title=Vitamins and Minerals |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamins/ |website=The Nutrition Source |publisher=The President and Fellows of Harvard College |access-date=8 August 2022 |language=en-us |date=18 September 2012}}
• Pay attention to the carbohydrates package: the type of carbohydrates in the diet is more important than the amount of carbohydrates. Good sources for carbohydrates are vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. Avoid sugared sodas, 100% fruit juice, artificially sweetened drinks, and other highly processed food.

Other than nutrition, the guide recommends staying active and maintaining a healthy body weight.

David L. Katz, who reviewed the most prevalent popular diets in 2014, noted:

The weight of evidence strongly supports a theme of healthful eating while allowing for variations on that theme. A diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention and is consistent with the salient components of seemingly distinct dietary approaches.

Efforts to improve public health through diet are forestalled not for want of knowledge about the optimal feeding of Homo sapiens but for distractions associated with exaggerated claims, and our failure to convert what we reliably know into what we routinely do. Knowledge in this case is not, as of yet, power; would that it were so.{{Cite journal |vauthors=Katz DL, Meller S |year=2014 |title=Can we say what diet is best for health? |journal=Annu Rev Public Health |volume=35 |pages=83–103 |doi=10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182351 |pmid=24641555 |doi-access=free}}

Marion Nestle expresses the mainstream view among scientists who study nutrition:{{Cite book |last=Fitzgerald M |url=https://archive.org/details/dietcultssurpris0000fitz |title=Diet Cults: The Surprising Fallacy at the Core of Nutrition Fads and a Guide to Healthy Eating for the Rest of US |publisher=Pegasus Books |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-60598-560-2 |url-access=registration}}{{rp|10}}

The basic principles of good diets are so simple that I can summarize them in just ten words: eat less, move more, eat lots of fruits and vegetables. For additional clarification, a five-word modifier helps: go easy on junk foods. Follow these precepts and you will go a long way toward preventing the major diseases of our overfed society—coronary heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, and a host of others.... These precepts constitute the bottom line of what seem to be the far more complicated dietary recommendations of many health organizations and national and international governments—the forty-one "key recommendations" of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, for example. ... Although you may feel as though advice about nutrition is constantly changing, the basic ideas behind my four precepts have not changed in half a century. And they leave plenty of room for enjoying the pleasures of food.{{Cite book |last=Nestle, Marion |url=https://archive.org/details/whattoeat00nest |title=What to Eat |publisher=North Point Press (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-86547-738-4 |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/whattoeat00nest/page/611 611] |url-access=registration}}{{rp|22}}

Historically, a healthy diet was defined as a diet comprising more than 55% of carbohydrates, less than 30% of fat and about 15% of proteins.{{Cite journal |last1=Matarese |first1=LE |last2=Pories |first2=WJ |date=December 2014 |title=Adult weight loss diets: metabolic effects and outcomes. |journal=Nutrition in Clinical Practice |type=Review |volume=29 |issue=6 |pages=759–67 |doi=10.1177/0884533614550251 |pmid=25293593}} This view is currently shifting towards a more comprehensive framing of dietary needs as a global need of various nutrients with complex interactions, instead of per nutrient type needs.{{Cite web |last=U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. |date=2017 |title=2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans - health.gov |url=https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/ |access-date=30 September 2019 |website=health.gov |publisher=USDA and HHS |type=National guideline}}

In 2022, the American Society for Preventive Cardiology defined a healthful dietary pattern as a diet consisting predominantly of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, plant protein and fatty fish with reduced consumption of saturated fat, salt and ultra-processed food.{{cite journal|author=Belardo D, Michos ED, Blankstein R, Blumenthal RS, Ferdinand KC, Hall K, Klatt K, Natajaran P, Ostfeld RJ, Reddy K, Rodriguez R, Sriram U, Tobias DK, Gulati M.|year=2022|title=Practical, Evidence-Based Approaches to Nutritional Modifications to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: An American Society For Preventive Cardiology Clinical Practice Statement|journal=Am J Prev Cardiol|volume=10|issue=|pages=100323|doi=10.1016/j.ajpc.2022.100323|pmid=35284849}} The National Heart Foundation of Australia's "Healthy Eating Principles" include plenty of fruit, vegetables and whole grains with a variety of protein sources such as fish and seafood, lean poultry with a restriction on red meat.{{Cite web|date=|title=Heart-healthy eating patterns|url=https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt8a393bb3b76c0ede/blt2a71566f83acc09c/Heart_Healthy_Eating_Patterns_Dietary_Position_Statement.pdf|website=Heart Foundation|language=en-GB|archive-date=March 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328205508/https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/getmedia/c6836ea5-a5fc-454c-a257-5988ec89f8d1/Nutrition_Position_Statement_-_HHEP_FINAL-3.pdf|url-status=live}}

