A healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition in all it’s forms,as well as non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including diabetes ,heart disease,stroke and cancer.
Unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are leading global rises to health. Increased production of processed foods rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles have led to a shift in dietary patterns.People are now consuming more foods high in energy,fats ,free sugars and salt / sodimu and many people do not eat enough fruit, vegetables and other dietry fibre such as whole grains .
Healthy diet for adults include;
*Fruits , vegetables, legumes (e.g lentils and beans )nuts and whole grain (e.g unprocessed maize ,millet ,oats wheat and brown rice ).
*At least 400g (i.e five portion)of fruits and vegetables per day (2), excluding potatoes,sweet potatoes, cassava and other stachy foods.
Healthy diet for infant and young children include;
*In the first 2 years of child’s life , optimal nutrition Foster healthy growth and improves cognitive development.It also reduces the risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing NCD ,later in life
1.Infant should be breastfeed exclusively during the first 6 months of life .
2.Infants should be breastfeed continuously until 2 years of age and beyond.
3.From 6 months of age ,breast milk should be complemented with a variety of adequate ,safe and nutrient dense foods .Salts and sugars should not be added to complementary foods.
