A balanced diet is imperative to maintain a healthy diet. So are we eating right? Do you know what this balanced diet is? Why exactly is it important? We have covered everything necessary to learn about a portion of balanced diet food that is healthy and can guarantee this is not an NCERT Textbook Chapter.
What is a balanced diet?
When we think about it, a balanced diet feels like a highly complex subject. But in reality, it’s straightforward to match the concept. A balanced diet is essential to maintaining good health and making you feel better
Consuming a suitable variety of food in the right quality and quantity helps maintain good health. In this article, the recommendations are for the general population and not for people with medical conditions or special requirements which should consult a qualified dietician or a nutritionist for further details.
Seven food groups for a healthy diet
1. Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are incredibly healthy and nutritious. They are extremely rich in vitamins and minerals and are an excellent fiber source. Nutritionists recommend having a minimum of 5 to 6 portions of fruits and vegetables daily. Much evidence has shown that consuming fruits and vegetables in these amounts can lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, and even some cancers.
High on the sweet factor, are fruits healthy to be consumed?
Many of you must think that fruits are sweet and high in sugar. Yes, they are high in sugars, but all the sugars and not refined sugars; hence we can say that it is healthy to consume fruits of any kind.
Eating local and seasonal vegetables is always considered as best because it can provide you with all the nutrition that you require for good health at that particular moment.
How to incorporate fruit into your diet?
- Add vegetables to almost all the meals
- Eat whole fruits and vegetables as a snack
- Incorporate as wide varieties of fruits as possible
2.Starchy foods and Gains
Grains are widely used in Indian cooking and consumed on a daily basis in various ways. We use refined flour in bread and bakery products in many foods. But the nutritional value of these products is minimal. We lose most of the nutrients during the refining of the flour. Most of the nutrients are lost as the husk is lost during grain processing.
Hence, it is advisable always to consume whole grains or things made of total grain flour; so that you can get all the benefits along with all the calories that you are consuming. You can benefit from that grain’s additional fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, etc., are also included in this group as they are also high in carbohydrates. Still, if you want to benefit from their consumption, that will add to the fiber and vitamin profile of the foods, especially potatoes.
3. Milk and milk products
Milk and milk products are excellent for protein. These are considered the best source of proteins for vegetarians as they contain first-class proteins. Along with proteins are also good sources of calcium and Vitamin D.
They are also high in fats, but you can always choose low-fat products. Also, if you buy whole milk, you can permanently remove the cream layer created after heating the milk first. This process will skim the milk, which is as good as low-fat milk.
Some of the Ways to incorporate them into the diet:
- Add a panner to your cooking
- Make curds and yogurts part of your daily intake as a snack or a meal.
- Make sure you have one glass of milk in a day.
4. Plant protein
These will include Legumes – pulses, dals, beans, Nuts, and oil seeds.
Pulses and dals are a very significant part of Indian cooking. There might not be a single Indian who never has dals rice as a meal. Pulses, dals, and beans are naturally high in proteins, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals.
Nuts are also high in protein but rich in fats, fat-soluble vitamins, and fibers. But the fats in these nuts are incredibly healthy and required by the body for overall health. The key over here is to have them in controlled quantities to get the benefits of the nutrients available. The amounts suggested would be 20 to 30 g in a day.
Ways to incorporate them into your diet:
- Have at least two servings of pulses or dals with your meals
- Use nuts and seeds as a healthy snacking alternative.
- Add soya or any other pulse flour to your rotis.
- Add roasted channa, chickpeas, and peanuts as snacking options.
Many predictions about the world cup show that the World Cup is going to South America this time. No matter who wins the world cup, the fans will be the ultimate winner as they can see such an exciting World cup final with some supremely grand climax.
But this world cup will also end on a bitter note. We assume that legendary players such as Christiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Luka Modric, and Manuel Neuer have played their last world cup.
The world cup will never be the same without these legendary players, but it doesn’t mean it’s a fall of the sport. We are sure the spirit of the game will never die with the rise of some new fresh talents.
5. Non Vegetarian proteins
All these include- eggs, chicken, poultry, red meat, and fish. These are considered the best source of proteins as they have first-class proteins.
Out of all these, Eggs are the best of the lot. The yolk inside an egg consists of almost all the nutrients available except for carbs and fiber.
Chicken, fish, and red meat are extremely good with proteins, zinc, iron, B vitamins, and other nutrients in small quantities. All these meats have saturated fat, but the amount of red meat is much higher.
Ensure you thoroughly cook your meat to avoid any infections. Avoid a lot of processed meat like ham, bacon, and sausages. So always try to choose the lean cut and skinny meats.
If you are a non-vegetarian, ensure you have eggs regularly with the yolk. Yes, you heard me right with the yolk because that’s the most nutritious part of the egg, and one yolk a day will not harm you but will give you a dose of a multivitamin.
6. Fats and oils
Fats are a negative food group, but you require a small portion of fat for proper and perfect body functioning. Every cell needs fats for all functioning and energy production.
What matters the most is the type of fats you consume: saturated fats, mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol, and trans fatty acids.
- Saturated fats include ghee, butter, coconut oil
- Monounsaturated fatty acids include sesame oil, soyabean oil, mustard oil, etc.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids include sunflower oil, safflower oil, etc.
- Cholesterol includes red meat, chicken, poultry, etc.
- Trans fatty acids include margarine, dalda, hydrogenated vegetable oil
Incorporating all types of fats is essential, but you must ensure you avoid trans fats as they can create a lot of oxidative stress in the body. Control the amount of saturated and cholesterol in your diet.
7. Sweet, salty, and processed foods
Foods high in sugar, salt, and processed foods can create many unfavorable effects on the body.
Foods rich in sugars typically add a lot of free calories to your diet, which can lead to obesity and problems in tooth decay. Foods rich in salt can cause many blood pressure issues, leading to heart-related problems.
Consuming these foods in the lowest amounts is the best for your health and will help in better body functioning.
In this article, let us talk about the concept of My Plate.
My Plate
The U.S. Department of Agriculture introduced this concept as a straightforward and effortless way that helps you maintain a healthy diet. If you look at the plate, half of it is covered with fruits and vegetables, which comprise 50% of the plate.
The remaining plate gets divided into two halves, where 30% is whole grains and cereals, and the remaining 20% is a protein that can be veg or non-vegetarian.
We must also include a small portion of water and oils in the plate.
Bottom Line
Having a balanced diet is one of the most important things as you will get a whole lot of nutrients in your diet and help you stay healthy.
But a balanced diet combined with physical activity is equally important as that will help in better functioning and a lot more physiological benefit.
Having a balanced diet is like having all the food groups in your daily diet. Looking at my plate, you can make sure you have your main meals in this manner will make it easier to maintain and reach your daily nutritional goals. But if you have any questions, contact your qualified nutritionist to get a better insight into it.
Many predictions about the world cup show that the World Cup is going to South America this time. No matter who wins the world cup, the fans will be the ultimate winner as they can see such an exciting World cup final with some supremely grand climax.
But this world cup will also end on a bitter note. We assume that legendary players such as Christiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Luka Modric, and Manuel Neuer have played their last world cup.
The world cup will never be the same without these legendary players, but it doesn’t mean it’s a fall of the sport. We are sure the spirit of the game will never die with the rise of some new fresh talents.
Urmi Hariya
She is a Sports Nutritionist, Dietician, and yoga therapist. She has her Master’s in Sports Nutrition from Mumbai University. She is a certified diabetes educator, yoga instructor, and even a level 2 yoga therapist certified by the Ministry of Ayush.
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