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The food we eat have a significant effect on our total well-being. You can maintain a healthy eating lifestyle by understanding what a balanced diet is and how to achieve it.

Table of Content

• What is Balanced Diet?
• Food that contains Carbohydrate
• Types of Protein
• Food that contains Fat
• How to achieve a balanced Diet
• Example of Balanced Diet for a Day

What is Balanced Diet?

Balanced Diet consist of a variety of different group of food that provide adequate amount of nutrients our body needs for good health. A meal is considered a balanced diet when it contains the three groups of Food and these includes:

• Carbohydrate
• Protein
• Fat

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are sugar molecules. Your body breaks down carbohydrates into Glucose. Glucose or blood sugar, is the main source of energy for your  cells, tissues, and organs. Glucose can be used immediately or stored in the liver and muscles for later use. Carbohydrates comes in three forms, these include: Sugar, Starches and Fibre.

Source of Carbohydrates

Here are types of food you can get Carbohydrate from and this is listed according to the different types of Carbohydrates. They includes:

Sugar: it is the most basic form of Carbohydrate. You can get Sugar as a form of Carbohydrate naturally from Fruit, Vegetables, Milk etc.

Starches: They are complex Carbohydrate that is made up of lot of simple sugar. Starches include Bread, Pasta, Rice, Cereal, Potatoes, Peas, Corn etc

Fibre: Fibre is also a complex Carbohydrate. Eating food with Fibre can help you feel full and also prevent you from overeating. Fibre can also help digestion process to prevent constipation. You can get Fibre from Fruit, Seed, Beans, whole grain etc.

Food that have Carbohydrates

Common foods with carbohydrate include:

• Grains, such as bread, noodles, pasta, crackers, cereals, and rice
• Fruits, such as apples, bananas, berries, mangoes, melons, and oranges
• Dairy products, such as milk and yogurt
• Legumes, including dried beans, lentils, and peas
• Snack foods and sweets, such as cakes, cookies, candy, and other desserts
• Juices, regular sodas, fruit drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks that contain sugar
• Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, corn, and peas

Protein

Protein is found throughout the body ranging from our muscle, bone, skin, hair, and virtually every other body part or tissue. Protein is a key part of every diet.

Types of Protein

There are two different types of Protein and which is The Animal based Protein and Plant based Protein.

Animal-Based Protein Include:

• Chicken
• Beef
• Egg
• Fish
• Milk
• Etc

Plant-Based Protein include:

• Soy Beans
• Peas
• Chickpea
• Quinoa
• Black Beans
• Peanut Butter
• Etc.

Food that contains Fat

Fats have the highest energy storage potential of the macronutrients, and are very chemically stable, making them ideal for storing energy for later use. Fat is organized into two subgroups: saturated fat, and unsaturated fat.

Saturated Fat include:

• Butter
• Biscuits
• Cakes
• Sausages
• Bacon
• Meat
• Pastries, such as pies, sausage rolls
• cheese

Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats are considered beneficial fats because they can improve blood cholesterol levels, ease inflammation, stabilize heart rhythms, and play a number of other beneficial roles. Unsaturated fats are predominantly found in foods from plants, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds.

There are two types of Unsaturated fat which include:

1. Monounsaturated Fat: You can find this type of fat in:

• Olive, Peanut
• Almonds, Hazelnut
• Avocado
• Pumpkin and Sesame Seeds
• Etc.

2. Polyunsaturated fats are found in high concentrations like:

• Soybean, and flaxseed oils
• Walnuts
• Flax seeds
• Fish
• Etc.

It is advisable to consume more of Unsaturated Fat and less of Saturated fat in order to achieve a good Health.

How to achieve a Balanced diet

Understanding the different Group of food is the bedrock to achieving a balanced diet. As a mum, while creating your home food menu or time table, you should ensure that each meal for the day include Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat according to the recommended amount. This is also important for Restaurant owners. A great restaurant menu depends on these three classes of Food.

Do not forget that the ideal daily intake of calories varies depending on age, metabolism and levels of physical activity, your desired body goal among other things. The recommended daily Calorie intake is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men. The amount of Carbohydrates should be between 45% to 65%, Protein 10% to 35% while Fat 25% to 35%.

Example of Balanced diet for a Day

Breakfast Fast: French Toast( Bread, Milk, Eggs and cinnamon toast), serve with Sausages, stir fry tomatoes and lettuce. Freshly Pressed Orange Juice as Drink.

Lunch: Semolina serve with Okra Soup with Mackerel Fish, Prawns and a bottle of Water. Dark Chocolate for Dessert.

Dinner: Jollof Rice with green peas, carrots, Grilled Chicken, sliced Avocado serve with Yogurt drink and some Cookies for dessert.

Source:

Bellow are the link of where i got some of the information used on this post.

Mayo Clinic Health system

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/what-should-my-daily-intake-of-calories-be/

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/