As all of us already know, a balanced diet is very important to maintain a healthy life. As the name suggests, it means eating your food in a correct proportion. It should contain all the foods from all the major food groups. Intake of the right amount of calories should be the main aim of a balanced diet. But it may vary from person to person because each individual is different from one another and so are their diet.
What are the benefits of maintaining a balanced diet?
- Controls your weight: A balanced diet helps you to get rid of obesity or undernutrition by controlling your weight. You must eliminate all the items which contain fats and carbohydrates from your diet.
- Prevents you from various diseases and infections: The immune system works properly if your diet is balanced. This gives your body the strength to fight against various diseases and infections. High blood pressure, diabetes, chronic diseases and seasonal allergies are less likely to happen if some good nutrition food is included in the diet.
- Enhances your beauty: Besides helping your body to fight against diseases, it also helps in attaining a healthy state of the body externally. It gives you a natural glow on your face, your skin as well as your hair.
- Provides a stable mental health: It boosts your energy and memory. With the help of a balanced diet your mind can function properly and the same time there is a less risk of mental disorders.
What should your balanced diet include?
When you are on a diet, always make sure that you eat healthily. It is important that your diet should include all the items listed below.
- Proteins: They are very much important because it helps the body to grow and tissues to repair. A diet which is deprived of protein can cause serious health issues such as, arthritis, hair loss, insomnia, cramps, soreness of the muscle, etc. Food items such as meat, eggs, nuts, seafood are rich in protein. Plant-based products are also a source of protein with the minimum amount of fat in it.
- Dairy Products: Calcium-rich dairy products help to attain stronger teeth and bones. Lack of calcium intake causes Osteoporosis. A balanced diet must include milk, cheese, and yogurt. Nutritionist recommends intake of dairy products three times a day.
- Carbohydrates: In order to allow your body to function all day long, carbohydrates are necessary. A good digestive system is achieved with the fiber content of carbohydrate foods. Its antioxidizing property reduces the risk of heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes. Sources of carbohydrate are- vegetables like potatoes, lentils, whole-grain cereals, brown rice, and nuts.
- Fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are a rich source of vitamin and minerals. Having high water content and low fat helps in maintaining a good health and avoiding health problems such as cancer and heart diseases. Eating them on a regular basis with vegetable soups, juices, salads can promote a balanced diet.
- Dietary fibers: Fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes mainly contain dietary fibers. Few benefits are- it helps in lowering down the cholesterol level and blood sugar level. A healthy weight is maintained and risk of colorectal cancer is reduced.
List of some healthy foods to eat:
Eating healthy food in correct proportion and on time is very important. Always make sure that you never skip any of the meal especially the breakfast and try consuming all of them at a regular interval of time. The three main meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, when combined with healthy snacks, can help your body to function smoothly. Due to the busy and hectic schedule, people often try to skip or consume less in a breakfast. But breakfast should be the heaviest meal of the day in order to keep yourself running all the day. Followed by lunch and dinner, all of them must contain the best diet products.
- Breakfast: The starting meal of the day must contain the three important items. These are carbohydrates, proteins, and nuts. Whole-grain bread, oatmeal, white oats, white flakes, eggs, yogurt, almonds, walnuts, apricots, sprouts are the perfect food items that one can consume in his/her breakfast. A full-time breakfast helps you to intake fewer calories for the rest of the day. This way you can reduce weight with a balanced diet.
- Lunch: Try to combine your meal with high-fiber whole grains and some protein-rich items. These may include brown rice, starchy carbohydrates, pulses, chicken or fish. Complete your meal with a bowl full of fresh salad and some probiotics like yogurt.
- Dinner: Do not overload your stomach with a heavy dinner. It is always recommended to have a light and healthy dinner. So, select your food items wisely. Limit the intake of carbs at night and eat items like fish, nuts combined with a plate full of greens that are rich in vitamins and minerals. These may help your body to repair and regenerate overnight.
Besides having these three meals, never forget the snacks. They are as much important as the meals. Include your snacks with best diet products like fresh fruits, salads, curd etc. and totally cut-off the junk foods. The key to a healthy life is eating healthy.
Make sure that you eat in small amount but divide them into frequent meals so that you are never hungry. When you wake up try having your breakfast just after one and a half hours. There should be a three-hour gap between breakfast and lunch. The best time to have your dinner is just two hours before going to sleep. This would improve your digestion process and metabolism rate.
For the proper functioning of the organs and tissues of the body, nutrients are required and this can only be achieved by including good nutrition food in your diet. Starting from children to men, women and even the aged person, a proper balanced diet is necessary to reduce the risk of diseases, fatigue, infection and various health issues. Eat a wide variety of nutritious foods and try to stay healthy.