A good diet involves far more than just eating when you're hungry. The right foods, portion amounts and mealtimes, plus an awareness of the nutrition that you're getting in a day, create the type of balance that your body craves. Good health requires maintaining equilibrium in all of your body's tissues and systems. A healthy meal plan encourages this state, providing enough protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fat and cholesterol without the excess that causes health and weight problems.
Nutritional Needs
Consider which nutrients your menus provide and try to achieve the full allowances recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Package labels will tell you the percentage of these amounts per serving, such as 30 percent daily value, or DV, of calcium in 1 cup of milk. Healthy meals emphasize beneficial fiber, vitamins and minerals and limit fat, cholesterol, sugar and sodium, a mineral contained in table salt that can affect your blood pressure.
Food Selection
Choose foods that offer this type of nutritional balance most of the time, allowing yourself favorite foods that contain fats and sugar, for instance, within recommended limits. To tip the scale toward the healthier nutrients, the American Heart Association advises eating lots of whole grains, vegetables and fruits and smaller amounts of low-fat dairy and protein foods. Plan your menus with different foods from each of those food groups to get varied combinations of nutrients whose sum totals represent a balanced diet.
Calorie Control
As you check off the nutrients that you need every day, such as fiber, calcium and other minerals, and vitamins A, B, C, D and E, watch your portion sizes. Use the suggested serving information on food labels and adjust specific portions to your appetite and daily calorie limit. Keep in mind that portion control also serves to control your blood-sugar level and promote healthy digestion, important steps that can prevent chronic medical problems or help you manage existing ones. Exercise enough to expend the food calories that you consume, so you don't gain weight.
Regular Meals
A predetermined meal plan delivers nutrients to your cells more consistently than just eating when you feel like it. This is part of the dietary balance that your body prefers, to support its metabolic balance. Adopt evenly spaced eating times and stick with them as much as possible, especially ensuring a proper breakfast. After a night of rest, your body needs the fuel for the physical and mental demands of a new day.
References
- FDA: Recommended Daily Values for Nutrients; March 2011
- FDA: Choosing Healthful Foods Using the Nutrition Facts on the Food Label; January 2011
- American Heart Association: How Do I Follow a Healthy Diet?; August 2010
- American Diabetes Association: Create Your Plate
- National Institutes of Health: Balanced Diet; January 2011
Member Comments