Healthy linguistic diet

The Healthy Linguistic Diet (HLD) model emerged from interdisciplinary collaboration and has evolved into a comprehensive framework for understanding the cognitive benefits of multilingualism. Rooted in the metaphor of language learning as essential nourishment for cognitive functioning and well-being, HLD has been widely recognised in European educational policy and international initiatives. Over time, the model has expanded beyond its initial cognitive and educational focus to incorporate the interaction between plurilingual individuals and multilingual environments. It addresses key global challenges through its core categories, such as environment and sustainability (including linguistic habitats, rootedness and intercultural competence) and inclusion and social justice (including epistemic habitats, belonging and academic plurilingualism). This paper traces the development of HLD, presents its more comprehensive, expanded model and examines its theoretical foundations and real-world applications in education, policy, healthy ageing and community engagement. In the context of living in a world where 90% of languages are considered endangered, HLD model offers a framework of resilience for individuals and communities, ensuring that linguistic diversity is not only preserved, but actively nurtured for the benefit of individuals and societies. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .