A balanced diet is when you eat lot of different things in right amounts to meet your body’s nutritional needs. It means getting right amount of important nutrients, like carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, water and so on, to keep your health and well-being at best.
Here are important parts of healthy diet:
For carbs, eat whole grains, fruits, veggiies and beans. They give you fuel and fibre.
- Proteins: Eat lean foods like chicken, fish, eggs, beans and dairy. Proteins needed for body cells to grow, repair and stay healthy.
- Fats: Choose fats that are good for you, like in nuts, seeds, eggs, olive oil and fatty fish. Don’t eat too many fried foods and processed snacks, which are high in fatty and trans fats.
- Fruits and vegetables: Try to eat range of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables because they provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre that body needs.
- Dairy: Include low-fat milk, yoghurt, cheeese or plant-based options to dairy that are fortified with calcium and vitamin D.
- Hydration: Make sure you drink enough wateer every day. Try to drink less sugary drinks and more water, herbal teas or flavoured water instead.
- Controlling the size of your portions: Pay attention to size of your portions to avoid overeating and stay at healthy weight.
- Limit processed foods: Don’t eat too many processed foods that high in sugar, salt and fats that are bad for you. When you choose whole, raw foods.
- Moderation: Enjoy treats and luxuries in moderation and keep balanced diet.
- Personalization: Different people have different dietary needs based on their age, gender, level of exercise and health conditions they have. For personalised advice on what to eat, best to talk to health care expert or registered dietitian.
Remember that balanced diet is not just about food you eat, but about how you eat as whole. Variety, moderation and making smart choices are keys to getting and keeping healthy well-balanced diet.
More about each part of well-balanced diet :
- Carbohydrates: Body gets most of its energy from carbs. There are 2 types of carbohydrates, simple and complicated carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates, found in whole grains, beans and starchy veggies, give you long-lasting energy and are full of fibre, which helps body digest food and makes you feel full. Simple carbohydrates, which are found in fruits, milk and processed sweets, give you quick energy, but you should eat them in small amounts because they have lot of sugar.
- Proteins are important for building and healing tissues, making enzymes and hormones and keeping the immune system working well. Lean meat like chicken, turkey and fish are goood sources of protein. So plant based fooods like beans, lentils, tofu and rice are good. It’s important to get protein from range of sources to make sure your body gets all amino acids it needs.
- Fats: Fats are important because they give you energy, keep your cells warm and help body absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil and fatty fish like salmon are good sources of healthy fat. These have good fatts for heart, like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Trans fats, which often found in processed and fried foods, should be limited. Saturated fats found in high amounts in animal products and some tropical oils.
- Fruits and veggies full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fibre that body needs. They keep you from getting chronic diseases, keep your immune system healthy and help your body digest food. Try to eat foods of different colours to get different nutrients. You eat seasonal foods like leafy greens, berries, citrus fruits, cruciferous veggies (like broccoli and cauliflower) and other seasonal foods.
- Dairy or substitutes to dairy: Dairy products are good source of calcium, which important for strong bones and teeth. Choose milk, yoghurt and cheese low in fat or have no fat at all. If you can’t drink milk because of lactose intolerance or you’re veggie, choose soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk that has been fortified. These milks have similar nutrients like calcium and vitamin D.
- Hydration: Your body needs water to keep running, control your temperature and move nutrients around. Drink enough water throughout the day to keep yourself refreshed. The suggested amount depends on things like the weather, how active you are and your needs. Herbal drinks and water with herbs Small amounts of coffee and tea that aren’t sweetened can also help you stay hydrated. Limit the intake of sugary drinks like pop, fruit juices energy drinks.
- Portion control: Keep track of how much you eat, helps keep track of calories and overeating. Pay attention to how much of each food group you eat. Portion sizes change depending on lot of things, but you control how much you eat by using visual cues like smaller plates, cups and bowls and pay attention to signs you are hungry or full.
- Limit processed foods: Fast food, packaged snacks, sugary cereals and processed meats are all examples of processed foods that are high in added sugars, unhealthy fats and salt. As part of healthy diet, you should only eat in small amounts. Focus on fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and home cooked meals that are whole and not processed.
- Moderation: It’s important for a balanced diet to enjoy treats and pleasures in small amounts. It is fine to have sweets or high-calorie foods once in while, but it’s important to keep healthy balance and choose better foods for most of your meals.
- Personalization: Everyone’s dietary needs are different, depending on things like age, gender, level of exercise and health conditions. Some people need changes or have food needs that need to be taken into account. If you have specific worries or health problems, it’s best to talk to a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian to get advice and suggestions that tailor to your needs.
Remember that balanced diet doesn’t mean following strict rules or starving yourself. Instead, it means making smart choices, like eating wide range of foods and finding a way to feed your body and support your general health that you can stick with.
