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Balanced Diet - Definition, Importance, Benefits & Diet Chart

Jan 24 , 2022 | 3 min read

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Balanced Diet Definition

A balanced diet contains an adequate amount of all the nutrients required by the body to grow, remain healthy and be disease-free. In addition, a healthy, balanced diet provides the necessary energy requirement, protects against vitamin, mineral, and other nutritional deficiencies, and builds up immunity.

What are The Benefits of Eating a Balanced Diet?

A balanced meal helps provide the body with all the nutrients it needs to maintain normal growth and repair functions.

Benefits of Healthy Eating for Adults

A healthy diet helps boost immunity, reduces the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers, maintains a healthy weight, and helps recover quickly from diseases and trauma.

Benefits of Healthy Eating for Children

A healthy diet helps strengthen bones, supports brain development, boosts immunity, and regulates growth functions.

7 Essential Components of A Balanced Diet

Proteins, carbohydrates, fats or lipids, micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, and water are the essential components of a well-balanced diet.

Carbohydrates - Carbohydrates provide you with energy, which should constitute 50- 60% of your diet. Though it forms a significant diet component, you should not treat all carbs equally.
Sources of healthy carbs are-
- Whole grains like Oats, Quinoa
- Whole wheat, Dahlia
- Legumes
- Millets like ragi, bajra, barley
- Vegetables
Protein - Protein helps you build muscles and develops skin and hair. It should constitute 10-12% of your diet.

Sources of protein are-
- Legumes and beans, soyabean
- Poultry-Chicken, Turkey
- Seafood- Fish, Crab, Prawn, Lobster
- Eggs
- Lean meat- Lamb, Beef, Pork
- Nuts and Seeds
- Greek yoghurt
Fat - It is a misconception that fats are bad for your health. It would be best if you chose healthy fats as fats help you maintain your body temperature and help absorb fat-soluble vitamins ADE&K.

Sources of healthy fat are -
- Avocados
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Extra virgin Olive oil
- Fatty fish- Salmon, Sardines, Mackerel, Herring
Vitamins - Though there are 13 essential vitamins, you should take vitamins A, C, B, and D measures.

Sources of vitamins are -
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Poultry
- Seeds
- Nuts
Minerals - Minerals help release energy from the food you take and promote the growth of organs. Some essential minerals are iron, calcium, potassium, iodine, and sodium.

Sources of minerals are -
- Fish
- Meat
- Beans
- Cereals
- Nuts & Seeds
Fibre - Fibre helps in digestion and also helps in lowering your cholesterol levels and controlling sugar levels.

Sources of fibre are -
- Oats, dahlia, Quinoa and Brown rice
- Beans
- Whole grains
- Nuts & seeds
Water - You should take at least eight glasses of water as it hydrates your body and is used in body functions.

Foods to Avoid For a Healthy Balanced Diet

Avoid the below foods for a healthy life -

Red meat
Refined grains (cereals) like maida, white bread, sewain, noodles, pasta
Trans fat, butter, cheese
Added sugar
Pastry
Processed foods

7 Days Balanced Diet Chart

Here are a sample 7-days balanced diet chart. Please note that each body’s requirements are different so contact your dietician to get a customized balanced diet chart.

Days	Breakfast	Launch	Dinner	Snacks
Day 1	Bowl of oats + Glass of milk	Roti + Dal + Veggies + Curd	Brown rice + Dal + Green salad	Nuts/Fruit/Seeds/Smoothie/Yoghurt
Day 2	Omelette stuffed with veggies + Glass of milk	Brown rice + Chicken/Paneer curry + Salad	2 multigrain Roti + Dal + Salad	Smoothie/ Nuts/Fruit/Seeds/Yogurt
Day 3	Namkeen Dalia + Fruit	2 Bajra roti + Dal + Veggies + Curd	Brown rice + Dal + Salad	Fruit/Nuts/Seeds/ Smoothie/Yoghurt
Day 4	Moong dal Cheela + Glass of milk	Brown rice + Salmon fish curry/ Soya Bean + Salad	2 Roti + Dal + Salad	Fruit/Nuts/ Seeds/Smoothie/Yoghurt
Day 5	Besan Chilla + Glass of milk	2 Jowar Roti + Dal + Veggies + Salad	Brown rice + Dal + Salad	Fruit/Nuts/Seeds/Smoothie/Yoghurt
Day 6	2 Brown bread with an omelette + Glass of milk	Brown rice + Dal + Veggies + Salad	2 Multigrain roti + Dal + Salad	Fruit/Nuts/Seeds/Smoothie/Yoghurt
Day 7	Poha + Glass of milk	2 Roti + Mixed vegetable + Roasted Chicken + Dal	Brown rice + Dal + Salad	Fruits/Nuts/Seeds/Smoothie/Yoghurt

Importance of A Balanced Diet

A balanced diet-

Meet the nutritional demands of the body and prevent malnutrition
Keep up energy levels and maintain normal body functions
Boost the immune system and optimise cell repair
Prevent lifestyle diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers
Strengthen bones, muscles, skin, teeth, and eyes
Help support healthy pregnancies

Planning a balanced diet also involves limiting the intake of sugars or salt in patients suffering from diabetes or hypertension.