Nutrition is a critical part of health and development. Better nutrition is related to improved infant, child and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, lower risk of non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and longevity. Healthy children learn better.
Why is nutrition important?
A healthy diet throughout life promotes healthy pregnancy outcomes, supports normal growth, development and ageing, helps to maintain a healthy body weight, and reduces the risk of chronic disease leading to overall health and well-being.
Benefits of healthy eating
A diversified, balanced and healthy diet will vary depending on:
age
gender
lifestyle
degree of physical activity
cultural context
locally available foods
dietary and food customs.
The basic principles of what constitute a healthy diet remain the same.
Healthy food starts with a healthy diet in pregnancy (external site), continues with breastmilk for babies (external site) and is important for children and teenagers (external site) and adults (external site) and with ageing.
People who regularly eat:
more foods high in energy, fats, free sugars or salt/sodium and
do not eat enough fruit, vegetables and foods with whole grains
are more likely to develop chronic diseases (external site) like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
What Is Nutrition and Why Does it Matter?
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