A Healthy Diet is one that helps maintain or improve overall health, as it provides the body with essential nutrition. It may contain fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and includes little to no processed food and sweetened beverages. It can protect the human body against certain types of diseases, in particular noncommunicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer and skeletal conditions. Also it contribute to an adequate body weight.
A Balanced Diet is a diet that contains differing kinds of foods in certain quantities and proportions so that the requirement for calories, proteins, minerals, vitamins and alternative nutrients is adequate. Your organs and tissues need proper nutrition to work effectively & Balanced diet provides nutrients to function correctly. Without good nutrition, your body is more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and poor performance.
Balanced diet achieved by eating variety of food, as there is no single food with correct amount of all essential nutrients. The basic composition of balanced diet influenced by Social & cultural habits, economic status, age, sex & physical activity of the individual.
There are Six essential factors for a balanced diet: carbs, protein, fat, fibre, vitamins, minerals and water. Their functions are as follows:
- Carbohydrate are starchy foods that gives us Energy.
- Protein helps our bodies to repair themselves.
- Fats give our body energy that can be stored. A layer of fat under our skin keeps us warm.
- Fibre is concerned with health of large intestine, including helping to form soft bulky faeces, thereby easing defecation & reducing the probability of constipation.
- Vitamins & Minerals have lots of jobs such as building strong bones & teeth, making blood, keeping our brain working.
- Our body uses Water in all its cells, organs, and tissues to help regulate its temperature, Provide adequate hydration and maintain other bodily functions like helping in Digestion, aiding in removal of waste from the body.
Care Towards Cure always advice Individual Balanced Diet to their patients.