Superfoods and weight loss diets have gained enormous popularity in the past few years. Social media platforms are flooded with weird diet hacks and food trends. As a result, most of us have stopped paying attention to consuming well-balanced meals. For the unversed, a balanced diet contains all the essential nutrients that the human body requires to function properly. However, instead of balancing meals with all essential nutrients, many focus on consuming one particular nutrient or blindly follow the recent viral trend. This can be detrimental to your health and contribute to long-term consequences. To help you eat the right way, here we have the basics of eating a balanced diet and its benefits.
Balanced diet: Benefits and how to achieve
Benefits of a balanced diet
- A balanced diet helps your body meet its nutritional demands and prevents nutritional deficiencies
- It can help you maintain a healthy weight
- Without a balanced diet, your body is more prone to diseases, infections, poor performance, fatigue and more
- Consuming well-balanced meals helps ensure strong immunity to fight against diseases
- Children who do not get right nutrition face growth and development issues and also develop poor eating habits
- Eating a balanced diet improves energy levels and maintains normal body functions
- It also supports healthy pregnancies
What to eat for a balanced diet
7 essential components of a balanced diet include:
1. Carbohydrates: For optimal energy levels add carb-rich foods to your diet such as whole grains, legumes, vegetables, beans, quinoa, oats and more.
2. Protein: It is the building block of the human body. some food sources of protein are eggs, fish, chicken, nuts, seeds, dairy and legumes.
3. Fibre: For healthy digestion and optimal gut health, you need enough fibre. Fruits, vegetables, oats, whole grains and quinoa are good sources of fibre.
4. Fats: Healthy fats are crucial for your overall health. Foods such as fatty fish, nuts, avocados and seeds contain healthy fats.
5. Vitamins: There are 13 essential vitamins that you need for optimal health. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and other whole foods can offer these vitamins.
6. Minerals: Similarly, you need essential minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and others for better health. Several foods are naturally loaded with these minerals.
7. Water: Your body needs adequate hydration to function properly. Drink enough water throughout the day to stay well-hydrated.
What to avoid
Avoid or limit the consumption of these foods when on a healthy diet:
- Highly-processed foods
- Alcohol
- Processed meat
- Refined grain
- Added salt and sugar
A well-balanced diet can help your body meet all nutritional requirements. It can also help you sustainably maintain a healthy weight.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
