Healthy Food For A Balanced Diet

The USDA recommends that you consume a balanced diet of nutrient-dense foods and avoid an unbalanced diet of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. Nutrient-dense foods can improve your health and lower your risk for developing chronic diseases, whereas high-calorie, low-nutrient foods, such as processed foods and fast foods, may increase your risk for disease. Consult your nutritionist about developing a balanced diet that can improve your health.

Fruits

Fruits contain an abundance of nutrients that include vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and other types of antioxidants that enhance your health and reduce your risk of disease. Harvard School of Public Health recommends that you consume at least 2 cups of fruit each day. Eat a variety of colors of fruits so that you can maximize your intake of nutrients. Citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, are high in vitamin C, and strawberries and raspberries are high in antioxidants. Apples contain pectin and other types of fiber that can help you control your blood sugar.

Vegetables

Vegetables also contain high amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Harvard School of Public Health recommends that you consume at least 2½ cups of vegetables each day to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and loss of vision. Kale, collard greens, bok choy, spinach, Brussels sprouts, arugula and cabbage are the most nutrient-dense foods that you should consume in your diet on a regular basis. Drinking freshly juiced vegetables is also nutritious. Research by scientists at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, published in "Biomedical and Environmental Sciences" in 2008, reports that regular meals supplemented with kale juice can improve blood cholesterol and reduce the risks of coronary artery disease in males with high cholesterol.

Nuts

A misconception about nuts is that they are high in fat and you should eat them sparingly. The truth is that nuts contain healthy fats that can reduce your risk of heart disease. Almonds, pecans and hazelnuts contain monounsaturated fatty acids, and walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids. The USDA recommends that you consume more nuts and less meat and poultry as part of a balanced diet.

Soy

Soy foods are made from soybeans, a legume that contains all nine essential amino acids to make a complete protein, as well as healthy fat, calcium and isoflavone, an antioxidant with estrogen-like properties that can reduce your risk of cancer. The quality of protein in soy is comparable to animal protein. Consuming soy foods, such as tofu, may reduce your risk of osteoporosis. Research by scientists at the University of Bari in Italy, published in "Maturitas" in 2002, discovered that soy foods may be effective in reducing the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women who do not have symptoms of bone disease.