By: Astha Raghav.
- We need a balanced diet to stay healthy. Food allows us to move, grow, repair injuries and stay alive. If we do not eat certain foods this might make us tired trying to move, might stop us growing, might make injuries very slow to heal or make us so ill we could die.
- A diet is all that we consume in a day. And a balanced diet is a diet that contains an adequate quantity of the nutrients that we require in a day. A balanced diet includes six main nutrients, i.e. Fats, Protein, Carbohydrates, Fibre, Vitamins, and Minerals.
- All these nutrients are present in the foods that we eat. Different food items have different proportions of nutrients present in them. The requirements of the nutrients depend on the age, gender, and health of a person.
A balanced diet is a diet that contains differing kinds of foods in certain quantities and proportions so that the requirement for calories, proteins, minerals, vitamins and alternative nutrients is adequate and a small provision is reserved for additional nutrients to endure the short length of leanness. In addition, a balanced diet ought to offer bioactive phytochemicals like dietary fiber, antioxidants and nutraceuticals that have positive health advantages. A balanced diet should offer around 60-70% of total calories from carbohydrates, 10-12% from proteins and 20-25% of total calories from fat.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF A BALANCED DIET
- Healthy eating increases energy, improves the way your body functions, strengthens your immune system and prevents weight gain. The other major benefits are:
- Meets your nutritional need. A varied, balanced diet provides the nutrients you need to avoid nutritional deficiencies.
- Prevent and treat certain diseases. Healthful eating can prevent the risk of developing certain diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease. It is also helpful in treating diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Following a special diet can reduce symptoms, and may help you better manage an illness or condition.
- Feel energetic and manage your weight. A healthy diet will assist you to feel higher, provide you with more energy, and help you fight stress.
- Food is the mainstay of many social and cultural events. Apart from nutrition properties, it helps facilitate connections between individuals.
- Thank you!
