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What
is a Balanced Diet?
"How
to" Diet
A balanced diet
includes a variety of foods from all 5 food
groups. It should provide enough calories to
ensure a desirable weight and should include
all the necessary daily nutrients.
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Fig 1. The 5 Basic
Food Groups
| Group |
Foods
included |
Daily
servings |
Nutrition |
| Grains |
Breakfast
cereals, muesli, rice, pasta, bread, oats, noodles,
and all other foods made from flour and grains.
Best are less refined types. |
6-11
servings |
Good
sources of starchy carbohydrates, fiber, plus
calcium, iron and B vitamins. Very filling and
low in fat. |
| Vegetables |
Includes
fresh, frozen or canned, & blended vegetable
juice drinks.
Best: spinach, cabbage, bean sprouts, peas,
carrots, broccoli, peppers, leeks potatoes onions,
garlic, tomatoes |
4
servings |
Good
sources of antioxidant vitamins A & C, folates,
fiber and some carbohydrates. Very low in fat
and calories. |
| Fruits |
Includes
fresh, frozen or canned plus blended 100% fruit
drinks.
Best: strawberries, grapes, kiwis, pineapple
blackcurrants oranges, lemons, grapefruit, peaches,
apricots. |
3-4
servings |
Good
sources of antioxidant vitamins A & C, folates,
fiber and some carbohydrates. Very low in fat
and calories. |
| Meat
& dairy |
Fish,
all meat, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt,
nuts.
Best: any fish (esp. oily fish), turkey, free
range chicken, lean beef, free range eggs, low
fat dairy products, fat free milk and lower fat
cheese. |
2-3
servings
You should
try to eat at least two portions of fish per week |
Lean
red meat contains
a wide variety of
essential nutrients.
Doctors advise us to
eat less red meat and
more oily fish. |
| Sugars
& fats |
All
sugars, oils, butter, margarine, cream.
Best: choose unrefined oils which are low
in saturated fat, unrefined sugar and low fat
spread low fat soft margarine. |
Tiny
amounts
Only |
Good
source of
essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins
A, D, E & K. |
A
Good Combination of Foods for a Balanced Diet
The
healthiest combination for a balanced diet is
low fat, low refined carb + healthy carbs +
moderate protein. For example, as a general
rule:
- About 50 percent
of your calories should come from complex carbohydrates
- About 20 percent
should come from protein.
- About 30 percent
should come from all fat. (Of this, a max. of
one third may be saturated fat).
Fig
2. What constitutes a serving |
|
| Food
group |
What
constitutes an approximate serving |
| Grains |
1
slice bread - half a muffin - half bowl cereal
- 4oz/100g cooked rice/pasta. |
| Vegetables |
4oz/100g
cooked/raw vegetables - 8oz/200g leafy green vegetables
- glass vegetable juice. |
| Fruits |
1
medium fresh fruit - 4oz canned fruit - 6 dried
apricots - glass fruit juice. |
| Meat
& dairy |
2-3oz/50-75g
cooked lean meat/fish/poultry - 2 eggs - 7oz/175g
tofu - half cup nuts/seeds.
1 cup milk/yogurt - 1oz cheddar cheese - 4oz cottage
cheese - 4oz ice-cream/frozen yogurt. |
| Sugars
& fats |
Ideally
use fat free sprays for cooking. Use only light
covering of spread on bread. |
Do you
need supplements on a balanced diet?
No. If
you lead a relatively normal life and follow a balanced
diet, you won't need supplements. However, if you are
unable to eat properly, or if you are ill, under stress
or in need of extra nutrients, it may be prudent to
supplement your diet with a multi-vitamin & mineral
tablet. However, this should be a short term measure
only. Supplements should not be used as a substitute
for a healthy, balanced diet.
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