Understand Balanced Diet

Balanced Diet

a balanced diet is one which includes a variety of foods in adequate amounts and correct proportions to meet the day’s requirements of all essential nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, water, and fibre. Such a diet helps to promote and preserve good health and also provides a safety margin or reserve of nutrients to withstand short durations of deprivation when they are not supplied by the diet.

            The safety margin takes care of the days we fast, or the short-term deficiency of certain nutrients in the daily diet. If the balanced diet meets the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for an individual, then the safety margin is already included since RDAs are formulated keeping extra allowances in mind.

Recommended Dietary Allowances = Requirements + Margin of safety

A balanced diet takes care of the following aspects.

1. Includes a variety of food items

2. Meets the RDA for all nutrients

3. Includes nutrients in correct proportions

4. Provides a safety margin for nutrients

5. Promotes and preserves good health

6. Maintains acceptable body weight for height

Using Basic Food Groups for Planning Balanced Diets

One of the simplest ways to plan a balanced diet is to divide foods into 

groups and then make sure that each group is included in the meals. A 

food group consists of different foods which have common characteristics. 

These common features may be the source of food, the physiological 

function performed, or the nutrients present.

          Foods can be grouped on the basis of the predominant nutrients present in them. This classification varies from one country to another depending on many factors. The five food group classification is used in India as a guide to meal planning. Many factors have been considered while compiling these groups such as availability of food, cost, meal pattern, and deficiency diseases prevalent. Not all foods in each group are equal in their nutrient content. That is why a variety of foods from each group should be 

included in the diet.

A classification based on nutrients present will ensure that all nutrients are made available to the body and offer greater variety within the group. There are five basic food groups suggested by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). These include:

 • Cereals, grains and products

 • Pulses and legumes

 • Milk and meat products

 • Fruits and vegetables

 • Fats and sugars

The five food groups are summarised in the table below:

Guidelines for using the basic food groups

The five food group system can be used both for planning and 

assessing balanced diets. It is a simple daily food guide which can 

be used for nutrition education as well. Guidelines could be adopted 

depending on the food groups.

•  Include at least one or a minimum number of servings from each food group in each meal.
•  Make choices within each group as foods within each group are 

  similar but not identical in nutritive value.
•  If the meal is vegetarian, use suitable combinations to improve 

  the overall protein quality of the diet. For example, serving cereal-

  pulse combinations or including small quantities of milk or curds 

  in the meal.
• Include uncooked vegetables and fruits in the meals.
• Include at least one serving of milk to ensure a supply of calcium 

  and other nutrients as milk contains all nutrients except iron, 

  vitamin C, and fibre.

  
  
• Cereals should not supply more than 75 per cent of total Kcal/

  Calories.

Now let us look at the concept of the food guide pyramid.

Food Guide Pyramid

The following figure illustrates the food guide pyramid for 

Indians.

The food guide pyramid is a graphic depiction of the daily food guide. 

The illustration was designed to depict variety, moderation, and also 

proportions. The size of each section represents the number of daily 

servings recommended. The broad base at the bottom conveys the message that grains should be abundant and form the foundation of a healthy diet. Fruits and vegetables appear at the next level, showing that they have a less prominent, but still important place in the diet. Meats and milks appear in a smaller band near the top. A few servings of each can contribute valuable nutrients such as proteins, vitamins and minerals, without too much fat and cholesterol. Fats, oils and sweets occupy the tiny apex, indicating that they should be used sparingly. Alcoholic beverages do not appear in the pyramid, but they too, if consumed, should be limited. Items such as spices, coffee, tea and diet soft drinks provide few, if any, nutrients, but can add flavour and pleasure to meals when used judiciously.

The daily food guide plan and food guide pyramid emphasise grains, 

vegetables, and fruits. These are all plant foods. Some 75 per cent of a

day’s servings should come from these three groups. This strategy helps all people obtain complex carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, and minerals with little fat. It also makes diet planning for vegetarians easier.

Vegetarian Food Guide

Vegetarian diets rely mainly on plant foods: grain, vegetables, legumes, fruits, seeds, and nuts. Some vegetarian diets include eggs, milk products, or both. People who do not eat meats or milk products can still use the daily food guide to create an adequate diet. The food groups are similar and the number of servings remains the same. Vegetarians can select alternatives to meat such as legumes, seeds, nuts, tofu and for those who eat them, eggs. Legumes, and at least one cup of dark leafy greens, help to supply the iron that meats usually provide. Vegetarians who do not drink cow’s milk can use soy ‘milk’ – a product made from soyabeans that provides similar nutrients if it has been fortified with calcium, vitamin D, and Vitamin B12 (i.e., these nutrients are added).

         The food guide pyramid emphasises foods from the five food groups shown in the three lower sections of the pyramid. Each of these food groups provides some, but not all of the nutrients you need. Foods in one group cannot replace those in another. No one food group is more important than another – for good health you need all of them.

The pyramid is an outline of what to eat each day. It is not a right 

prescription, but a general guide that lets you choose a healthful diet that is right for you. The pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need, and at the same time, the right amount of Calories to maintain a healthy weight.