12/05/2022
WHY A BALANCED DIET IS SO IMPORTANT
A balanced diet supplies the nutrients your body needs to work effectively. Without balanced nutrition, your body is more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and low performance.
Children who don’t get enough healthy foods may face growth and developmental problems, poor academic performance, and frequent infections.
They can also develop unhealthy eating habits that may persist into adulthood. Without exercise, they’ll also have a higher risk of obesity and various diseases that make up metabolism syndrome, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
WHAT TO EAT FOR A BALANCED DIET
A healthy, balanced diet will usually include the following nutrients:
Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
Carbohydrates including starches and fiber
Proteins
Healthy fats and oil
A BALANCED DIET WILL INCLUDE A VARIETY OF FOODS FROM THE FOLLOWING GROUPS:
fruits
vegetables
grains
proteins and healthy fats and oil
FRUITS
Fruits are nutritious, they make a tasty snack or dessert, and they can satisfy a sweet tooth.
Local fruits that are in season are fresher and provide more nutrients than imported fruits.
Fruits are high in sugar, but this sugar is natural. Unlike candies and many sweet desserts, fruits also provide fiber and other nutrients. This means they’re less likely to cause a sugar spike and they’ll boost the body’s supply of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
VEGETABLES
Vegetables are a key source of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Eat a variety of vegetables with different colors for a full range of nutrients.
Dark, leafy green are an excellent source of many nutrients
Local, seasonal vegetables are often reasonable in price and easy to prepare. Use them in the following ways:
as a side dish, roasted in a tray with a splash of olive oil, as the base in soups, stews, and pasta dishes, as a salad, in juices and smoothies
GRAINS
Refine white flour is featured in many breads and baked goods, but it has limited nutritional value. This is because much of the goodness is in the hull of the grain, or outer shell, which manufacturers remove during processing.
Whole grain products include the entire grain, including the hull. They provide additional vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Many people also find that whole grains add flavor and texture to a dish.
Proteins.
PROTEINS
Meats and beans are primary sources of protein, which is essential for wound healing and muscle maintenance and development, among other functions. Examples include: Red meat, such as beef and mutton, Poultry, such as chicken and turkey, Fish, including salmon, sardines, and other oily fish. Plant base proteins include, Nuts, beans, and soy products are good sources of protein, fiber, and other nutrients.
FATS AND OIL
Fat is essential for energy and cell health, but too much fat can increase calories above what the body needs and may lead to weight gain. Reduce intakes of saturated fat like butter, margarine, cheese, heavy cream and replace it with healthy fats like olive oil, canola oil, fish oil, vegetable oil. Partially replacing with healthy fats may lowers cardiovascular disease risk and that some saturated fat should remain in the diet — about 10 percent or less of calories because it protect some vital organs in the body. However, trans fats, should be avoided.
A healthy diet will combine all the nutrients and foods groups mentioned above, but you need to balance them to have all the benefits.
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