Eating a nutrient-rich and well-balanced diet is extremely important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Eating right provides the body with all the essential nutrients it needs to function properly. In addition, a well-balanced diet strengthens the immune system, supports healthy development, helps maintain a normal weight and prevent chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. With a little planning and preparation, it is easy to follow a balanced diet and you will set the stage for living a happy and healthy life.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Read up on a Balanced Diet
Step 1. Eat foods from all five food groups
This is one of the main aspects to ensure a balanced diet. By consuming foods from all food groups, you provide your body with a variety of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients to keep it healthy.
- Make sure you don't exclude any of these groups: proteins, dairy, grains, fruits and vegetables.
- Include sources of healthy fats as well. Although fats are not considered a proper food group, some studies have shown that it is important to have a moderate amount of healthy fats (such as omega 3 fatty acids) to promote heart health.
- If you exclude one or more food groups from your diet, you run the risk of suffering from nutritional deficiencies. Not all essential nutrients are present in all categories, so it is essential to consume dishes from all five groups every day.
Step 2. Eat various foods that belong to each group
Not only is it important to base your diet on all five food groups, it is also critical to vary the foods within each category.
- Each product offers different vitamins, minerals and nutrients. If you don't follow a diversified diet, you risk limiting your intake of valuable nutrients.
- This is even more important with fruit and vegetables, as they are particularly rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as containing a variety of health-promoting antioxidants. Each different colored fruit or vegetable contains different types of antioxidants that strengthen the immune system in many ways.
- You should eat locally sourced fruits and vegetables, as they are in season and offer greater vitamin and mineral benefits.
Step 3. Get the right amount of calories
In addition to guaranteeing yourself a variety of foods to assimilate all the important nutrients, you must also follow a balanced daily diet in terms of energy.
- Make sure you eat the right amount of calories for your age, activity level, and gender to keep your weight within the normal range. If you eat too many or too few calories, you will gain weight or lose weight.
- Generally speaking, women should consume about 1500 calories per day, while men about 2000. However, this varies according to age, sex, level of physical activity and overall health.
- If your goal is to gain or lose weight, it's important to eat the right amount of calories. An excess or deficit of energy leads to health problems.
Step 4. Avoid restrictive diets
You don't have to follow a diet plan that invites you to exclude certain foods or limit yourself to others. These types of diets can lead you to eat too much of one nutrient and not enough of others, thus creating an imbalance.
- Low carb diets overly focus on reducing or eliminating carbohydrate-based foods, such as fruits, starchy vegetables, legumes, grains, and dairy products. The restriction of so many food groups puts the body at risk of nutritional deficiencies.
- Low-fat diets urge you not to eat foods such as very fatty meat, eggs, fatty fish, whole dairy products, butter and oil. Although reducing fat offers health benefits, "healthy" ones are actually essential for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamin A or D).
- Protein diets invite you to consume mainly protein-based foods, such as poultry, eggs, pork, beef, fish or legumes. A moderate amount of protein is needed, but excessive consumption can lead to kidney problems over time.
Step 5. Treat yourself to a few "extras" in moderation
A balanced diet can sometimes include more caloric foods or a few more delicacies. Although you shouldn't eat them regularly, they are accepted in a healthy and balanced diet, as long as they are occasional.
- You can include delicacies or special delicacies every now and then in your diet; it could be a dessert or a glass of wine.
- Just be careful not to overdo it and not eat these foods constantly, otherwise you could create an imbalance in the diet, gain weight or even develop chronic diseases, such as hypertension or diabetes.
- Alcoholic drinks are part of the "extras". Even when you indulge in a shot, don't drink more than one glass if you're a woman, and no more than two if you're a man.
Step 6. Make a meal plan
To make planning a balanced diet easier, you could plan your meals. This way, you have a chance to better understand if you are sticking to nutritional principles - eat one serving of foods from all food groups and change the variety every week.
- When writing your diet plan, remember to consider all meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Also take note of the snacks you plan on making.
- Once you have prepared your daily or weekly schedule, check it to make sure you have entered different varieties of foods from each food group. If you notice any shortcomings, make the necessary adjustments where necessary.
- If you wish, you can also download a smartphone app to track meals to make scheduling easier.
Part 2 of 2: Maintain a Balanced Diet
Step 1. Eat Lean Protein
Protein is an essential nutrient needed in relatively large quantities. If you include a source of this food group with every meal or snack, you can reach your daily goal.
