A balanced diet is often described as any diet that provides the appropriate and adequate amounts of nutrition and energy for optimal health. It draws from all food groups, but focuses mainly on those groups that contain the widest array of foods. The larger the food group, the more of these foods you should eat each day, such as fruits, vegetable and whole grains. Doing so ensures you're getting all the necessary vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to maintain your overall health.
Types
While there are only five true food groups, six categories actually make up the standard food pyramid, including fruit, vegetable, grain, dairy, protein and oil. Some foods will fall within more than one category, especially when it comes to protein and oil. Nuts and some fish are considered both protein and oil. Avocados are classified as a fruit and an oil, while most beans fulfill your need for a vegetable and a protein.
Servings
The National Institutes of Health recommends that an average diet should consist of 2 cups of fruit, 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and at least 3 oz. of whole grains each day. And depending on your age and caloric intake, the rest of your daily diet is made up of 2 to 3 cups low-fat dairy, 2 to 6 1/2 oz. lean protein and no more than 3 to 7 tsp. of oils.
Restrictions
Once you've established what you need to eat, it's also important to balance your diet by restricting or limiting your intake of certain substances. The American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health agree that a balanced diet limits your intake of both saturated fat and trans-fatty acid. Saturated fat should make up to no more than 7 percent of your daily calories, while trans fat no more than 1 percent of your caloric intake. Besides fat, you should also consume less than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol and less than 2300 mg of sodium a day.
Benefits
The benefits of a balanced diet encompass more than just better health. It's also known to reduce your chances of serious health complications. If you're able to balance your diet, you can expect a lower risk of kidney stones, bone loss, obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, heart attack and stroke, advises the United States Department of Agriculture. Balanced diets can even reduce your chances of developing cancers of the mouth, stomach and colon.
Exercise
Though exercise has nothing to do with food, it's still considered an important component of balanced diets. This is largely due to the fact that exercise helps bring balance between food and physical activity, which is crucial to weight management and overall health. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. But exercise needn't be a chore, so choose activities you enjoy that elevates both heart and respiration rate to get the most out of your athletic pursuits.
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