A balanced diet is one that provides an adequate intake of energy and nutrients for maintenance of the body and therefore good health. A diet can easily be adequate for normal bodily functioning, yet may not be a balanced diet. An ideal human diet contains fat, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, water and fiber all in correct proportions. These proportions vary for each individual because everyone has different metabolic rates and levels of activity. Malnutrition results from an unbalanced diet, this can be due to an excess of some dietary components and lack of other components, not just a complete lack of food. Too much of one component can be as much harm to the body as too little. Deficiency diseases occur when there is a lack of a specific nutrient, although some diet related disorders are a result of eating an excess. An adequate diet provides sufficient energy for the performance of metabolic work, although the energy food is in an unspecified form. A balanced diet provides all dietary requirements in the correct proportions. Energy is provided by carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Proteins are a provider of energy in an emergency, but are primarily used as building blocks for growth and repair of many body tissues. These energy providing compounds are needed in large quantities in our diet so are described as macro nutrients. 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 micro nutrients. Despite the small quantities needed these are essential to provide a healthy diet as they have specific roles in metabolic reactions and as structural components. Within the cells of our body, the nutrients ingested are converted to other compounds which are then used for metabolism and other cellular reactions. Starch, a major carbohydrate is converted to glucose which can be then synthesized into fat for storage, proteins are synthesized from amino acids, and hospholipase are made from glycerol and fatty acids. However there are some organic compounds which despite being essential for a healthy diet cannot be made by cells so must be provided by diet. These are essential amino acids, essential fatty acids and vitamins. A balanced diet is one that provides an adequate intake of energy and nutrients for maintenance of the body and therefore good health. A diet can easily be adequate for normal bodily functioning, yet may not be a balanced diet. An ideal human diet contains fat, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, water and fiber all in correct proportions. Make time to chew food: Healthy eating starts with smart eating. Most people do not recognize the importance of chewing as it is essential to digest many of components. In reality half of the digestion will be finished in buckle cavity. Make sure that you eat slowly rather than swallowing, it will also help you to enjoy the actual flavor and taste of the food. A balanced diet includes foods from five groups and fulfills all of a person’s nutritional needs. Eating a balanced diet helps people maintain good health and reduce their risk of disease. Having a balanced diet is key to living a healthy long life, and it reduces the chance of contracting a preventable disease. Consuming too much or too little of certain aspects of your diet can have significant effects on the life you live. Sodium intake is a major problem the world faces, especially in the United States. Restaurants, fast food establishments, and processed food companies add salt to most of their dishes or products to add taste and give it a longer shelf life. a Well Balanced Diet When choosing a diet, more than just weight loss should be considered. In addition, other health factors should be looked at as well. The Atkins diet, being a low carbohydrate diet, does not take into account factors . Malnutrition results from an unbalanced diet, this can be due to an excess of some dietary components and lack of other components, not just a complete lack of food. Too much of one component can be as much harm to the body as too little. Deficiency diseases occur when there is a lack of a specific nutrient, although some diet related disorders are a result of eating in excess. An adequate diet provides sufficient energy for the performance of the body to function. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins provide energy. Proteins are a provider of energy in an emergency, but are primarily used as building blocks for growth and repair of many body tissues. We also need much smaller amounts of other nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. Despite the small quantities needed these are essential to provide a healthy diet. Within the cells of our body, the nutrients ingested are converted to other compounds, which are then used for metabolism and other cellular reactions. Starch, a major carbohydrate is converted to glucose which can be then synthesized into fat for storage, proteins are synthesized from amino acids, and hospholipase are made from glycerol and fatty acids.