A healthy diet in combination with being active can help those with diabetes keep their blood sugar in check.{{Cite web |title=Diabetes Diet, Eating, & Physical Activity - NIDDK |url=https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/diet-eating-physical-activity |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases |language=en-US}} The US CDC advises individuals with diabetes to plan for regular, balanced meals and to include more nonstarchy vegetables, reduce added sugars and refined grains, and focus on whole foods instead of highly processed foods.{{Cite web |last=CDC |date=2023-04-19 |title=Meal Planning |url=https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/eat-well/meal-plan-method.html |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |language=en-us}} Generally, people with diabetes and those at risk are encouraged to increase their fiber intake.{{Cite journal |display-authors=3|last1=Evert |first1=Alison B. |last2=Dennison |first2=Michelle |last3=Gardner |first3=Christopher D. |last4=Garvey |first4=W. Timothy |last5=Lau |first5=Ka Hei Karen |last6=MacLeod |first6=Janice |last7=Mitri |first7=Joanna |last8=Pereira |first8=Raquel F. |last9=Rawlings |first9=Kelly |last10=Robinson |first10=Shamera |last11=Saslow |first11=Laura |last12=Uelmen |first12=Sacha |last13=Urbanski |first13=Patricia B. |last14=Yancy |first14=William S. |date=May 2019 |title=Nutrition Therapy for Adults With Diabetes or Prediabetes: A Consensus Report |journal=Diabetes Care |volume=42 |issue=5 |pages=731–754 |doi=10.2337/dci19-0014 |issn=1935-5548 |pmc=7011201 |pmid=31000505}}

A low-sodium diet is beneficial for people with high blood pressure. A 2008 Cochrane review concluded that a long-term (more than four weeks) low-sodium diet lowers blood pressure, both in people with hypertension (high blood pressure) and in those with normal blood pressure.{{Cite journal |last1=He |first1=FJ |last2=MacGregor |first2=GA |year=2004 |editor-last=MacGregor |editor-first=Graham A |title=Effect of longer-term modest salt reduction on blood pressure |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |volume=1 |issue=3 |page=CD004937 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD004937 |pmid=15266549}}

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a diet promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the NIH, a United States government organization) to control hypertension. A major feature of the plan is limiting intake of sodium,{{Cite web |url=http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf |title=Your Guide To Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH |access-date=8 June 2009}} and the diet also generally encourages the consumption of nuts, whole grains, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables while lowering the consumption of red meats, sweets, and sugar. It is also "rich in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, as well as protein".

The Mediterranean diet, which includes limiting consumption of red meat and using olive oil in cooking, has also been shown to improve cardiovascular outcomes.{{Cite journal |vauthors=Walker C, Reamy BV |date=April 2009 |title=Diets for cardiovascular disease prevention: what is the evidence? |journal=Am Fam Physician |volume=79 |issue=7 |pages=571–7 |pmid=19378874}}

{{Further information|Dieting}}

It is estimated that more than 675 million adults are obese. Healthy diets in combination with physical exercise can be used by people who are overweight or obese to lose weight, although this approach is not by itself an effective long-term treatment for obesity and is primarily effective for only a short period (up to one year), after which some of the weight is typically regained.{{cite journal |last1=Thom |first1=G |last2=Lean |first2=M |title=Is There an Optimal Diet for Weight Management and Metabolic Health? |journal=Gastroenterology |date=May 2017 |volume=152 |issue=7 |pages=1739–1751 |doi=10.1053/j.gastro.2017.01.056 |pmid=28214525 |type=Review|url=http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/137779/7/137779.pdf }}{{cite book |publisher= US National Institutes of Health|title=Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2003/|date=1998 |location=Bethesda}} A meta-analysis found no difference between diet types (low-fat, low-carbohydrate, and low-calorie), with a {{convert|2–4|kg}} weight loss.{{Cite journal |last=Strychar I |date=January 2006 |title=Diet in the management of weight loss |journal=CMAJ |volume=174 |issue=1 |pages=56–63 |doi=10.1503/cmaj.045037 |pmc=1319349 |pmid=16389240}} This level of weight loss is by itself insufficient to move a person from an 'obese' body mass index (BMI) category to a 'normal' BMI.

