Achieving A Healthy Balanced Diet

There are no good or bad foods only unhealthy or healthy diets. For example if all you’ve eaten all day is fruit and salad, then maybe a burger and fries is exactly what your body needs. That is what a healthy balanced diet is about.

To maintain health and function efficiently, our bodies need 13 vitamins, 16 minerals, fats, carbs and protein. And, plenty of water.

By eating a variety of foods in sensible proportions, we can achieve a healthy balanced diet, obtaining the needed levels of every nutrient which keeps us in good health.

Three main rules should govern what we eat for a healthy balanced diet:

1) Food should help to safeguard our health and play a role in fighting disease and ailments, when necessary.

2) It should nourish…….. simple as that.

3) Our food should also look and taste good.

How to Achieve A Healthy Balanced Diet.

Both the British and the American health authorities offer a range of recommendations for achieving a healthy balanced diet. For most of us, this means a change towards more fruit and veg, bread, cereals, potatoes, rice and pasta. Here are the basic guidelines you should follow.

• Eat regularly and enjoy your meals and snacks.
• Eat a wide variety of foods.
• Eat enough food to maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat plenty of foods rich in starch and fibre.
• Don’t eat too much fat.
• Use the pyramid to plan your meals.
• Do not eat sugary foods too often.
• Ensure that you get plenty of vitamins and minerals.
• If you drink alcohol, keep within limits.
• Use only moderate amounts of salt in cooking.
• Avoid adding salt to food at the table or during preparation.
• Remember that both snacks and meals count towards the balance.

The ratio of foods which supply our daily needs should reflect the groups in the food pyramid A healthy balanced diet will include six daily servings of complex carbohydrates, five fruit or veg servings, two servings of milk or yoghurt, two servings of protein and 15-25g of fats and oils.

To see the food pyramid click here

For A great guide to achieving a healthy balanced diet

Click Here!