When you eat a balanced diet, you give your body the nutrients it needs for healthy functioning. A balanced diet has the right proportion of minerals, vitamins, other essential nutrients, and optimal calories for your body’s makeup. But if you’re not sure what exactly constitutes a “balanced diet,” or aren’t sure whether you’re following one, you’re not alone. A 2022 study shows that about 85% of people surveyed believed their diets to be healthier than they actually were. It’s tough to eat a healthy or balanced diet if you don’t have a clear understanding of what that means exactly. At its core, a balanced diet isn’t about picking and choosing ‘best’ foods or focusing on ‘superfoods.’ It’s about eating a range of nutritious, whole foods. “A balanced diet is about getting a good mix of foods, colors and macronutrients. Because that’s what will help you get all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs.” In other words, it’s not about “balancing” out your double cheeseburger and fries with a mountain of blueberries. It’s about following an eating plan that covers all the food groups in healthy proportions.
Core Elements of a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet features foods from the following core elements:
- Proteins
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Grains
- Fats/oils
- Dairy
A healthy diet gives you energy and all the nutrition your body needs.
Benefits of a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet helps you maintain good health throughout your life and reduces the risks of developing chronic health conditions and diseases. Eating healthy boosts energy, improves the way the body functions, boosts the immune system, and prevents weight gain. Other key benefits are:
- Meets your nutritional needs. A varied, balanced diet provides the nutrients needed to avoid nutritional deficiencies.
- Prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Eating healthy can prevent the risk of developing certain diseases such as diabetes, cancer and metabolic heart disease. It is also helpful in the treatment of diabetes and high blood pressure. Following a special diet can relieve symptoms and may help you better manage your illness.
- Feel energized and control your weight. A healthy diet will help you feel taller, give you more energy, and help you fight stress. In addition to its nutritional properties, meals also help facilitate interpersonal connections.
When you have a poor diet, you function at less optimal levels and may experience bouts of infection, fatigue, brain fog, or other health conditions. Some of the leading causes of death, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and stroke, have a strong connection with a poor diet. Your body needs nutrients to stay healthy, and food supplies essential nutrients that stop us from getting sick. A healthy, balanced diet will usually include the following nutrients:
Read also: Modern Diet Guide
- Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
- Carbohydrates, including starches and fiber
- Protein
- Healthy fats
Caloric Intake and Nutrient Density
The foods you eat contain a certain number of calories. Rather than a physical component, calories are a measure of how much energy your body gains when it breaks down and metabolizes the food. The number of calories your body needs depends on your age, gender, and activity level. In general, men need more calories than women. Children need fewer calories than adolescents, whereas young adults aged 14-30 require the most calories of all age ranges. Caloric needs decline as you move through adulthood, so an older adult aged 85 would need fewer calories than an adult aged 50.
Opt for nutrient-dense whole foods that provide the most nutritional value for the number of calories created. This ensures that your body processes high-quality components and fuels you for the long term. High-quality foods have a variety of nutrients:
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Fiber
- Healthy fats
- Carbohydrates
- Protein
- Other components such as antioxidants
To avoid empty calories, limit your intake of foods considered nutrient-poor. Examples of this broad range of foods include:
- Highly processed foods
- Refined grains
- Refined sugars
- Sweetened drinks
- Red and processed meats
- Saturated and trans fats
- High-glycemic foods
You should also limit your intake of salt and added sugars. Too much sodium can increase blood pressure and risks for heart disease and stroke, whereas too much sugar can increase risks for tooth decay and obesity. Alcoholic beverages affect cholesterol, triglyceride, and insulin levels. They can also increase risks for liver inflammation or scarring, elevated blood pressure, weight gain, or even some types of cancer.
Recommended Ratios and Food Choices
A balanced diet starts with the right ratios of foods from the six core elements:
Read also: Comprehensive Health Guide
Proteins
Proteins should make up ¼ of your plate or about 5.5 ounces each day. Choose lean red meats, seafood, poultry, eggs, nuts, beans, lentils, and seeds. Meats and beans are primary sources of protein, which is essential for wound healing and muscle maintenance and development, among other functions.
Animal protein
Healthy animal-based options include:
- Red meats, such as beef and mutton
- Poultry, such as chicken and turkey
- Fish, including salmon, sardines, and other oily fish
Processed meats may increase the risk of cancer and other diseases, according to some research. Some processed meats also contain a lot of added preservatives and salt. Fresh, unprocessed meat is the best option.
Plant-based protein
Nuts, beans, and soy products are good sources of protein, fiber, and other nutrients. Examples include:
- Lentils
- Beans
- Peas
- Almonds
- Sunflower seeds
- Walnuts
Fruits
Fruits should make up ¼ of your plate, or about 2 cups a day. Choose dried, fresh, or frozen fruits, but remember that dried fruits are more concentrated in natural sugars. Fruit juices have high sugar levels and should not be a major part of your diet. Also consider a variety of fruit colors to get the most nutrients. 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. If you have diabetes, your doctor or dietitian can advise you on which fruits to choose, how much to eat, and when.
