Balanced Diet: An Imperative for Physical Wellness

Eating delicious food does not mean having a good meal. A good meal is one that provides a reasonable intake of energy and nutrients for maintenance of the body and also good health. The diet which contains all essential nutrients in adequate quantity and proportion is known as balanced diet. It is all about creating healthy eating habits and maintaining it over a period of time.
A balanced diet strikes a balance among five food groups such as carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, salts and fibre and gives the body the right amount of nutrients it needs to maintain cells, tissues and organs for overall physical and mental wellness. A diet lacking in essential nutrients can lead to enormous health problems ranging from tiredness and lack of energy, growth and development of the body.
Vitamins and minerals are required in small amount to carry out a variety of essential specific functions, fat and carbohydrates are the main fuel that the body runs on, whilst protein is needed in large amounts for growth of new born and repair.
The diet must also provide adequate quantities of essential fatty acids and amino acids which are required for body to metabolise into proteins. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins supply energy to the body whereas proteins are energy provider as and when required in an emergency but are primarily used as building blocks for growth and repair of many tissues. We also need much smaller amounts of other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Because much smaller quantities are needed for a balanced diet; these are known as micronutrients.
Micronutrients also play a significant role in the function of the immune system and deficiencies in them influence the rate of infections as well as their duration and severity. A balanced diet provides sufficient energy for the performance of metabolic work. It also provides all dietary requirements in correct proportion.
Balanced diet is imperative in maintaining a healthy body of mother and new born. Nutrition of the body especially during pregnancy depends largely on what mother consumes so it is very important for expectant mother to have a balanced diet. Mother who chooses to be strict vegetarian must ensure that her diet contains all correct nutrients to avoid any deficiencies that may occur to her and the new arrival.
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