Nutrition and Diet: A Well Balanced Diet

A well balanced diet includes foods from the following food groups. The size of the portions eaten and the balance between carboydrates, proteins and fats really depend on the physical characteristics of the individual and on the fitness regime that they are follwoing.

Proteins

Proteins are divided into complete proteins and incomplete proteins. Complete proteins can be found in milk, cheese, eggs, soy beans, peanuts, fish and poultry. Wheat contains both complete and incomplete proteins. Incomplete proteins are found in beans, peas, corn, rye, lentils, and some nuts. It is worth mentioning that egg yolks contain complete proteins, and egg whites contain incomplete proteins. A good healthy breakfast can provide all of these protein requirements, whether it is a bowl of muesli with milk, or a sensible size cooked breakfast with eggs, beans, mushrooms and wholemeal toast.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates refer to foods that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They include starches and sugars, however as our body digests the starches and convert them to sugars, ultimately all carbohydrates are forms of sugar by the time our body absorbs them into the blood system. Sugar is vital for energy. Starch rich foods include wheat, oats, rice, barley, rye and rice (which are the main ingredients of breakfast cereals), plus pasta, bread, cakes and biscuits. Potatoes and pulses are also good sources of starch. Sugar rich foods include honey, fresh and dried fruits, chocolate and white and brown sugar. Sugar rich foods can irritate the lining of the alimentary tract an have the tendency to ferment, which causes bloating, which can lead to disruption with the digestive process, leaving you feeling lethargic. Starch rich foods do not cause bloating so long as they are eaten in moderate portions. However, refined cereals, white bread, bleached rice and some pastas, cakes, biscuits and pastry made with refined sugars provide much less benefit as they have been depleted of their most important nutrients in the process of refining. Starch rich foods also provide us with fibre, which is also a vital part in our diets to maintain a healthy and regular digestive system.

Fats

Fats also provide us with energy. It is the most energy rich of all the food groups, however excess fat can lead to digestive problems, and longer term health problems such as increased blood pressure and heart disease. Not all fat is bad however, some fatty acids are essential for good health, such as the fats found in olive oil, corn and peanut oil, cod-liver oil, peanut butter and egg yolks. Some fats contain vital minerals and food hormones, such as cheeses, eggs, nuts and salt water fish, such as mackerel, sardines, herring, tuna and salmon.

A healthy well balanced diet should contain all of the above food groups each day. Some diet fads such as the Atkins diet promote protein rich diets in an attempt to prompt rapid weight loss, however these types of diets are not healthy in the long term and often cause digestive problems.

Modern western diets are often rich in processed meats and refined sugars, and lack in fresh fruits and vegetables. Government advice currently suggests that we should aim to eat five portions of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. If all meals are prepared with fresh fruits and vegetables you should be able to attain this easily, and exceed. Muesli for breakfast, with fruit smoothies for snacks, salads or fresh vegetables at lunchtime with lean meat, with fruit snacks throughout the day will mean you will be consuming plenty of vitamins and fibre for good health.


If you do not have the time to prepare many small snacks throughout the day, meals can be prepared that contain a good balance. Italian and Mediterranean meals such as lasagne and speghetti, Indian and Chinese style meals, all provide a large percentage of starch in the form of pastas, rice, pulses and grains.

When combining diet with exercise it has been found to be beneficial to limit the amount of carbohydrates eaten in the evening. Some people live by the rule of "no carbs after 4pm", which may seem a bit extreme if you usually eat you main meal in the evening. However if you eat a healthy breakfast and a large lunch, then eating less in the evening, and concentrating on lean meats, cheeses, fish and poultry can help reduce fat. I often eat just tinned fish in the evening, or grilled chicken pieces, or scrambled eggs with cheese, and a small piece of toast, for example. But remember the main rule, try out different approaches and find what suits you the best.

One last thing I must mention, remember that there is no such thing as being on a diet. Your diet is defined as what you eat, so really we are all always on a diet. The trick is to make sure it is a healthy and nutritious diet. Fad diets are very rarely either healthy or nutritious, as their only goal is to encourage you to eat less to lose weight. If weight loss is your goal, simply exercise more and eat less. If you join a gym, aerobics club, running club or take up a martial art, do not fool yourself that you can start eating more as you are exercising. In reality the exercise you do does not make a huge difference to your daily energy requirements. Unless you take up long distance running or start a serious body building programme. There are exceptions to every rule.