Importance of balanced diet

• Balanced Diet: A diet that contains all the food classes in the right quantities that are required by the body.
• Food Pyramid: A visual representation of the recommended servings of different food groups in a balanced diet.
• Factors that Influence Calorific Requirement: Large body frame, age, occupation, gender, state of health, and climate can influence the amount of energy needed.
• Energy values of different food classes: Fat has an energy value of 37 kJ/g (9 kcal/g), protein has an energy value of 17 kJ/g (4 kcal/g), and carbohydrate has an energy value of 17 kJ/g (4 kcal/g).
• Calorific Value of Food: The amount of energy released when 1g of food is burned, measured in calories or joules.
• Practices in daily food intake:

  • Eat balanced diet according to food classes
  • Drink 2 litres of water everyday
  • Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables
  • Avoid food with a lot of sugar and fats
  • Reduce fast food
• Between ages of 15-19 years, boys grow more rapidly compared to girls as they just reach puberty, hence more energy is required.
• A female generally need more iron mineral because they experience monthly menstruation which causes them to lose blood. Iron helps to build red blood cells.