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How To Maintain A Balanced Diet

We all need a certain amount of nutrients and calories to stay healthy and sustain in our life. Balanced diet doesn’t have anything to do with eating less or eating more. But it is essential to take the right type and amount of foods to support a healthy lifestyle. By eating a healthy diet, one can avoid binging on to the junk foods and replace them with foods containing high nutritional value.

What is a balanced diet ?

A balanced diet is the one which fulfills all the nutritional needs of a person. It comprises macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients include proteins, carbohydrates and fats while the micronutrients consist of vitamins and minerals.

In addition, it also offers bioactive phytochemicals like dietary fiber, antioxidants and nutraceuticals.

There are 6 major food groups which are to be included in a healthy diet

Proteins

Grains

Fruits

Vegetables

Dairy products

Fats

Proteins

Protein intake plays a crucial role in keeping to your cells in good shape. It helps in building bones, muscles, hair, nails and skin. Our body uses proteins to build and repair the tissues. Protein rich foods helps you to have a speedy recovery after an injury or exercise.

It is important in hormone regulation especially during the transformation and development of cells. Here are some of the foods which contain proteins

Lean meats

Chicken and turkey

Fish and sea foods

Oats

Broccoli

Beans, peas and legumes

Grains

Grains are naturally high in fiber. They make you feel full and satisfied, thereby maintaining a healthy body weight. Grains contain healthy carbs which are needed to the body. They are an excellent source of Vitamin B and folate.

Grains are low in saturated fat but they are a source of polyunsaturated fats. They are a significant source of minerals such as iron, magnesium, copper, phosphorus and zinc. Here are few grains listed below

Barley

Quinoa

Wheat

Corn

Buckwheat

Millet

Fruits

Fruits are low in calories and promote digestive health. They are rich in dietary fiber, Vitamins and folic acid. Taking fruits in the form of direct raw fruits is better than taking fruit juices.It also prevents us from adding other artificial sweeteners.

Fruits also help you in preventing diabetes, heart diseases etc. Prefer fresh or frozen fruits for better results. All fruits are nutritionally rich. Take different types of fruits for a variety of nutrients.

Vegetables

Vegetables serve as the best source for vitamins and minerals. They are low in sodium and cholesterol. They are important as they are especially rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A and dietary fiber. People can enjoy vegetables both ways either raw or cooked.

Adequate vegetable consumption can protect you from various chronic diseases. You get to enjoy several flavours and textures. Vegetables protect your overall health and help to reduce blood cholesterol levels and lowers the risk of heart diseases.

Dairy products

Dairy products are rich in calcium. Calcium helps us in building strong bones and teeth. They also contribute to many other nutrients such as proteins, riboflavin, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and vitamins A and B12.

Dairy products provide numerous health benefits to people of all the ages. They help us to curb hunger and maintain a healthy weight. Preferring low fat dairy products can bring you the better results. Here are a few diary products listed below.

Low-fat milk

Cottage cheese

Yogurt

Soy milk

Low fat paneer

Low fat curd and buttermilk

Fats

Healthy fats are essential to the body. We all need a certain amount of fats to protect our organs, absorb certain vitamins and to help us grow. Eating excess fats can increase the risk of heart diseases. Therefore, we need to be highly careful regarding the type and amount of fats we take in.

Unsaturated fats are good for health when compared to saturated fats. Here are the foods which contain saturated and unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats

Butter

Cheese

Chocolates

Processed meats

Coconut and palm oils

Cakes, puddings and pastries

Unsaturated fats

Nuts

Seeds

Avocados

Peanut butter

Salmon

oils from vegetables, seeds and nuts

Benefits of healthy eating

A Balanced diet can have an overall positive effect on your body in all the aspects. Here are the few benefits listed below.

Improves memory and brain health

Gives strong bones and teeth

Better mood and high energy levels

Reduces the risk of stress and depression

Promotes heart health and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases

Prevents weight gain

Slows the effects of aging

Boosts immunity system and fights against various diseases

Prevents diabetes

Helps you live longer

How balanced diet helps in weight loss ?

Our eating habits play a vital role in weight loss. Poor diet is a common reason for not losing weight effectively. If all the required nutrients are not supplied to the body on a regular basis we cannot lose weight.

A Balanced diet can help a person to lose weight because

It includes all the essential nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fiber etc. It replaces unhealthy food patterns with healthy foods Increases the protein intake which can make you feel full for longer periods.

Adding some physical activities along with your diet can help you reach your weight loss goals at a faster pace. They also help you to reduce the risk of belly fat and obesity. Working out for at least 30-45 minutes a day can keep you fit and healthy.

These days there are plenty of workouts out there which are available online. You can choose any of those as per your body type, health issues and convenience. You can prefer walking for 30 – 40 minutes.

For those people who cannot actually make time for workouts, can make minor changes in your daily activities. Prefer walking to the nearby places whenever necessary rather than using your vehicle.Take stairs rather than taking a lift. All these physical activities can help you burn out more calories and speed up your weight loss process.

Conclusion

Balanced diet is the key to a healthy lifestyle. Healthy foods lead to healthy thoughts and a healthy body. Make sure that every part of your meal is properly balanced with all the required nutrients.

However, eating a healthy balanced diet does not mean that you need to entirely stick to it for 365 days. You can also enjoy all your favourite foods on your cheat days, which depend on your weight loss goals.

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