The World Health Organization sets nutrition guidelines used by countries worldwide to shape public health policy and dietary advice. The core recommendations cover sugar, fat, salt, fiber, and fruit and vegetable intake, with specific daily targets for each. WHO updated several of these guidelines in 2023, adding new guidance on carbohydrate quality and artificial sweeteners.
Sugar: Less Than 10% of Daily Calories
WHO recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of your total daily energy intake, with a stricter target of below 5% for additional health benefits. On a 2,000-calorie diet, 10% works out to roughly 50 grams, or about 12 teaspoons of sugar. The 5% target halves that to around 25 grams.
Free sugars include any sugar added during cooking or manufacturing, plus sugars found in honey, syrups, and fruit juice. Sugars naturally present in whole fruits, vegetables, and plain milk don’t count toward the limit, because they come packaged with fiber and other nutrients that slow absorption.
Fat Quality Matters More Than Quantity
WHO’s 2023 update on fats focuses heavily on the type of fat rather than simply how much you eat. Saturated fat, the kind found in butter, red meat, and full-fat dairy, should be limited. Trans fat, found in partially hydrogenated oils and some processed foods, should stay below 1% of total energy intake. That translates to less than 2.2 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet.
The guidelines recommend replacing saturated and trans fats with polyunsaturated fats (found in fish, walnuts, and flaxseed), monounsaturated fats from plant sources (olive oil, avocados), or high-quality carbohydrates from whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and pulses. This swap, rather than simply eating less fat overall, is what drives the health benefit.
Salt: No More Than 5 Grams Per Day
Adults should consume less than 5 grams of salt per day, equivalent to less than 2 grams (2,000 milligrams) of sodium. That’s roughly one teaspoon of table salt. Most people far exceed this, largely because of sodium hidden in processed and packaged foods rather than salt added at the table.
Reducing sodium is one of WHO’s global health targets, with countries aiming for a 30% relative reduction in average population salt intake. The connection between excess sodium and high blood pressure is well established, and lowering intake reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. Increasing potassium intake at the same time (through foods like bananas, potatoes, beans, and leafy greens) helps counterbalance sodium’s effects on blood pressure. Recommended potassium intake is 3,400 mg per day for adult men and 2,600 mg for adult women.
Fruits, Vegetables, and Fiber
WHO recommends eating at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables per day. That’s roughly five servings and doesn’t include starchy root vegetables like potatoes. This target is tied to lower rates of heart disease, certain cancers, and other chronic conditions.
The 2023 carbohydrate guidelines added specific fiber targets by age:
- Children 2 to 5 years: at least 15 grams per day
- Children 6 to 9 years: at least 21 grams per day
- Everyone 10 and older: at least 25 grams per day
WHO also now explicitly recommends that carbohydrates come primarily from whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and pulses (beans, lentils, chickpeas) rather than refined grains or processed starches. This represents a shift from simply tracking carbohydrate amounts to emphasizing carbohydrate quality.
Artificial Sweeteners Are Not Recommended
In a 2023 guideline that surprised many people, WHO recommended against using non-sugar sweeteners for weight control. A systematic review of available evidence found that artificial sweeteners don’t lead to long-term reductions in body fat in adults or children. More concerning, long-term use was associated with a potentially increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mortality.
The guideline covers all common sugar substitutes: aspartame, sucralose, stevia and stevia derivatives, saccharin, acesulfame K, and others. It applies to everyone except people with pre-existing diabetes. Francesco Branca, WHO’s Director for Nutrition and Food Safety, framed the advice simply: rather than swapping sugar for artificial alternatives, the goal should be reducing the overall sweetness of your diet, starting from childhood. Reaching for whole fruit or unsweetened drinks is preferred over substituting one type of sweetness for another.
WHO classified this as a conditional recommendation, meaning the evidence suggests a clear direction but has some limitations. Many of the studies couldn’t fully separate the effects of artificial sweeteners from other habits of the people who use them.
Infant and Young Child Nutrition
For the earliest stage of life, WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. No water, formula, or other foods during that period. After six months, nutritionally adequate complementary foods should be introduced alongside continued breastfeeding up to age two or beyond. These recommendations are global baselines; individual circumstances vary, but the six-month exclusive breastfeeding target remains one of WHO’s most consistent and long-standing guidelines.
How WHO Guidelines Differ From U.S. Guidelines
WHO guidelines are designed for global use and tend to set simpler, more conservative targets. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans break things down further, specifying acceptable macronutrient ranges: 45 to 65% of calories from carbohydrates, 10 to 35% from protein, and 20 to 35% from fat. WHO doesn’t set the same rigid macronutrient percentage targets but focuses more on food quality and specific limits for harmful nutrients like trans fat and sodium.
The practical overlap is significant. Both emphasize whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and limiting added sugars and sodium. Where they diverge is in specificity: U.S. guidelines provide detailed food group amounts by calorie level, while WHO provides broader targets meant to be adapted by individual countries based on local food systems and disease patterns. If you’re looking for a shopping list, national guidelines are more useful. If you want the evidence-based thresholds for the nutrients that matter most, WHO’s numbers are the global reference point.