{{Further information|Gluten-free diet}}

Gluten, a mixture of proteins found in wheat and related grains including barley, rye, oat, and all their species and hybrids (such as spelt, kamut, and triticale),{{Cite journal |last=Biesiekierski |first=JR |year=2017 |title=What is gluten? |journal=J Gastroenterol Hepatol |type=Review |volume=32 |issue=Suppl 1 |pages=78–81 |doi=10.1111/jgh.13703 |pmid=28244676 |quote=Similar proteins to the gliadin found in wheat exist as secalin in rye, hordein in barley, and avenins in oats and are collectively referred to as "gluten." Derivatives of these grains such as triticale and malt and other ancient wheat varieties such as spelt and kamut also contain gluten. The gluten found in all of these grains has been identified as the component capable of triggering the immune-mediated disorder, coeliac disease. |doi-access=free}}{{open access}} causes health problems for those with gluten-related disorders, including celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia, dermatitis herpetiformis, and wheat allergy.{{Cite journal |vauthors=Ludvigsson JF, Leffler DA, Bai JC, Biagi F, Fasano A, Green PH, Hadjivassiliou M, Kaukinen K, Kelly CP, Leonard JN, Lundin KE, Murray JA, Sanders DS, Walker MM, Zingone F, Ciacci C|display-authors=3|date=January 2013 |title=The Oslo definitions for coeliac disease and related terms |journal=Gut |volume=62 |issue=1 |pages=43–52 |doi=10.1136/gutjnl-2011-301346 |pmc=3440559 |pmid=22345659}} In these people, the gluten-free diet is the only available treatment.{{Cite journal |vauthors=Mulder CJ, van Wanrooij RL, Bakker SF, Wierdsma N, Bouma G |date=2013 |title=Gluten-free diet in gluten-related disorders |journal=Dig. Dis. |type=Review |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=57–62 |doi=10.1159/000347180 |pmid=23797124 |s2cid=14124370 |quote=The only treatment for CD, dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) and gluten ataxia is lifelong adherence to a GFD.}}{{Cite journal |vauthors=Hischenhuber C, Crevel R, Jarry B, Mäki M, Moneret-Vautrin DA, Romano A, Troncone R, Ward R |display-authors=3|date=1 March 2006 |title=Review article: safe amounts of gluten for patients with wheat allergy or coeliac disease |journal=Aliment Pharmacol Ther |volume=23 |issue=5 |pages=559–75 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2036.2006.02768.x |pmid=16480395 |s2cid=9970042 |quote=For both wheat allergy and coeliac disease the dietary avoidance of wheat and other gluten-containing cereals is the only effective treatment.|doi-access=free }}{{Cite journal |vauthors=Volta U, Caio G, De Giorgio R, Henriksen C, Skodje G, Lundin KE |date=June 2015 |title=Non-celiac gluten sensitivity: a work-in-progress entity in the spectrum of wheat-related disorders |journal=Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=477–91 |doi=10.1016/j.bpg.2015.04.006 |pmid=26060112 |quote=A recently proposed approach to NCGS diagnosis is an objective improvement of gastrointestinal symptoms and extra-intestinal manifestations assessed through a rating scale before and after GFD. Although a standardized symptom rating scale is not yet applied worldwide, a recent study indicated that a decrease of the global symptom score higher than 50% after GFD can be regarded as confirmatory of NCGS (Table 1) [53]. (…) After the confirmation of NCGS diagnosis, according to the previously mentioned work-up, patients are advized to start with a GFD [49].}}

{{Further information|Ketogenic diet}}

The ketogenic diet is a treatment to reduce epileptic seizures for adults and children when managed by a health care team.{{Cite web |url=https://www.eatright.org/health/weight-loss/fad-diets/what-is-the-ketogenic-diet |title=What is the Ketogenic Diet |date=April 2019 |website=www.eatright.org |publisher=Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics |access-date=28 October 2019 |archive-date=28 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428215913/https://www.eatright.org/health/weight-loss/fad-diets/what-is-the-ketogenic-diet |url-status=dead }}

