People generally know that eating a healthy and balanced diet is the optimal way to maximize their health and wellness. There is a lot of misinformation on what, exactly, you should be eating to achieve this so-called "balance." You should become familiar with what a balanced diet is and seek help from your doctor or a registered dietitian if you require further assistance.
Definition
The University of Maryland Medical Center states, "A balanced diet means getting the right types and amounts of foods and drinks to supply nutrition and energy for maintaining body cells, tissues, organs and for supporting normal growth and development." A balanced diet includes sources of fat, carbohydrates and protein, which are all considered mandatory for optimal health and wellness. The goal of the balanced diet is to meet your nutritional needs while not exceeding them. This includes caloric intake.
Varies Person-to-Person
Although a balanced diet employs consistent principles, such as limiting saturated fat intake, trans fat intake and added sugars, the actual caloric intake and food selection may vary from person to person. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that three aspects are critical to achieving your optimal balanced diet. First, you need to know how many calories to eat on a daily basis. Second, you need to know how big or how many calories each portion should be. Finally, you need to know which foods are the most healthful from each of the six food groups.
General Guidelines
A healthy, balanced diet is largely based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Pyramid. Unlike many weight-loss diets that feature specific meal plans, the guidelines of a balanced diet are much more broad. In general, you should at least eat three meals with foods from each of the six food groups at every meal: grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, milk and meat, fish and beans. Variety and moderation are stressed, since no single food supplies all the needed nutrients, according to the Harvard School of Public Health and Texas A&M Medical School.
Food Selection
Food selection stresses foods that are low in unhealthful saturated and trans fat, added sugar and high amounts of calories. The milk or dairy food group includes fat-free or non-fat cheese, milk and yogurt. The meat and beans group includes lean meats such as skinless chicken and turkey, all fish, red meat with the fat removed; legumes, which are beans, lentils and peas; nuts and seeds; soy products such as tofu and soy products. The fruit group is more obvious, including all the fruits you are familiar with: apples, oranges, grapes, bananas and melons. The vegetable group should be familiar to you, including: broccoli, kale, spinach and other green vegetables. The grain group is mainly breads and cereals, but also includes brown rice and whole wheat pasta. Finally, the oil group includes low-fat salad dressings and mayonnaise and healthful cooking oils such as olive oil, canola oil and grape seed oil.
Specific Recommendations
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA outline some more specific guidelines. These recommendations are based on a 2,000 calorie day. You should eat two cups or four servings of fruit a day. You should also eat five servings of vegetables per day. You should consume 3 oz. or more of whole-grain foods per day. Fewer than 10 percent of your total calories should come from saturated fat. Avoid trans fat completely, if you can. Finally, men should not exceed two drinks of alcohol a day and females should not exceed one drink.
A lot goes into achieving a healthful balance in your diet; speak with a professional if you need help planning your meals.
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