- Protein is present in many foods, such as poultry, beef, pork, legumes, eggs, dairy products, tofu and soy products.
- One serving of protein is equivalent to 80-120 g and roughly corresponds to the volume of a deck of cards or a checkbook. Most women should consume 46g per day, while men should consume about 56g.
- If you want to keep your body weight under control, you need to choose lean, low-fat proteins; these contain few calories and help maintain normal weight. Excellent sources are boneless, skinless chicken breast, turkey cutlets, 90% lean ground beef or more, salt-free dried fruit.
Step 2. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables
They are foods rich in vitamins, minerals and fibers; they are also great sources of antioxidants that you don't find in other foods and that improve health.
- One serving of fruit corresponds to a small fruit, equivalent to about 120 g. Generally speaking, you should aim to eat 2-3 servings of fruit per day.
- One serving of green leafy vegetables corresponds to about 200 g. Aim to eat 4-5 servings a day.
- To take different antioxidants, choose different colored fruits and vegetables every day; by doing so, you have the possibility to vary the nutrients, since the foods of different colors contain different vitamins.
Step 3. Go for 100% whole grains
Both whole and refined grains are included in the food group of cereals. If you can, make sure that half or even all of the grains you eat are whole.
- Whole grains have been processed very little and contain all parts of the cereal - the germ, the endosperm and the bran. Together, the three components provide fiber, protein and other health-promoting nutrients. Examples of whole grains are pasta, corn, quinoa, oats, brown rice, and wholemeal bread.
- The refined grains have been industrially processed and have been stripped of the bran or germ (thus reducing the amount of nutrients present). These include white bread and pasta, polished rice and other products made with white flours.
- A portion of whole grains corresponds to 80 g. Make a commitment to eat two or three servings a day. If possible, enrich your diet with at least half or better, all 100% whole grains.
Step 4. Enter sources of healthy fats
As already mentioned above, fats are not considered a real food group; however, they are essential nutrients in a balanced diet. That said, you still need to be careful not to eat too much or the wrong kind.
- Choose heart-healthy fats, such as omega 3 and other monounsaturated fats. Studies have found that this type of fat promotes heart health. Some examples are: olive oil, oily fish, avocado, dried fruit and nut oil.
- One serving of oil or fat equals one teaspoon. You should consume one or two a day, but no more.
- Avoid or reduce unhealthy fats, such as trans and saturated fats, as these have been found to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. They are present in foods such as fried foods or fast food foods, industrially processed products, animal proteins rich in fats.
Step 5. Take the supplements
It is not always possible to eat foods from all food groups or a different variety of them. The causes can be various, such as allergies to certain products, food sensitivities or chronic diseases. In these cases, it is still essential to take an adequate amount of all the nutrients by assimilating them from other sources, such as vitamin and mineral supplements. In general, most nutritional values should come from foods and supplements should only be taken when absolutely necessary.
- Dietary supplements can help you reach your daily nutritional goals. Consider taking multivitamins, calcium (especially if you're allergic to milk or lactose intolerant), fish oil (if you're allergic to fish or don't like it) or vitamin D (hard to get from food, but you can get it from sunrays).
- Vegetarians and vegans should also take vitamin B12 or iron supplements, as their diets can be deficient in these nutrients.
- Always consult your doctor before taking vitamins, minerals, or herbal supplements. While generally harmless, some can severely interact with prescription drugs and certain chronic diseases. Your doctor will be able to tell you if they are safe and appropriate for your specific situation.
- As already stated, don't limit yourself to just supplements to provide your body with essential nutrients. You should rely on them as a last resort if you are unable to get essential nutrients through food.
Step 6. Contact a professional dietician
It is not easy to maintain a balanced diet and you may feel confused. However, a qualified and renowned expert will be able to give you more information, guide you and support you in diet changes.
- A qualified dietician is a graduate doctor who specializes in nutrition, healthy eating, and weight loss.
- Look for a professional in your area or ask your family doctor for an expert who can help you in your goal.
Advice
- Eat small portions of mixed nuts, but in moderation.
- Eat slowly so you don't overeat. In this way, the mind has the ability to send the satiety signal to the body. When you eat too quickly, your brain doesn't have time to send that signal until you've already overdone it.
- A diet plan to reduce calories involves consuming a correct amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fats that help you lose weight. To follow a balanced diet you don't have to stop eating foods belonging to certain food groups, because you will only get to lose some important nutrients. A good way to start is to set up a diet plan that includes a wide variety of foods.
