Why a balanced diet is important
A balanced diet is important. 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 such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
A healthy, balanced diet will usually include vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant, carbohydrates, including starches, fibre, protein and healthy fats, taken from fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and protein foods.
Foods to avoid or limit on a healthy diet include highly processed foods, refined grains, added sugar and salt, red and processed meat, alcohol and trans fats.
Fruits are nutritious but they are high in sugar, but unlike sweets and deserts, this sugar is natural and also provides fibre and other nutrients. This means they’re less likely to cause a sugar spike and they will boost the body’s supply of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Vegetables are a key source of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. We should eat a variety of vegetables with different colours for a full range of nutrients. Dark, leafy greens are an excellent source of many nutrients, such as spinach, kale, green beans and broccoli.
Refined white flour is found in many breads and baked goods, but it has limited nutritional value because much of the goodness is in the outer shell of the grain, which is removed during processing. Whole grain products include the entire grain and they provide additional vitamins, minerals, and fibre.
Meat and beans are primary sources of protein, including poultry, such as chicken and turkey, fish, including salmon and other oily fish. Avoid processed meats and red meats as these may increase the risk of cancer and other diseases, according to some research.
Nuts, beans, and soy products are also excellent sources of protein, fibre, and other nutrients. Examples include lentils, beans, peas. Tofu, and other soy-based products are healthy alternatives to meat.
Dairy products provide essential nutrients, including protein, calcium and vitamin D. They also contain fat. Many dairy-free milks and other dairy alternatives are now available, usually made from either oats or almond. These are often fortified with calcium and other nutrients, making them excellent alternatives to dairy products.
Fat is essential for energy and cell health, but too much fat increases calories above what the body needs and may lead to weight gain. The following is a simple guideline:
Love: vegetable oils and fish oils
Limit: butter, cheese, and cream
Avoid: trans fats, used in many processed foods
Olive oil is a healthy fat, 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 it is important to eat those sparingly.
The bottom-line is that a healthy diet will combine all the nutrients and foods groups mentioned above and is usually one that contains plenty of fresh, plant-based foods, and limits the intake of processed foods.
A handy way to remember how much of each food group to eat is the plate method.
fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables
fill one quarter with grains
fill one quarter with protein foods
add dairy or a non-dairy replacement on the side.
Finally, a balanced diet supplies nutrients to the body and therefore needs to work effectively. Without balanced nutrition, the body is more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and low performance.
https://www.healthline.com/health
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