A balanced diet provides all the nutrients you need for health without exceeding the amount of calories needed for healthy weight. A balanced diet isn't difficult to achieve if you eat a variety of nutritious foods every day and balance your intake with adequate exercise. For instance, if you eat an 1800-calorie-a-day diet, about 1200 calories are used to support basic daily activities. The remaining calories need to be balanced with exercise, about 30 minutes of pure exercise and lots of physical activity like house work, gardening, walking, dancing or other recreation.
Dairy Products
Choose fat-free or 1 percent fat cheese, fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, or low fat cottage cheese. Eat up to three cups of milk, or three servings of other dairy products a day.
Meat and Beans
Eat a serving of protein at every meal. A serving is 3 oz. of meat or a half cup of beans, peas, lentils or tofu, or an ounce of nuts and seeds. Select lean meat; trim away visible fat; broil, roast, or poach rather than frying. Almonds, hazelnuts, mixed nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds and walnuts are good sources of protein and fiber, but are high in calories so limit the amount you eat to an ounce.
Fruit
Eat four servings of fruit a day. A serving is a medium-sized fruit or half a cup of peeled and diced fruit or 4 oz of 100 percent pure fruit juice or 1/4 cup of dried fruit. Apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, grapes, grapefruit, mangoes, melons, oranges, peaches, pineapples, raisins and prunes and tangerines all provide fiber and antioxidant nutrients.
Vegetables
Eat five servings of vegetables a day. A serving is a half cup of cooked or raw vegetables or a cup of leafy greens. Vegetables provide fiber and antioxidant nutrients: vitamins and minerals that help prevent aging and degenerative diseases.
Grains
Eat 3 oz. a day of whole grain products. Choose whole grain breads. Eat whole grains such as brown rice or quinoa instead of potatoes. Eat oats for breakfast instead of processed and refined breakfast cereals.
Healthy Oils
Healthy fats are necessary to absorb fat-soluble nutrients, and the oils themselves contain necessary nutrients. However, you should limit fats to less than 30% of your calories, and choose from healthy oils like olive oil or walnut oil, rather than animal fats and butter.
Other Foods.
Avoid added sugar in your food or drinks. Use less than 2g of salt per day. Have no more than one alcoholic drink a day. Spices have few calories and many antioxidants; they make food more delicious and nutritious without the added sugar and salt of processed foods.
References
- UAB Health System: Government Launches Anti-Obesity Program
- "J Am Diet Assoc"; Persons successful at long-term weight loss and maintenance continue to consume a low-energy, low-fat diet; Shick SM et al.; 1998;98:408-13
- Medline Plus: Balanced Diet
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Balanced Diet
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