{{Further information|Diet and cancer}}

Preliminary research indicated that a diet high in fruit and vegetables may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, but not cancer.{{Cite journal|display-authors=3 |last1=Wang |first1=X |last2=Ouyang |first2=Y |last3=Liu |first3=J |last4=Zhu |first4=M |last5=Zhao |first5=G |last6=Bao |first6=W |last7=Hu |first7=FB |date=29 July 2014 |title=Fruit and vegetable consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. |journal=BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) |volume=349 |pages=g4490 |doi=10.1136/bmj.g4490 |pmc=4115152 |pmid=25073782}} Eating a healthy diet and getting enough exercise can maintain body weight within the normal range and reduce the risk of obesity in most people.{{Cite journal|display-authors=3 |last1=Afshin |first1=A |last2=Forouzanfar |first2=MH |last3=Reitsma |first3=MB |last4=Sur |first4=P |last5=Estep |first5=K |last6=Lee |first6=A |last7=Marczak |first7=L |last8=Mokdad |first8=AH |last9=Moradi-Lakeh |first9=M |last10=Naghavi |first10=M |date=6 July 2017 |title=Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 Countries over 25 Years. |journal=The New England Journal of Medicine |volume=377 |issue=1 |pages=13–27 |doi=10.1056/NEJMoa1614362 |pmc=5477817 |pmid=28604169}} A 2021 scientific review of evidence on diets for lowering the risk of atherosclerosis found that:{{cite journal |last1=Riccardi |first1=Gabriele |last2=Giosuè |first2=Annalisa |last3=Calabrese |first3=Ilaria |last4=Vaccaro |first4=Olga |title=Dietary recommendations for prevention of atherosclerosis |journal=Cardiovascular Research |date=6 July 2021 |volume=118 |issue=5 |pages=1188–1204 |doi=10.1093/cvr/cvab173|pmid=34229346 |doi-access=free }}

low consumption of salt and foods of animal origin, and increased intake of plant-based foods—whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts—are linked with reduced atherosclerosis risk. The same applies for the replacement of butter and other animal/tropical fats with olive oil and other unsaturated-fat-rich oil. [...] With regard to meat, new evidence differentiates processed and red meat—both associated with increased CVD risk—from poultry, showing a neutral relationship with CVD for moderate intakes. [...] New data endorse the replacement of most high glycemic index (GI) foods with both whole grain and low GI cereal foods.

Scientific research is also investigating impacts of nutrition on health- and lifespans beyond any specific range of diseases.

{{Transcluded section|source=Life extension#Healthy diet |part= }}

{{#section-h:Life extension|Healthy diet}}

Moreover, not only do the components of diets matter but the total caloric content and eating patterns may also impact health – dietary restriction such as caloric restriction is considered to be potentially healthy to include in eating patterns in various ways in terms of health- and lifespan.{{cite journal |last1=Green |first1=Cara L. |last2=Lamming |first2=Dudley W. |last3=Fontana |first3=Luigi |title=Molecular mechanisms of dietary restriction promoting health and longevity |journal=Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology |date=13 September 2021 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=56–73 |doi=10.1038/s41580-021-00411-4 |pmid=34518687 |pmc=8692439 |s2cid=237505615 |language=en |issn=1471-0080}}{{cite journal|display-authors=3 |last1=Wilson |first1=Kenneth A. |last2=Chamoli |first2=Manish |last3=Hilsabeck |first3=Tyler A. |last4=Pandey |first4=Manish |last5=Bansal |first5=Sakshi |last6=Chawla |first6=Geetanjali |last7=Kapahi |first7=Pankaj |title=Evaluating the beneficial effects of dietary restrictions: A framework for precision nutrigeroscience |journal=Cell Metabolism |date=22 September 2021 |volume=33 |issue=11 |doi=10.1016/j.cmet.2021.08.018 |pages=2142–2173 |pmid=34555343 |pmc=8845500 |language=en |issn=1550-4131 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354822240}}

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that in 2023 40% of the world population, 2.8 billion couldn't afford a healthy diet. 35.5% of people in the world (2.83 billion) were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022, compared with 36.5% (2.88 billion) in 2021. Low-income countries having the largest percentage of the population that is unable to afford a healthy diet (71.5 percent) compared with lower-middle-income countries (52.6 percent), upper-middle-income countries (21.5 percent).{{Cite book |last1=FAO |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd1254en |title=The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 |last2=IFAD |last3=UNICEF |last4=WFP |last5=WHO |date=2024 |publisher=FAO; IFAD; UNICEF; WFP; WHO |isbn=978-92-5-138882-2 |language=English |doi=10.4060/cd1254en}}