Read also: Comprehensive Diet Guide
Vegetables
Vegetables should account for ¼ of your plate if you’re eating fruits as well. Otherwise, they should fill ½ of your plate and be equivalent to 2.5-3.5 cups each day. When you choose vegetables, select from different subgroups to enjoy the most benefits. 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 greens are an excellent source of many nutrients. They include:
- Spinach
- Kale
- Green beans
- Broccoli
- Collard greens
- Swiss chard
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 purées
- In juices and smoothies
Subgroups include:
- Dark green vegetables
- Red and orange vegetables
- Legumes
- Starchy vegetables
- Other vegetables
Grains
Grains should take up ¼ of your plate and add up to about 6 ounces per day. Your grains should come from whole grains wherever possible including: Refined 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, and the center, or “wheat germ,” which manufacturers remove during processing. Whole grain products include the entire grain, including the hull and germ. They provide additional vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Many people also find that whole grains add flavor and texture to a dish.
- Buckwheat
- Oats
- Dark rye
- Quinoa
- Whole-grain cornmeal
- Wild or brown rice
- Whole wheat
- Bulgur
- Amaranth
Try switching from white breads, pastas, and rice to whole grain options.
Fats/Oils
Although some fat is essential for a healthy diet, the type and quality available vary. Choose healthy unsaturated oils such as extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil, and limit your intake to about 27 grams a day. Foods rich in healthy fats include chia seeds, ground flax, avocado, nuts, seeds, and fish. 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. In the past, guidelines have recommended avoiding saturated fats, due to concerns that they would raise cholesterol levels. More recent research suggests that partially replacing with unsaturated fats lowers cardiovascular disease risk and that some saturated fat should remain in the diet - about 10 percent or less of calories. Trans fats, however, should still be avoided.
Recommendations on fats can sometimes be hard to follow, but one scientist has proposed the following guideline:
- Fats to love: vegetable oils and fish oils
- Fats to limit: butter, cheese, and heavy cream
- Fats to lose: trans fats, used in many processed and premade foods, such as donuts
Most experts consider olive oil to be a healthy fat, and especially extra virgin olive oil, which is the least processed type. Deep fried foods are often high in calories but low in nutritional value, so you should eat them sparingly.
Dairy
Dairy has essential nutrients such as calcium for strong teeth and bones. Aim for 3 cups a day from low-fat or fat-free products such as milk, yogurt, cheese, kefir, and buttermilk. Dairy products provide essential nutrients, including:
- Protein
- Calcium
- Vitamin D
They also contain fat. If you’re seeking to limit your fat intake, reduced fat options might be best. Your doctor can help you decide.
For those following a vegan diet, many dairy-free milks and other dairy alternatives are now available, made from:
- Flax seed
- Almonds and cashews
- Soy
- Oats
- Coconut
These are often fortified with calcium and other nutrients, making them excellent alternatives to dairy from cows. Some have added sugar, so read the label carefully when choosing.
Mindful Eating Practices
When you sit down to eat a meal, you want to be hungry, but not ravenous. (Letting your blood sugar get so low that you feel ravenous often leads to binge eating.) And your goal is to stop when you're comfortably full. To get into the habit of evaluating your hunger, rate your hunger and satisfaction level before and after every meal. Here's a numerical scale you could use:
- 0: Ravenously hungry, salivating
- 1: Hungry, belly growling
- 2: Mildly hungry; you may need a light snack to hold you over, but you could hold out a little longer
- 3: Satisfied; don't need to eat anymore
- 4: More than satisfied; overate
- 5: Stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey
And whenever you're about to run to the kitchen or break room or detour to the nearest drive-thru, ask yourself these questions first:
- When was the last time I ate? If it was less than 2-3 hours ago, you're probably not feeling real hunger.
- Could a small, nutritious, fiber-rich snack tide you over until the next meal?
- Can you drink a glass of water and wait 20 minutes?
If you find that you don't easily recognize the signs of hunger, schedule your meals and snacks. Divide your eating plan into several small meals, spaced every 3-4 hours. Rate your hunger each time you sit down to eat, and try to become more aware of what real hunger feels like.
Most of us wolf down our food without really tasting it from time to time. Do you suffer from "eating amnesia" when the hand-to-mouth activity becomes automatic-usually in front of the television or while reading a book? Bad habits are hard to break, but if you want to control what you eat, you must become more mindful of everything you put into your mouth.
It helps to slow down and enjoy your meals. Sit down, turn off the television, and create a peaceful environment free of distractions to enjoy your meals. Remember that the first few bites are always the best (your taste buds soon become less sensitized to the chemicals in food that makes it taste so good). Focus on the quality of the food, not the quantity. Be mindful of each mouthful, and appreciate the food's flavors, aromas, and textures.
Enjoying leisurely meals gives your stomach time to signal to your brain that you are comfortably full. Put your fork down between bites, sip water, and enjoy conversation while you dine.
Here are some more tips to help you get in touch with real hunger:
- Exercise portion control. The old expression "your eyes are bigger than your stomach" may be sage advice. Researchers have found that the more food you're served, the more you're likely to eat. The theory is that the environmental cues of portion size override the body's cues of satisfaction.
