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Diet choices

Dietary guidelines in your country provide advice on how to make sure you get enough nutrients to be healthy and prevent chronic disease. FAO supports countries in the development, updating and implementation of these dietary guidelines, which are also used to develop nutrition policies and education programmes.

Eat plenty of fresh, ripe and seasonal vegetables and fruits daily and add more legumes, nuts and whole grains to your diet. Legumes and nuts are great sources of plant-based protein. What’s more, legumes can be cheaper than animal proteins. They’re also kinder on our planet.

Cut back on industrially processed foods and drinks high in saturated fats, sugar, and/or salt, and try not to eat excessive amounts of meat and other animal-sourced products.

Whenever you can, try to switch “white” refined foods for their brown and much more nutritious equivalents (brown rice, wholemeal flour and bread etc.).

While unsaturated fats (found in fish, nuts, and in sunflower, soybean, canola and olive oils) are part of a healthy diet, you need to watch your intake of industrially-produced trans-fats found in fried foods, among others. Saturated fats should also be limited (found in fatty meat, butter etc.).

Planet choices

Consider the environmental impact of the foods we eat, for example, some foods require more natural resources such as water to produce them. Try also to avoid buying foods that has excessive amounts of packaging.

Diversify your diet by adding traditional, locally grown and seasonal foods, in an effort to support biodiversity. Learn about their nutritional values and look up some recipes to cook meals using these ingredients.

Fish is an indispensable source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (generally not found in staple foods). Convince friends and family to eat fish species that are more abundant, rather than those at risk of being overfished. You can also buy fish that has been caught or farmed sustainably, such as eco-labeled or certified fish.

Storing your food properly can help to keep it fresh, safe and save precious nutrients. When you stock up the cupboards or fridge, move older products to the front and new ones to the back. Use air-tight containers to keep food fresh in the fridge and close packets to prevent them from spoiling.

Life choices

Many of us don’t prepare meals at home due to busy lifestyles and we rely increasingly on street food vendors, supermarkets, fast food outlets, or take-away food. Eating in company is important for your health and that of your children. Researchers have linked this with lower rates of obesity and eating disorders in youth.

Understanding labels can help you choose a healthy diet. Labels provide information on energy (usually calories), salt, sugar and fat etc. and help us to determine how nutritious a product is. They also tell us whether it’s safe to eat or not. Food may still be safe to eat after the “best before” date, it’s the “use by” date that tells you when it’s no longer safe.

Be a critical consumer and don’t let packaging sway you: pay attention to the nutritious value of food, not what it or the packaging looks like. Some common words like ‘zero’, ‘low in’ and ‘light’ are often used to make food sound healthier, but it isn’t always true…

Adults should dedicate at least 2.5 hours to physical activity each week, be it during leisure time, sports, commuting to work, or other physical activity you carry out, at work or at home. Children and youth should dedicate at least 60 minutes to physical activity each day, through play, sports, commuting or physical education.

Talk to your employers about ensuring there are healthier meal choices in vending machines at work or even in a cafeteria, if your workplace has one. Encourage local officials to make sure there are healthier choices available in child-care centres, schools and youth clubs.

Food connects us all. Help people re-connect with food for a #ZeroHunger lifestyle and what it stands for by sharing your knowledge and passion with those around you: your family, friends and colleagues. For example, learn to cook or swap recipes, grow your own food, participate in a community garden, or organize dinners with friends.

Everyone can play their part

Countries, decision makers and private businesses can also take action to promote healthy diets and achieve #ZeroHunger.

See actions

The women and men who work in agriculture play a vital role in providing nutritious, affordable food. Their knowledge and traditional practices are vital in a world where food production faces challenges such as climate change and limited natural resources. These actions are a starting point for farmers and agribusinesses who want to make healthy diets available and build a #ZeroHunger world.

See actions

Given the significant amount of money spent on health problems related to malnutrition, strategies and policies to ensure the availability and affordability of healthy diets make good business sense for countries and their governments. Here is a series of actions public entities can carry out now to help achieve healthy diets and #ZeroHunger.

See actions

Companies and private enterprises needs to positively influence the food environment to help provide affordable healthy diets and achieve #ZeroHunger. Whether you’re a food manufacturer, financial institution, media house or provide food to staff, you can make a difference, regardless of the size of your business – start with these actions.

Diet choices

Planet choices

Life choices

Everyone can play their part

Farmers and Agribusinesses

Governments and Institutions

Private businesses

FAO Departments and Offices