File:SOFI2024 EN figure-9.svg

An unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases including: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, abnormal blood lipids, overweight/obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.{{Cite web |url=https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/background/en/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327040240/http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/background/en/ |archive-date=27 March 2014 |title=Diet and physical activity: a public health priority|publisher=World Health Organization|date=2021|access-date=25 March 2021}} Estimates indicate that, each year, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are responsible for 41 million deaths – almost two-thirds of all deaths globally. The World Health Organization has estimated that 2.7 million deaths each year are attributable to a diet low in fruit and vegetables during the 21st century.{{cite web|url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2003/pr84/en/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040825183329/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2003/pr84/en/|archive-date=25 August 2004|title=WHO and FAO announce global initiative to promote consumption of fruit and vegetables|date=2003|access-date=19 March 2021|publisher=World Health Organization}} At least 1.2 billion women are low of vitamins and minerals, which increases the risk of being exposed to chronic fatigue, low resistance to infections and birth defects in their offspring.  

Globally, such diets are estimated to cause about 19% of gastrointestinal cancer, 31% of ischaemic heart disease, and 11% of strokes, thus making it one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide,{{Cite journal |vauthors=Lopez AD, Mathers CD, Ezzati M, Jamison DT, Murray CJ |date=May 2006 |title=Global and regional burden of disease and risk factors, 2001: systematic analysis of population health data |journal=Lancet |volume=367 |issue=9524 |pages=1747–57 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68770-9 |pmid=16731270|s2cid=22609505 }} and the 4th leading risk factor for any disease.{{Cite journal |last1=Hebden |first1=L |last2=O'Leary |first2=F |last3=Rangan |first3=A |last4=Singgih Lie |first4=E |last5=Hirani |first5=V |last6=Allman-Farinelli |first6=M |date=13 August 2017 |title=Fruit consumption and adiposity status in adults: A systematic review of current evidence. |journal=Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition |volume=57 |issue=12 |pages=2526–2540 |doi=10.1080/10408398.2015.1012290 |pmid=26115001|s2cid=28000503 }} As an example, the Western pattern diet is "rich in red meat, dairy products, processed and artificially sweetened foods, and salt, with minimal intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes, and whole grains," contrasted by the Mediterranean diet which is associated with less morbidity and mortality.{{Cite journal |last1=Bloomfield |first1=HE |last2=Kane |first2=R |last3=Koeller |first3=E |last4=Greer |first4=N |last5=MacDonald |first5=R |last6=Wilt |first6=T |date=November 2015 |title=Benefits and Harms of the Mediterranean Diet Compared to Other Diets |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0089086/pdf/PubMedHealth_PMH0089086.pdf |journal=VA Evidence-based Synthesis Program Reports |pmid=27559560}}

Dietary patterns that lead to non-communicable diseases generate productivity losses. A true cost accounting (TCA) assessment on the hidden impacts of agrifood systems estimated that unhealthy dietary patterns generate more than USD 9 trillion in health-related hidden costs in 2020, which is 73 percent of the total quantified hidden costs of global agrifood systems (USD 12.7 trillion). Globally, the average productivity losses per person from dietary intake is equivalent to 7 percent of GDP purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2020; low-income countries report the lowest value (4 percent), while other income categories report 7 percent or higher.{{Cite report |url=http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cc7937en |title=In Brief to The State of Food and Agriculture 2023 |date=2023-11-06 |publisher=FAO |doi=10.4060/cc7937en |language=en|url-access=subscription }}

{{Further information|Fad diet}}

Some publicized diets, often referred to as fad diets, make exaggerated claims of fast weight loss or other health advantages, such as longer life or detoxification without clinical evidence; many fad diets are based on highly restrictive or unusual food choices.{{Cite book |last=Hart |first=Katherine |title=Advanced nutrition and dietetics in obesity |date=2018 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0-470-67076-7 |editor-last=Hankey |editor-first=Catherine |pages=177–182 |language=en |chapter=4.6 Fad diets and fasting for weight loss in obesity. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VwBBDwAAQBAJ}}{{Cite book |last=Hankey |first=Catherine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ky5ADwAAQBAJ |title=Advanced Nutrition and Dietetics in Obesity |date=23 November 2017 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-85797-7 |pages=179–181 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=William F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vH1EAgAAQBAJ |title=Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience: From Alien Abductions to Zone Therapy |date=2 December 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-95522-9 |pages=107–108 |language=en}} Celebrity endorsements (including celebrity doctors) are frequently associated with such diets, and the individuals who develop and promote these programs often profit considerably.{{rp|11–12}}Tina Gianoulis, "Dieting" in the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture Ed. Thomas Riggs. Vol. 2. 2nd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 2013. p106-108. {{ISBN|978-1-55862-847-2}}

