Macro partitioning
A healthy diet promoting optimal growth and preventing malnutrition requires shifting away from many animal foods toward plant foods, limiting free sugars to <10% of energy (ideally <5%), limiting saturated fats to <10% and trans fats to <1%, and restricting sodium to <2g/day (5g salt).
To eat a healthy diet, prioritize plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Limit free sugars to less than 10% of your daily calories (ideally under 5%), keep saturated fats under 10%, and avoid trans fats entirely. Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats found in fish, nuts, and plant oils. Limit salt intake to less than 5 grams (one teaspoon) per day.
World Health Organization dietary recommendations are global reference points for preventing undernutrition and reducing NCD risks; they emphasize increasing intakes of fruits, vegetables (excepting starchy root vegetables), legumes, nuts, and whole grains; limiting energy intake from free sugars and total fats; consuming unsaturated rather than saturated or trans fats; and limiting salt intake.
Why this rating
Based on systematic reviews of RCTs and large-scale epidemiological data (GBD) with high-quality evidence for LDL-lowering and cardiovascular risk reduction.
Source
Approaches to Defining Healthy Diets: A Background Paper for the International Expert Consultation on Sustainable Healthy Diets
Shiriki Kumanyika et al. · Food and Nutrition Bulletin · 2020
DOI 10.1177/0379572120973111
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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