Repeated but true: healthy eating is the key to better health

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a healthy and varied diet as one that allows a person to protect themselves from malnutrition in all its forms, as well as non-communicable diseases. The basic principles that must accompany a healthy diet, among others, are the consumption of at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day; the consumption of white, over red, meats; sugar consumption less than 10% of daily caloric intake; a salt intake of less than 5 grams per day, among others1. The term “healthy eating” is known by the population, however, the imbalance observed today in our diet, is a reflection of the main problems in health. On a macro scale, excess food, expressed in the consumption of foods and preparations of high energy density, is reflected in more than 67% of the Chilean population that is overweight or obese, in 26.9% that is hypertensive and in 9.4% of the diabetic population. These figures provide evidence that knowledge of healthy eating is lacking or simply that knowledge is not correctly put into practice.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a healthy and varied diet as one that allows a person to protect themselves from malnutrition in all its forms, as well as non-communicable diseases. The basic principles that must accompany a healthy diet, among others, are the consumption of at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day; the consumption of white, over red, meats; sugar consumption less than 10% of daily caloric intake; a salt intake of less than 5 grams per day, among others1. The term “healthy eating” is known by the population, however, the imbalance observed today in our diet, is a reflection of the main problems in health. On a macro scale, excess food, expressed in the consumption of foods and preparations of high energy density, is reflected in more than 67% of the Chilean population that is overweight or obese, in 26.9% that is hypertensive and in 9.4% of the diabetic population. These figures provide evidence that knowledge of healthy eating is lacking or simply that knowledge is not correctly put into practice.