Healthy eating - Definition and Overview

Healthy eating is the act of following a balanced nutritional diet. Because our ideas of what counts as "healthy" changes according to scientific advances in the field of nutrition, along with personal and cultural considerations, accepted standards of healthy eating differ from person to person and through history.

Many governments and other organisations provide nutritional advice and launch schemes in order to promote healthy eating. Diets which lead to overweight or obesity, diabetes, and other medical conditions, are a severe drain of resources for national health providers and on businesses due to reduced productivity in staff.

A recent health campaign by the British government has attempted to impress the need to eat lots of fruit and vegetables using the slogan "5 a day". Adverts have given examples of what a portion of fruit or vegetables amounts to, and how 5 or more portions can be incorporated into one's diet.

Governments also put pressure on businesses to promote healthy food options, and regularly consider measures such as banning the advertising of fast food or taxing foods which are high in fat.

See also

• Food pyramid
• Healthy eating pyramid
• Orthorexia nervosa - an obsession with healthy eating

External links

• Healthy eating guide and recipes (http://www.mediterrasian.com)