Healthy Diet and Disease Prevention: WHO Recommendations 2026

WHO identifies adequacy, balance, moderation and diversity as the foundations of healthy nutrition.

Adequacy means meeting the body's nutritional needs without unnecessary excess. Balance involves matching energy intake with energy expenditure and maintaining appropriate proportions of carbohydrates, fats and protein.

Moderation means limiting foods and nutrients that may adversely affect health. Diversity helps ensure sufficient intake of essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

These principles apply across different dietary traditions. No single dietary pattern is necessary for everyone.

For most people, WHO indicates that carbohydrates may provide approximately 45–75% of daily energy intake, preferably from whole grains, vegetables, fruits and pulses.

For everyone older than 10 years, WHO recommends:

At least 400 grams of vegetables and fruits daily.

At least 25 grams of naturally occurring dietary fibre daily.

Whole grains, beans, lentils, vegetables and fruits provide important nutrients and fibre.

Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables and fruits can all contribute to a healthy diet, provided they do not contain added sugars or excessive sodium.

Fruit juices, including those without added sugar, often contain substantial amounts of free sugars and should be limited.

WHO recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of total daily energy intake. Reducing intake to 5% or less may provide additional health benefits.

For a person consuming approximately 2,000 calories daily, the 10% threshold corresponds to about 50 grams of free sugars.

Free sugars include sugars added during food preparation or manufacturing, as well as sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices.

WHO advises reducing free sugar intake without relying on non-sugar sweeteners, including aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and stevia derivatives.

The recommendation emphasizes improving overall dietary quality rather than simply replacing sugar with sweeteners.

Dietary fat is essential for normal cellular function and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

WHO indicates that adults should obtain at least 15% of daily energy from fat. Limiting total fat intake to 30% or less may help prevent unhealthy weight gain at the population level, although higher intakes may be appropriate in certain circumstances.

WHO recommends:

Saturated fat: no more than 10% of daily energy.

Trans fat: no more than 1% of daily energy.

Preference for unsaturated fats over saturated and trans fats.

Unsaturated fats are found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados and fish.

Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats, or with fibre-rich carbohydrate sources, can improve dietary quality.

Industrially produced trans fats should be avoided.

WHO indicates that protein providing approximately 10–15% of daily energy intake is generally sufficient for adults.

For a person consuming 2,000 calories daily, this corresponds to approximately 50–75 grams of protein.

Higher protein intake may be appropriate for athletes and people actively building or maintaining substantial muscle mass.

Protein can come from both plant and animal sources. Its nutritional quality and digestibility should also be considered.

For many adults, replacing some red meat with plant-based protein sources may provide health benefits.

However, protein requirements should not be interpreted solely through population averages. Older adults, particularly those with reduced muscle mass or increased nutritional needs, may require individualized assessment.

WHO recommends limiting salt intake in adults to less than 5 grams daily, equivalent to approximately 2 grams of sodium.

Excess sodium intake contributes to elevated blood pressure and increases cardiovascular risk.

WHO also indicates that potassium intake of at least 3,510 milligrams daily may provide health benefits for adults.

Vegetables, fruits and other nutrient-rich foods are important sources of potassium.

Lower-sodium salt substitutes, which replace part of sodium chloride with potassium chloride, may help reduce sodium intake in suitable populations.

However, these products are not appropriate for everyone. WHO recommends their use in settings where health systems can promptly identify and manage kidney disease and related risks of elevated blood potassium.

WHO emphasizes that healthy nutrition requires sufficient micronutrients, including iron, iodine, zinc, calcium, folate and essential vitamins.

Micronutrient deficiencies remain widespread globally and can contribute to anaemia, impaired development and other health problems.

A varied diet containing nutrient-dense foods helps reduce the risk of deficiencies.

In populations with a high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, WHO supports appropriate food fortification programmes.

Food safety is equally important. Healthy diets must be free from harmful microbial and chemical contamination.

WHO emphasizes that nutrition during pregnancy, infancy and childhood influences health throughout life.

Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended during the first six months, followed by continued breastfeeding alongside appropriate complementary feeding until two years of age or beyond.

A varied diet during childhood supports growth, cognitive development and nutritional adequacy.

Dietary habits established early in life often continue into adulthood, making childhood nutrition an important component of long-term disease prevention.

WHO recognizes that dietary patterns are influenced by income, food prices, availability, education, cultural traditions and food marketing.

The organization supports public health measures that improve access to nutritious foods, reduce industrial trans fats, limit harmful food marketing to children and improve food labelling.

WHO also encourages healthier food standards in schools, workplaces and public institutions.

These measures aim to make healthy dietary choices more accessible and sustainable across populations.