Balanced diet

Definition:

Intake of appropriate types and adequate amounts of foods and drinks to supply nutrition and energy for maintenance of body cells, tissues, and organs, and to support normal growth and development.

Alternative Names:

Well-balanced diet

Function:

A well-balanced diet acts to provide sources of energy and nutrition for optimal growth and development.

Food Sources:

Milk group (milk and milk products)

milk, cheese, yogurt

Meat group (meat and meat substitutes)

meat: chicken, fish, beef, pork, lamb
legumes: beans and peas
nuts and seeds

Fruit and vegetable group

fruits
vegetables

Grain group (breads and cereals)

whole grain breads
enriched breads
rice
pasta

Side Effects:

An unbalanced diet can cause problems with maintenance of body tissues, growth and development, brain and nervous system function, as well as problems with bone and muscle systems.

Recommendations:

The term "balanced" simply means that a diet adequately meets your nutritional needs while not providing any nutrients in excess. To achieve a balanced diet, you must consume a variety of foods from each of the food groups.

There are several guidelines available to help a person plan their balanced diet. They include:

The Food Guide Pyramid
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines (RDA guidelines)

RDA guidelines include:

eat at least 3 meals each day
do not skip breakfast
eat foods from each of the Four Food Groups at every meal

The most important step to eating a balanced diet is to educate yourself with what your body needs, and read the nutrition label and ingredients of all the food that you eat.

Review Date: 12/2/2001
Reviewed By: Poune Saberi, M.D., M.P.H., Family Practice and Community Medicine. University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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