File:Most of the people unable to afford a healthy diet in 2021 lived in southern Asia, and in eastern and western Africa.svg

Consumers are generally aware of the elements of a healthy diet, but find nutrition labels and diet advice in popular media confusing.{{Cite journal |last1=de Ridder |first1=D |last2=Kroese |first2=F |last3=Evers |first3=C |last4=Adriaanse |first4=M |last5=Gillebaart |first5=M |date=August 2017 |title=Healthy diet: Health impact, prevalence, correlates, and interventions. |journal=Psychology & Health |volume=32 |issue=8 |pages=907–941 |doi=10.1080/08870446.2017.1316849 |pmid=28447854 |doi-access=free |hdl=1874/356507|hdl-access=free }}

Vending machines are criticized for being avenues of entry into schools for junk food promoters, but there is little in the way of regulation and it is difficult for most people to properly analyze the real merits of a company referring to itself as "healthy." The Committee of Advertising Practice in the United Kingdom launched a proposal to limit media advertising for food and soft drink products high in fat, salt, or sugar.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cap.org.uk/News-reports/Media-Centre/2016/Launch-of-public-consultation-on-new-food-ad-rules.aspx |title=Launch of public consultation on new food ad rules |date=2016 |website=Committee of Advertising Practice |access-date=16 August 2016 |archive-date=19 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919214554/https://www.cap.org.uk/News-reports/Media-Centre/2016/Launch-of-public-consultation-on-new-food-ad-rules.aspx }} The British Heart Foundation released its own government-funded advertisements, labeled "Food4Thought", which were targeted at children and adults to discourage unhealthy habits of consuming junk food.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bcs.com/pages/news_full.asp?NewsID=17678356 |title=British Heart Foundation launches Food4Thought campaign |date=22 September 2006 |publisher=British Cardiovascular Society |access-date=16 August 2016}}

From a psychological and cultural perspective, a healthier diet may be difficult to achieve for people with poor eating habits.[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/health/policy/25vegetables.html "Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries"] article by Kim Severson in The New York Times 24 September 2010, accessed 25 September 2010 This may be due to tastes acquired in childhood and preferences for sugary, salty, and fatty foods.{{Cite journal |last=James WP |year=2008 |title=The fundamental drivers of the obesity epidemic |journal=Obesity Research |volume=9 Suppl 1 |issue=Mar;9 Suppl 1:6–13 |pages=6–13 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-789X.2007.00432.x |pmid=18307693|s2cid=19894128 }} In 2018, the UK chief medical officer recommended that sugar and salt be taxed to discourage consumption.{{Cite news |last=Sarah Boseley |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/21/chief-medic-calls-for-food-taxes-to-cut-salt-and-sugar-intake |title=Chief medic calls for food taxes to cut salt and sugar intake |date=21 December 2018 |work=The Guardian |access-date=21 December 2018}} The UK government 2020 Obesity Strategy encourages healthier choices by restricting point-of-sale promotions of less-healthy foods and drinks.{{Cite journal|last1=Jenneson|first1=V.|last2=Greenwood|first2=D.|last3=Clarke|first3=G.|last4=Hancock|first4=N.|last5=Cade|first5=J.|last6=Morris|first6=M.|date=27 October 2020|title=Restricting Retail Food Promotions: implementation challenges could limit policy success|url=http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/167285/|access-date=27 October 2020|website=eprints.whiterose.ac.uk|language=en|doi=10.5518/100/52}}

