12 Steps to Healthy Eating

According to the World Health Organisation, maintaining healthy eating habits can be achieved through following these 12 simple guidelines:

1. Eat a nutritious diet based on a variety of foods originating mainly from plants, rather than animals.

2. Eat bread, grains, pasta, rice or potatoes several times per day.

3. Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits, preferably fresh and local, several times per day (at least 400 g per day).

4. Maintain body weight between the recommended limits (a BMI of 18.5-25) by taking moderate levels of physical activity, preferably daily.

5. Control fat intake (not more than 30% of daily energy) and replace most saturated fats with unsaturated vegetable oils and margarines.

6. Replace fatty meat and meat products with beans, legumes, lentils, fish, poultry or lean meat.

7. Use milk and dairy products that are low in both fat and salt.

8. Select foods that are low in sugar, and eat refined sugar sparingly, limiting the frequency of sugary drinks and sweets.

9. Choose a low-salt diet. Total salt intake should not be more than one teaspoon (6 g) per day, including the salt contained in various processed foods

10. If alcohol is consumed, limit intake to no more than 2 standard drinks per day.

11. Prepare food in a safe and hygienic way. Steam, bake, boil or microwave to help reduce the amount of added fat.

12. Promote exclusive breastfeeding and the introduction of safe and adequate complementary foods from the age of about 6 months, but not before 4 months, while breastfeeding continues during the first years of life

Source: Countrywide integrated noncommunicable disease intervention (CINDI) and WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2000