What is a balanced diet?

The concept of a balanced diet is frequently mentioned in nutrition education. This article aims to explain what it means to eat a balanced diet. A well-balanced diet is one that provides the body with the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to function properly. It is essential to consume a variety of foods from all food groups to achieve optimal health.

Meals are said to be balanced if the foods you choose to eat provide you with a wide range of nutrients. The way to achieve balance is to consume foods from each of the different food groups, so that no one food group crowds out another. Another way to describe balance in eating is to ensure that, the amount of energy and nutrients you obtain from the foods you eat is equal to the amount of energy and nutrients that your body uses or expends in its functions and in physical activity, so that there are no excesses or deficits.

In the Ghana Food Based Dietary Guidelines, foods are classified into 6 groups namely;

1. Fruits
2. Vegetables
3. Legumes, pulses, and nuts
4. Animal source foods
5. Healthy oils and fats
6. Cereals, roots, and tubers

In aiming to achieve a balanced diet, it is important to include a variety of foods from these groups in our daily meals to ensure we get a wide range of nutrients for optimal health.

When thinking about a balanced diet, it’s important to not only focus on what to include, but also what to limit or avoid. Processed, sugary, fatty and salty foods, for instance, can be high in empty calories and low in nutrients. They can lead to weight gain and other health issues like diabetes and heart disease, thus they must be restricted of avoided.

Some of the benefits of eating a balanced diet include;

– Improved overall health and well-being

– Stronger immune system

– Better digestion and gut health

– Increased energy levels

– Healthy weight management

– Reduced risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

Making the choice to nourish our bodies with a balanced meals will allow us to reap the benefits of healthy eating.

Written by the fullproofnutrition.com editorial team

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