Balanced diet

• Balanced diet


  The snacks, meals and drinks that you consume make up your diet. A balanced diet contains all the nutrients in the correct amounts to meet your individual nutritional needs.
• Principles of a balanced diet

  • Variety
  • Moderation
  • Balance
• Variety


  • Consume a variety of foods as they contain different types and amounts of nutrients
• Moderation


  • Eat in moderation to avoid eating too much or too little of the same type of food in order to obtain all the nutrients we need in the correct amounts
• Balance


  • Balance food intake with physical activities to maintain a healthy body weight
• Nutrients


  • Carbohydrates
  • Proteins
  • Fats
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Water
  • Dietary fibre
• Carbohydrates


  An important part of your diet. There are two types: simple and complex
• Simple carbohydrates


  Found in honey, maple syrup and all sugars (including sugars in fruits)
• Complex carbohydrates


  Found in bread, noodles, potatoes, rice and yams
• Carbohydrates


  • Main source of energy for the body
• Proteins


  An essential part of the diet, found in both animal and plant sources
• Proteins


  • Growth, repair and maintenance of body cells
  • Source of energy when there is a lack of carbohydrate and fat intake
• Animal protein sources


  Eggs, fish, meat, milk and prawns
• Plant protein sources


  Beans, lentils, nuts, peas and seeds
• Fats


  Needed in the diet, but consuming too much is not good for health. Fats appear in different states at room temperature.
• Fats


  • Keep the body warm by preventing heat loss
  • Protect internal organs such as heart and kidneys by covering them with fat
• Fats


  Needed in the diet, but consuming too much is not good for health
• Fats

  • Appear in different states at room temperature
  • Butter and ghee are solid at room temperature
  • Oils such as corn oil and soya bean oil are liquid at room temperature
• Functions of fats


  • Keep the body warm by preventing heat loss from the body
  • Protect internal organs such as heart and kidneys by covering them with fat
• Animal fat sources


  • Butter, ghee and lard
• Vegetable oil sources


  • Canola oil, corn oil, olive oil, peanut oil, soya bean oil and sunflower oil
• Vitamins


  Needed in small amounts by the body
• Vitamin A


  • Keeps our skin healthy
  • Allows us to see better in dim light
• Animal sources of vitamin A

  • Cheese, egg yolk, liver and milk
• Plant sources of vitamin A

  • Capsicum, carrot, mango, papaya and spinach
• 1. group vitamins


  Help release energy from food
• Animal sources of B-group vitamins


  • Beef, egg, liver, milk and tuna
• Plant sources of B-group vitamins


  • Banana, pearl barley, nuts, peas and seeds
• Many countries add vitamins, especially vitamin B12, to their wheat flour, maize flour and rice. Any foods that have vitamins added are known as fortified foods.
• Vitamin C


  • Helps absorb iron from food
  • Helps to heal wounds
• Sources of vitamin C

  • Guavas, oranges and strawberries
  • Broccoli, capsicum and kale
• Scurvy is a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C. It killed more than 2 million sailors between the 16th and 18th centuries alone because they had no access to fresh food supplies.
• Vitamin D


  • Helps the body absorb calcium for strong bones and teeth
• Sources of vitamin D

  • Cheese, egg yolk, liver and salmon
• Apart from food, you can also get vitamin D from the sun. When your skin is exposed to sunlight, your body makes vitamin D.
• Calcium


  • Builds strong bones and teeth
  • Controls muscle contractions
  • Helps blood to clot normally
• Animal sources of calcium

  • Milk and yoghurt
• Plant sources of calcium

  • Cheese, fish with edible bones, broccoli, kale and soya beans
• Iron


  • Keeps red blood cells healthy
  • Iron is needed for red blood cells to function properly
• Animal sources of iron

  • Beef, egg yolk and tuna