The foods that you consume literally fuel your every move. Energy and chemicals needed for brain, heart, lung and muscle power come from eating the right proportions of the right foods. This gives you enough protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, while limiting sodium, cholesterol, sugar and saturated fat. An imbalance of these nutrients can cause health problems. Too few calories leads to starvation. You need to eat to live, and you must eat well to be healthy.
Calories
Most adults need between 1,600 and 3,000 calories every day for healthy body function, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This provides enough energy for cellular growth, maintenance and repair. When you consume the same number of calories that you use up through physical activity, you stay at a consistent body weight. Too many calories and not enough exercise makes you gain weight. Too few calories makes you lose weight and body mass. Use the nutrition facts on food packages to keep track of how many calories you get from your daily servings of different foods.
Food Groups
While consuming calories will keep you alive, eating a variety of foods will give you the right mix of nutrients to satisfy all your physical needs. Use the five food groups -- fruit, vegetable, grain, dairy and protein foods -- to plan menus that, together, offer all of the essential vitamins and minerals. For example, fruits provide potassium, fiber and vitamin C, while grains give you protein, iron and B vitamins. Choose dairy products for calcium and vitamin D. Meats, fish, beans, nuts and seeds give you options for getting your daily protein.
Food Choices
As you buy foods and plan menus, strive for meals with items from each food group. Among these choices, prefer foods with less salt, fat and sugar. This will emphasize beneficial vitamins, minerals and fiber. Use food labels to help you identify low-sodium canned and frozen foods, low-fat dairy products and low-sugar cereals and other healthy foods.
Significance
Eating nutrient dense foods, or those with high vitamins and minerals in low calories, will help you achieve your dietary and weight goals. Even while dieting, people need to eat enough to stay well. Following a balanced diet from all the food groups that limits fat, sodium and sugar can keep your heart healthy and reduce your long-term disease risks for diabetes, cancer and heart disease, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- Food and Drug Administration; Eating Healthier and Feeling Better Using the Nutrition Facts Label; August 2006
- USDA; Food Groups; June 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Balanced Diet; October 2009
- National Institutes of Health; Nutrition; July 2011
Member Comments