What is a Balanced Diet?

Balancing your meals can be tough. For a balanced diet requires you to eat all the nutrients in the right proportion to meet the requirements of your body. Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals constitute the five main nutrients of food. You get these nutrients from the food you eat. You need to know how to get the right amount of of each -- either too little or too much can be harmful. When your body gets an adequate supply of these five nutrients in the right proportion, you are eating a balanced diet.

A balanced diet can be achieved by blending the different food groups: cereals and pulses, vegetables and fruits, milk and milk products and oils and fats.

Cereals & Pulses: Wheat and rice are the two commonly eaten cereals. These should be taken in sufficient quantity as they are a rich source of protein and various other vitamins and minerals.

Lentils, dals and gram form the pulse group and are a rich source of protein, and Vitamin B complex. Complement pulses with cereals and your protein needs are taken care of.

Vegetables & Fruits: Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, fenugreek, mustard leaves and other vegetables such as potato and lady finger should be consumed adequately. You get a lot of vitamin A, B and C and minerals such as calcium and iron from these. No wonder, vegetables are considered to be a potent health tonic that keep you healthy.

Like vegetables, eat fruits daily as they are concentrated sources of vitamin A,B, and C. Remember the childhood saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. It's true.

Milk & milk products: Milk is one food that provides you with all the nutrients in a balanced proportion. So you need to drink milk everyday. Besides, consume milk products like paneer, that are rich in protein.

Fats & Oils: Fats are a concentrated source of energy for you and you should include both saturated and unsaturated fats in your diet. Though be careful to eat fats within limits, as an excess of these can be harmful.

Other foods such as meat, chicken, fish and eggs provide you with an ample quantity of proteins, vitamins and minerals such as iron. For a non-vegetarian diet, substitute the pulse group with the meat group but always prefer white meat over red meat.

Nutrient requirements vary with age, gender, physical activity and thus there can be no one universal balanced diet. However, according to the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, a balanced diet should provide 60-70 per cent of total calories from carbohydrates, preferably starch, about 10-12 per cent from proteins and 20-25 per cent from fat. Such a combination will give maximum efficiency to the organism as a whole. In addition, a balanced diet should provide other non-nutrients such as dietary fibre and antioxidants which result in positive health benefits.