- Eat foods that are bulked up with water or air, which gives them more volume and makes them more satisfying. Increasing the bulk in your meals helps fill your belly, signals satiety to your brain, and allows you to feel full on fewer calories. Broth-based soups, stews, hot cereals, and cooked grains are good examples of foods that go the distance.
- Fiber can help satisfy hunger and reduce appetite. Choose high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, popcorn, and whole grains. Starting a meal with a large salad can help you eat fewer calories during the meal because of the fiber and water content of greens and vegetables. Also, keep in mind that fresh fruits have more fiber and water than dried ones.
- Avoid the buffet line. When there are lots of choices, most people eat more. Keep it simple, limit the number of courses, and fill up on high-fiber foods first.
- Include lean protein in your meals and snacks to help them last longer in your stomach. A handful of nuts, some low-fat dairy, soy protein, or lean meat, fish, or chicken will tide you over for hours.
Here are some foods that can help keep you full longer:
- Soup. Start with a broth-based soup (rather than higher-calorie cream soups). Add your favorite cut-up veggies, plus a protein such as beans, chicken, or fish, so you have all the elements of an energy-dense, satisfying meal.
- Smoothies. If they're made with low-fat yogurt and loads of fruit and vegetables, you're getting protein, fiber, and calcium. Smoothies have become a nutritional mainstay.
- Pasta primavera. Start with whole wheat pasta, and then, add a bunch of your favorite sautéed veggies. The more you increase the proportion of vegetables to pasta, the greater the satiety. Studies show that the more veggies you add, the fuller you'll feel.
- Popcorn. It's truly energy dense, plus there's the volume effect. If you have air-popped popcorn (and don't add fat to it), you get a huge amount. Experts say that's a good thing because it gives you lots of sensory satisfaction. There's research showing that the perception of eating a whole lot can trick the system to feel full.
- Big salads. A meal-sized salad needs with a protein like grated cheddar cheese, tofu, beans, or nuts, with a low-fat dressing. Also, studies show that fish provides more satiety than chicken or beef. The type of protein in fish is what makes the difference.
- Veggies, such as sweet potatoes, white potatoes (with the skin), a handful of carrots, and whole-grain breakfast cereals or bread, are also satisfying.
- Tomatoes are water-intensive, so they are high on the satisfaction scale. For a snack, combine a sliced tomato and a few pretzels-plus a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or olive oil on the tomato. It will have far more staying power than pretzels alone.
- But beware of peanut butter-although it definitely helps keep hunger pains under control, there's the big risk of eating too much. Just a light smear on a bagel or apple is all you need.
Foods to Avoid or Limit
Foods to avoid or limit on a healthy diet include:
- Highly processed foods
- Refined grains
- Added sugar and salt
- Red and processed meat
- Alcohol
- Trans fats
What’s healthy for one person may not be suitable for another. Whole wheat flour can be a healthy ingredient for many people but isn’t suitable for those with a gluten intolerance, for example.
Practical Tips for Maintaining a Balanced Diet
- The most important rule of healthy eating is not to skip any meals. Skipping meals lowers your metabolic rate. Normal eating includes 3 main meals and 2 snacks between meals. Also, never skip breakfast. This is the most important meal of the day.
- Learn simple ways to prepare food. Eating healthy doesn't have to mean complicated eating. Keep meal prep easy, eat plenty of raw foods like salads, fruits, and vegetable juices, and focus on the fun of eating healthy foods rather than calories.
- It is important to stop when you feel full. This will help you maintain your weight to some extent. This will also help you stay alert and feel your best.
- Drink a lot of water. Keep a water bottle near you when working, watching TV, etc.
- Use a variety of foods in the menu. No food has all the nutrients. To improve the quality of cereals and pulse proteins, the minimum ratio between grain protein and pulse protein should be 4:1. For cereals, it will be eight parts grain and one part grain.
- Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
- Keep a supply of healthy snacks on hand. This will prevent you from eating an unhealthy snack when hungry.
- Remove all visible fat from the food before you cook it. Peel the chicken skin from the meat and trim off the white fat from the meat.
- Limit stimulants like caffeine, alcohol, and refined sugar.
- Limit the number of times you eat out to once a week. Bring your own packed lunch to work.
- Eat only things you like the taste of - find things that work for you and don't force yourself to eat things just because they're good for you.
- You should reduce meat and add vegetables to your dishes.
- Deep-fry to remove excess oil
- Use low-fat yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
- Add chopped fruit to your yogurt instead of flavored yogurt.
- Try to eat skim milk instead of whole milk.
- Eat boiled vegetables instead of sautéed vegetables to avoid loss of nutrients.
- Fat in food should be kept to a minimum.
- If you want to use oil, try cooking oil spray or oil with pastry brush.
- Cook in liquid form (such as vegetable stock, lemonade, juice, vinegar, or water) instead of oil.
- Use low-fat yogurt, evaporated low-fat soy milk, or cornstarch as a thickener instead of cream.
- Choose vegetables that are washed rather than peeled because the peel has many nutrients.
- When you boil vegetables, save the vitamin-rich water and use it as a stock in another dish.
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