Healthy Eating Quiz

Overview of a Healthy Diet

• A healthy diet is one that maintains or improves overall health by providing the body with essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins, fiber, and food energy.
• A healthy diet should include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and may include little to no processed food or sweetened beverages.
• Nutrition guides are published by medical and governmental institutions to educate individuals on what they should be eating to be healthy.
• The World Health Organization recommends increasing the intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains, and reducing salt, sugar, and saturated and trans fats.
• The United States Department of Agriculture recommends three healthy patterns of diet: the Healthy U.S.-style Pattern, the Healthy Vegetarian Pattern, and the Healthy Mediterranean-style Pattern.
• The American Heart Association, World Cancer Research Fund, and American Institute for Cancer Research recommend a diet that consists mostly of unprocessed plant foods.
• The Nutrition Source of Harvard School of Public Health recommends a diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins.
• Some specific diets have been developed to promote better health in specific population groups, such as people with high blood pressure or those who are overweight or obese.
• An unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cancer.
• Some publicized diets, often referred to as fad diets, make exaggerated claims of fast weight loss or other health advantages without clinical evidence.
• Consumers find nutrition labels and diet advice in popular media confusing.
• Animals that are kept by humans also benefit from a healthy diet, but the requirements of such diets may be very different from the ideal human diet.