The effectiveness of population-level health interventions has included food pricing strategies, mass media campaigns and worksite wellness programs.{{Cite journal|display-authors=3 |last1=Afshin |first1=Ashkan |last2=Sur |first2=Patrick John |last3=Fay |first3=Kairsten A. |last4=Cornaby |first4=Leslie |last5=Ferrara |first5=Giannina |last6=Salama |first6=Joseph S |last7=Mullany |first7=Erin C |last8=Abate |first8=Kalkidan Hassen |last9=Abbafati |first9=Cristiana |last10=Abebe |first10=Zegeye |last11=Afarideh |first11=Mohsen |last12=Aggarwal |first12=Anju |last13=Agrawal |first13=Sutapa |last14=Akinyemiju |first14=Tomi |last15=Alahdab |first15=Fares |date=2019-05-11 |title=Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 |journal=The Lancet |language=en |volume=393 |issue=10184 |pages=1958–1972 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30041-8 |pmid=30954305 |pmc=6899507 |issn=0140-6736}} One peso per liter of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) price intervention implemented in Mexico produced a 12% reduction in SSB purchasing.{{Cite journal |last1=Afshin |first1=Ashkan |last2=Penalvo |first2=Jose |last3=Del Gobbo |first3=Liana |last4=Kashaf |first4=Michael |last5=Micha |first5=Renata |last6=Morrish |first6=Kurtis |last7=Pearson-Stuttard |first7=Jonathan |last8=Rehm |first8=Colin |last9=Shangguan |first9=Siyi |last10=Smith |first10=Jessica D. |last11=Mozaffarian |first11=Dariush|display-authors=3 |date=2015-09-14 |title=CVD Prevention Through Policy: a Review of Mass Media, Food/Menu Labeling, Taxation/Subsidies, Built Environment, School Procurement, Worksite Wellness, and Marketing Standards to Improve Diet |journal=Current Cardiology Reports |language=en |volume=17 |issue=11 |page=98 |doi=10.1007/s11886-015-0658-9 |issn=1534-3170 |pmc=4569662 |pmid=26370554}} Mass media campaigns in Pakistan and the USA aimed at increasing vegetable and fruit consumption found positive changes in dietary behavior. Reviews of the effectiveness of worksite wellness interventions found evidence linking the programs to weight loss and increased fruit and vegetable consumption.{{Cite journal |last1=Gudzune |first1=Kimberly |last2=Hutfless |first2=Susan |last3=Maruthur |first3=Nisa |last4=Wilson |first4=Renee |last5=Segal |first5=Jodi |date=2013-10-01 |title=Strategies to prevent weight gain in workplace and college settings: A systematic review |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S009174351300073X |journal=Preventive Medicine |language=en |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=268–277 |doi=10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.03.004 |pmid=23523689 |issn=0091-7435|url-access=subscription }}

Animals that are kept by humans also benefit from a healthy diet, but the requirements of such diets may be very different from the ideal human diet.{{Cite web |url=https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/diet |title=Heathlthy and Balanced Diet for Dogs |date=2017 |publisher=RSPCA |access-date=8 December 2017}}

{{Portal|Food}}

• Commercial determinants of health
• Health food trends
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• Nutritionism
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• Planetary Health Diet
• Plant-based diet
• Table of food nutrients

{{Free-content attribution

| title = The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024

| author = FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO

| publisher = FAO

| documentURL = https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd1254en

| license = CC BY 4.0

}}

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite web |title=What Do We Know About Healthy Aging? |date=23 February 2022 |url=https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-do-we-know-about-healthy-aging |publisher=National Institute on Aging |access-date=1 June 2022 |language=en}}

}}

• [https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet WHO fact sheet on healthy diet]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060827024356/http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/dietnutrition_and_chronicdiseases/en/ Diet, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases], by a Joint WHO/FAO Expert consultation (2003)
• {{cite web |editor1-last=Hu |editor1-first=Frank |editor2-last=Cheung |editor2-first=Lilian |editor3-last=Otis |editor3-first=Brett |editor4-last=Oliveira |editor4-first=Nancy |editor5-last=Musicus |editor5-first=Aviva |date=19 January 2021 |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2021/01/19/healthy-living-guide-2020-2021/ |url-status=live |title=The Nutrition Source – Healthy Living Guide 2020/2021: A Digest on Healthy Eating and Healthy Living |website=www.hsph.harvard.edu |location=Boston |publisher=Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005072821/https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2021/01/19/healthy-living-guide-2020-2021/ |archive-date=5 October 2021 |access-date=11 October 2021}}

{{Diets|state=expanded}}

{{Public health}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Healthy Diet}}

Category:Dietetics

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