WHO recommends you eat a healthy diet throughout your life to help prevent all forms of malnutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight, inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight, obesity), as well as a range of diet-related noncommunicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers), and lower your risk of infectious diseases. But the increased consumption of processed food, rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles have led to a shift in dietary patterns. People are now consuming more foods high in energy, fats and free sugars or salt/sodium, and many do not eat enough fibre-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
So to be healthier with a stronger immune system, you should eat enough fibre-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains, limit fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats, eliminate industrially-produced trans fats, limit daily salt intake to less than 5 grams per day and limit intake of free or added sugars.
Limit fat intake
Reduce the amount of total fat intake to less than 30% of total energy intake to help prevent unhealthy weight gain. Lower your risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers) by: reducing saturated fats (found in fatty meat, butter, coconut oil, cream, cheese, ghee and lard) to less than 10% of total energy intake; reducing total trans fats (found in processed food, fast food, snack food, fried food, frozen pizza, pies, cookies, margarines and spreads) to less than 1% of total energy intake; and replacing both with unsaturated fats (found in fish, avocado, nuts, olive oil, soy, canola, sunflower and corn oils).
You can reduce fat intake by:
changing how you cook – remove the fatty part of meat, use vegetable oil (not animal oil), and boil, steam or bake rather than fry
avoiding processed foods containing trans fats
limiting the consumption of foods containing high amounts of saturated fats.
Limit salt intake
Reduce your salt consumption to the recommended level of less than 5 g per day. Most people consume too much sodium through salt (corresponding to an average of 9–12 g of salt per day) and not enough potassium. High salt consumption and insufficient potassium intake (less than 3.5 g) contribute to high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
People are often unaware of the amount of salt they consume. In many countries, most salt comes from processed foods (e.g. ready meals; processed meats like bacon, ham and salami; cheese and salty snacks) or from food consumed frequently in large amounts (e.g. bread). Salt is also added to food during cooking (e.g. bouillon, stock cubes, soy sauce and fish sauce) or at the table (e.g. table salt).
You can reduce salt consumption by:
not adding salt, soy sauce or fish sauce during the preparation of food
not having salt on the table
limiting the consumption of salty snacks
checking food labels and choosing products with lower sodium content
consuming fresh fruits and vegetables to increase potassium, which can mitigate the negative effects of elevated sodium consumption on blood pressure.
Limit sugar intake
Reduce your intake of free sugars throughout the lifecourse. Free sugars are all sugars added to foods or drinks (e.g. glucose, galactose, fructose, sucrose or table sugar) by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, as well as sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.
Adults and children: reduce intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake. A reduction to less than 5% of total energy intake provides additional health benefits, so reduce intake of free sugars further. Consuming free sugars increases the risk of dental caries (tooth decay). Excess calories from foods and drinks high in free sugars also contribute to unhealthy weight gain, which can lead to overweight and obesity.
You can reduce your sugar intake by:
limiting the consumption of foods and drinks containing high amounts of sugars (e.g. sugar-sweetened beverages, sugary snacks and candies)
eating fresh fruits and raw vegetables as snacks instead of sugary snacks.
Related links
Malnutrition in all its forms
Policy statement and recommended actions for lowering sugar intake and reducing prevalence of type 2 diabetes and obesity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Policy statement and recommended actions for reducing fat intake and lowering heart attack rates in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Policy statement and recommended actions to lower national salt intake and death rates from high blood pressure and stroke in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
FAQs
So to be healthier with a stronger immune system, you should eat enough fibre-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains, limit fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats, eliminate industrially-produced trans fats, limit daily salt intake to less than 5 grams per day and limit intake of free or added ...
What is the daily intake of fat sugar and salt? ›
Nutritional value and functions:
| Substance | Suggested daily intake |
|---|
| Fat/Oil | Intake of such should take up 15-30% of total energy intake * Oil for cooking should not exceed 25-30 g (6-7 teaspoons) per day # |
| Salt (sodium) | Preferably less than 2 000 mg* (slightly less than 1 level teaspoon of salt or 2 tablespoons of soy sauce) |
1 more rowNov 14, 2023
WHO sugar recommendations: max. 5 to 10 teaspoons of free sugar per day. To reduce the risk of unhealthy weight gain and tooth decay, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to below 10 energy percent at all stages of life.
