Healthy Diets
Your one stop shop for everything you want to know everything around healthy diets
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Our food choices and the food we eat is one of the biggest drivers of growth and well-being across different stages of life. While a healthy-balanced diet is important for children and youth to thrive and grow, different stages of life have different dietary needs (childhood, adolescence, pregnancy, etc.)."
Beside underweight and micronutrient deficiencies, overweight and obesity are also emerging as global challenges. Approximately 56 percent of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, are caused due to unhealthy diets. Diverse and healthy diets can prevent this.
‘Meri Thali Sehatwali,’ (my plate is a healthy plate), is a digital campaign to promote healthy eating and healthy food choices for the whole family. The campaign is part of a nation-wide effort to improve food environments and diets toward reaching the vision of a well-nourished India.
Not everyone knows what a healthy diet is for them and their family. Through this digital campaign, UNICEF aims to bridge the awareness gap and promote healthy eating for the whole family.
The #MeriThaliSehatwali campaign aims to increase awareness of healthy eating across the entire life cycle.
Meet Our Characters
Cool Tarbooja
Nutrients Represented: Vitamins and Minerals
Calm & Wise, loves rhymes and always speaks with poetic wisdom.
Friendly Doodh
Nutrients Represented: Fluids
Fun-loving and Caring, shares fun facts and anecdotes, always cheerful.
Curious Anda
Nutrients Represented: Proteins
Innocent and Full of Wonder, always questioning and eager to learn.
Strong Palak
Nutrients Represented: Vitamins & Minerals
Motivational and Disciplined, straightforward, no-nonsense.
Energetic Makka
Nutrients Represented: Carbohydrates
Enthusiastic and Practical, loaded with advisory solutions, always energetic.
Nurturing Roti
Nutrients Represented: Carbohydrates
Nurturing and Wise, motherly, always offering comfort.
Everything You Need to Know About Healthy Diet
Nutrition Matters — From the very first feed, our food choices shape the story of our lives. Good nutrition is not just about filling plates; it’s about fuelling futures. The right balance of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients builds strong bodies, sharp minds, and resilient spirits.
“Breastfeeding is more than food — it’s the first vaccine, the best brain booster, and nature’s complete nutrition. It begins in the golden hour after birth: no water, no formula, no animal milk — only pure breastmilk, rich in antibodies and nutrients.”
A child’s health begins in the golden first hour. Starting breastfeeding early and continuing exclusively for six months — with no water, animal milk, or substitutes — gives babies complete nutrition and strong immunity.
Fresh, local, and seasonal foods build strength and sharpen minds, while junk food does the opposite. Ultra-processed foods high in salt, sugar, and fat are quick fixes but silent health saboteurs — fuelling diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
In many households, women and girls still eat last and least, harming their health and dignity. Changing this is about more than fairness — it ensures equality, stronger families, and breaks the cycle of malnutrition.
In a world of scrolling over strolling, our bodies pay the price. The fix is simple — move more! Walk, play, dance, or run. Daily activity fuels strong bodies, sharp minds, and happier moods.
Adolescence, pregnancy, and lactation are critical stages when the body needs extra nutrition. Yet many girls and women remain underweight or anemic, putting their own health — and their children’s — at risk.