BALANCED DIET AND NUTRIENTS

You have already learned about the nutrients, their sources and importance and also about nutritional requirements. Sometime back we raised a question- what should we eat so that our nutritional requirements are met? Do you think you can answer this question now? Yes, you are right – you should eat food items which provide all these nutrients to your body.

Such a meal is called a balanced diet. By meeting our nutritional requirements such a diet helps us in staying healthy. It also provides some amount of nutrient for storage in the body. This helps the body to withstand short periods of dietary inadequacy. A balanced diet is one which contains different types of foods in such quantities that the individual’s need for the various nutrients is adequately met, and some amounts of nutrients are stored in the body to withstand short periods of low dietary intake.

Characteristics of a Balanced Diet

Read ALso: Grouping Food

A balanced diet contains both plant and animal foods and fulfills the following requirements:

1. Meets the nutritional requirements of an individual
2. Includes foods from all the food groups
3. Contains a variety of foods
4. Consists of seasonal foods
5. Is Economical
6. Suits the taste and meets the desires of the individual eating it

Read Also: Grouping Food