Food as Medicine: Applying the WHO's Dietary Targets to Everyday Meals

Food is arguably the most powerful environmental influence on human metabolism. For chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver and heart disease, what we eat every day matters as much as any single prescription. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls unhealthy diet and physical inactivity "leading global risks to health" - and its dietary targets give us a simple, honest checklist anyone can use.

THE FIVE WHO TARGETS (AT A GLANCE) 1. Fruit and vegetables: at least 400 grams (about five portions) every day. 2. Salt: less than 5 grams per day - roughly one teaspoon. 3. Free sugars: less than 10% of daily energy; below 5% is even better. 4. Total fat: less than 30% of daily energy, with saturated fat under 10% and trans fats under 1%. 5. Fats quality: replace saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats (from fish, avocados, nuts and vegetable oils like sunflower, soya and olive oil).

WHY THESE NUMBERS EXIST People worldwide consume 9-12 grams of salt daily, far above the 5-gram limit. WHO estimates that cutting population salt intake to below 5 grams a day could prevent around 1.7 million deaths each year - most from hypertension, stroke and heart disease. Meanwhile, industrially produced trans fats are blamed for more than 500,000 cardiovascular deaths a year globally, and free sugars drive obesity, tooth decay and fatty liver, while raising blood pressure and blood fats. These are not abstract numbers; they translate into the chronic diseases S19 sees every day.

APPLYING THEM TO EVERYDAY MEALS 1. Eat the rainbow, locally. Cameroon's markets are rich with greens (huckleberry, amaranth, bitter leaf), tomatoes, peppers, okra, pawpaw, mango and citrus. Aim for vegetables at every main meal and fruit as snacks. 2. Lean on legumes and nuts. Beans, lentils, groundnuts and soya add protein, fibre and slow-release energy - excellent for blood sugar and cholesterol. 3. Watch the starches. Cassava, plantain, sweet potato, rice and bread are staples, but portions matter. Pair starchy foods with vegetables and protein so blood sugar rises gently, not steeply. 4. Check the hidden salt. Bouillon cubes, stock powders, dried salted fish, processed snacks and some street foods can push sodium far past 5 grams before the salt shaker ever appears. 5. Limit sugary drinks. Sodas and sweetened fruit juices are the fastest route to excess free sugars. Water, unsweetened tea and hibiscus drinks are the better default. 6. Cook smarter. Steam, boil or grill rather than frying in reused oil; skip partially hydrogenated fats found in many cheap baked goods and fried snacks.

THE S19 APPROACH TO NUTRITION Nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all handout at S19. Our Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching program builds a practical eating plan around your condition, culture and budget, in collaboration with nutrition professionals. For a metabolic patient, this may combine blood-sugar focused eating, salt management, portion planning and lifestyle alignment. Education comes first: we want you to understand why you eat what you eat, not just follow a list.

SOURCES WHO fact sheet on healthy diet (Fact sheet 394); WHO guidelines on sodium, free sugars, and saturated and trans fatty acids; WHO REPLACE package on eliminating industrially produced trans fats.

This article is educational and not a substitute for personalised dietary advice, especially in chronic disease.

Contact Us

• WhatsApp: Click here
• Email: Sweet19hoe@gmail.com
• Telegram: Click here

Online consultation is free. We can answer your questions and ship our products to any country with a DHL service.