Introduction to balanced diet

A balanced diet is important for our health and can help us feel our best - but what is a balanced diet? A balanced diet is a diet that contains a variety of different foods in appropriate amount to help us get the wide range of nutrients that our bodies need. What you eat makes you healthy, what you eat also makes you unhealthy. So what should a balanced diet contain?
We can classify foods into seven types that are as follows:
  • Carbohydrates
  • Fats
  • Protein
  • Vitamin
  • Minerals
  • Fiber
  • Water
                                                                             NUTRIENTS

There are at least 100,000 substances out of which only 300 are nutrients and 45 are essential nutrients . Further nutrients are classified in Micro and macro nutrients.
  • MACRO-NUTRIENTS 
The nutrients that our body require in larger amounts are called Macro-nutrients . They include Carbohydrates , Fat , Proteins ,Water
  • MICRO-NUTRIENTS  
The nutrients required by our body in smaller amount i.e. milligrams to micro grams They include fiber , vitamins  etc .
Here I am going to give you a brief introduction about some marcro-nutrients , which are needed in our diet.

           CARBOHYDRATES
  • Are the mostly used nutrients and should make upto 50% of the daily calorie intake
  • Provide energy to the body
  • Most of the carbohydrates in the foods you eat are digested and broken down into glucose before entering the bloodstream.
     SOURCES
  •       Dairy. Milk, yogurt, and ice cream.  
  •         Fruit. Whole fruit and fruit juice.
  •         Grains. Bread, rice, crackers, and cereal.
  •          Legumes , Beans and other plant-based proteins.
  •      Starchy Vegetables. Potatoes and corn.
  •        Sugary Sweets. Limit these! Soda, candy, cookies, and other desserts.
    FATS
  • 30% of daily diet should be from fats      
  • Fat also helps you absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, the so-called fat-soluble vitamins
  • Fat also fills your fat cells and insulates your body to help keep you warm
  • The fats your body gets from your food give your body essential fatty acids called linolenic and linoleic acid
  • Classified as saturated and unsaturated fats
      SOURCES
  • Cheese.       
  • Dark Chocolate
  • Whole Eggs 
  • Fatty Fish      
  • Nuts      
  • Oil and ghee
           PROTEINS 
  • 15% of our daily diet should come from proteins
  • These are building block of our body
  • Some proteins transport materials throughout your body, such as hemoglobin, which is the oxygen-transporting protein found in your red blood cells
  • Proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body are enzymes 
  • Hormones, like insulin, are proteins that regulate the activity of cells or organs                
     SOURCES        
  • meat, poultry and fish ,eggs.
  • Dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese.
  • Seeds and nuts ,beans and legumes
          WATER
  • Most important macro nutrient 
  • 2 Liters Per day required
  • laborious worker may require more than 2L per day
  • Needed to maintain body temperature and for proper enzyme working   
       Now let us talk about the micro-nutrients that are required in our diet 
           VITAMINS 
  • Vitamins are considered essential nutrients
  • Vitamins are organic substances found in plants and animals
  • They perform hundreds of roles in the body. 
  • Help shore up bones, heal wounds, and bolster your immune system. 
  • They also convert food into energy, and repair cellular damage
      SOURCES
  • Here's a list of vitamins that are crucial for good health with their sources
  • vitamin A  :Carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach
  • vitamin B12 :meat, poultry, fish
  • vitamin E :nuts, seeds, vegetable oils
           MINERALS
  • Minerals are inorganic elements from the earth (soil and water) and are essential for normal growth and optimal health.
  • Calcium , sodium ,phosphorous ,potassium ,magnesium are considered macro nutrients
  • Iron is one of the important mineral           
      SOURCES
  • iron — meat, poultry, fish, and beans
           FIBERS
  • It is the part of plant food that humans cant digest
  • High in fiber food reduce and LDL ("bad") cholesterol
  • Improve blood sugar
  • Help in preventing constipation 
  • High-fiber foods also help with weight loss by making you feel full
      SOURCES
  • Beans
  • Whole grains
  • Brown rice. 
  • Popcorn
  • Nuts ,walnuts
  • Almond

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