What happens when you eat too much sugar fat and salt? ›
Eating too much sodium, sugar, and fatty food increases risk of cardiovascular disease and other health problems.
Who recommended a balanced diet? ›
Eat fruits, vegetables, legumes (e.g. lentils, beans), nuts and whole grains (e.g. unprocessed maize, millet, oats, wheat, brown rice) every day. The recommended daily intake for an adult includes: 2 cups of fruit (4 servings), 2.5 cups of vegetables (5 servings), 180 g of grains, and 160 g of meat and beans.
How much fat and sugar should I eat a day? ›
Total fat: less than 70g. Saturates: less than 20g. Carbohydrate: at least 260g. Total sugars: 90g.
What foods remove sugar from your body? ›
We look at these foods below.
- Legumes. Studies have shown that protein-rich legumes can help reduce your blood sugar response to meals you eat later in the day. ...
- Nuts and nut butters. Like legumes, nuts are rich in protein. ...
- Vegetables. Vegetables are a great source of fiber. ...
- Seeds. ...
- Whole fruits. ...
- Whole grains.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 recommends that: People age 2 years or older limit added sugars intake to less than 10% of their total daily calories. That means: For a 2,000 calorie diet, no more than 200 calories should come from added sugars.
How much sugar is safe per day? ›
Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 sugar cubes). Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 sugar cubes). Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day (5 sugar cubes).
What is the FDA recommended sugar intake? ›
The Daily Value for added sugars is 50 grams per day based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet.
How To Flush Out Salts And Debloat Naturally
- Drink Water: Kidneys play a vital role in flushing out toxins. ...
- Consume Water-Rich Foods: Eating vegetables and fruits with a lot of water content also helps. ...
- High Potassium Foods: ...
- Break A Sweat: ...
- Go For Walks:
Despite the link between sodium and blood pressure, the journal Open Heart published a review that proposes added sugar may be more strongly and directly associated with high blood pressure and overall cardiovascular risk.
What is worse between fat and sugar? ›
A large body of research showed that sugar is even worse for your heart than saturated (bad) fat. Guidelines now suggest Americans limit added sugar to roughly 10 percent of daily calories, or about 12 teaspoons per day.
Does honey count as free sugar? ›
Free sugar is what we call any sugar added to a food or drink. Or the sugar that is already in honey, syrup and fruit juice. These are free because they're not inside the cells of the food we eat.
What is the healthiest diet for humans? ›
The literature and meta-analyses point to an optimal diet for humans that has followed our species from the beginnings of humankind. The optimal diet is a whole food, high fiber, low-fat, 90+% plant-based diet.
What is best to eat for breakfast? ›
The best choices to fill you up and boost your overall health are high in fiber, protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Many nutritious foods and drinks are easy to prepare in the morning. These include whole grain toast, eggs, green tea, coffee, and protein shakes.
What is the daily intake of sugar and salt? ›
Lipp: The new guidelines say Americans should get no more than 10 percent of their calories from added sugar or from saturated or trans fats. They also suggest no more than 2,300 mg a day of sodium. Health Matters: What is meant by added sugar, saturated fat or sodium?
How much fat per day? ›
So if you're following a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, your target range for total fat is 44 to 78 grams a day. Of that, saturated fat should make up no more than 22 grams. To monitor the fat in your diet, simply add up the fat grams from the foods you ate during the day.
How many extras solid fats and sugars should you be eating daily? ›
Know your limits on oils (fats) and sugars:
Limit saturated fat to 27 grams a day. Limit added sugars to 60 grams a day. Limit the extras (solid fats and sugars, also called "empty calories") to 350 calories a day.
How many grams of salt fat per day? ›
Daily salt intake
Adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day (around 1 level teaspoon). This includes the salt that's already in our food and the salt added during and after cooking.
