2. Healthy Eating
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Identify the components of a balanced meal
Create a balanced meal plan
A balanced diet is like giving your body everything it needs to feel strong, energetic, and healthy. Just as a car needs the right fuel to run smoothly, our bodies need a mix of different nutrients from various foods to grow, heal, and stay active. Each type of food—whether grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, or fats—brings something important. In this lesson, we’ll learn how to balance these foods in our meals to support all the amazing things our bodies do every day!
A balanced diet1 represents a diet that has adequate amounts of each nutrient required for healthy development of the body and to perform everyday activities and functions.
A balanced diet2 includes a variety of macronutrients, and micronutrients. A balanced diet gives a person all the nutrients they need without exceeding the daily calorie allowance. These nutrients are also known as the nutritive components of a balanced diet.
A healthy, balanced diet includes foods from these five groups:
vegetables
fruits
grains
protein
dairy
Fig. 2.1 A guide to Balanced Diet
Let us recap : Balanced diet3
Vid 2.1 Balanced Diet
Maintaining good health and feeling our best depend heavily on eating a healthy, balanced diet. The majority of us are able to get what we need by making sure we're eating a healthy and varied range of meals, but other groups of individuals, like athletes, may need additional help in the form of the finest protein powders and the best protein bars to fuel muscle growth.4
A well-balanced diet provides us with:5
Energy to keep moving throughout the day.
Nutrients for development and repair of our bodies.
Nutrients to keep us fit and healthy, and prevent deficiencies of key nutrients like vitamin A, B, C and E, iron, calcium, etc. Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals can weaken parts of our immune system.
Children who eat poorly are at risk of developing frequent illnesses and growth delays. They could begin to develop unhealthy eating habits, which they might keep for the rest of their life.2
The MyPlate model is a simple, visual guide that shows how to create a balanced meal by including food from each of the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. The diagram helps us see how much of each type of food to put on our plates, so we get a good mix of nutrients.1
Fig. 2.2 My Plate
We can use the MyPlate model to create a balanced meal by following its simple portion recommendations, ensuring we get a variety of nutrients. Here’s how:
Fruits:
Fruit should make up slightly less than ¼ of your plate. My Plate recommends choosing whole fruits over canned varieties and 100 percent fruit juice.
Fruit that has been juiced loses all of the fruit's healthy fibre, leaving just a sweet beverage that can raise blood sugar levels and lead to weight gain. Not to mention the fact that a lot of commercial juices have sugar added.
Melons, apples, bananas, grapes, kiwi, dragon fruit, coconut, papaya, etc. are a few fruits to consider.
Vegetables
Vegetables should make up ¼ of your plate since they're rich with the nutrients your body needs to thrive. Aim for colour and variety in vegetables.
e.g; carrots, beets, tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, peas, onions, cauliflower, etc.6
Protein2
One quarter of your plate should have lean, protein rich foods. Try different proteins. Try a variety of foods, such as lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs, beans, unsalted almonds, beans/legumes, edamame, tofu, and soy products.
Grains
Grains should constitute one fourth of your plate, with whole grains making up half of your grain intake. Not multigrain or seven-grain, but the word "whole" should be seen on labels. Whole-wheat pasta and brown rice also count. All grains are considered, but whole grains offer the most fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
e.g; barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa, whole-grain bread, whole-grain cereal, and whole-grain crackers.
Dairy
Aim for 3 cups of dairy each day, or 1 serving per meal. Dairy is a great source of calcium, protein, and other minerals.
E.g; milk, yoghurt, cheese
People who are lactose intolerant may choose low-lactose or lactose-free products or soy products rich in calcium and other nutrients.7
Water
Water is the recommended beverage for hydration. Limit consumption of sugary drinks like soda and fruit juices.
Fig.2.3 My Plate guideline
Let's take a look at a meal to check if it's balanced, then suggest any improvements to make it healthier if needed.
Ayisha is 9 years old. Below image shows her lunch plate on a school day.
Watch this video to understand healthy food choices as per MY Plate recommendations :
Vid 2.2 My Plate dietary guidelines8
Glossary
lean protein: a source of protein that is low in saturated fat and calories
lactose: a sugar present in milk
ethnicity: a person’s background or culture
mobility: the ability to move around
processed foods: foods made in factories
Summary
A well-balanced diet provides us with Energy to carry out daily activities, nutrients for development and repair of our body and also prevents deficiencies of key nutrients like vitamin A, B, C and E, iron, calcium, etc.
A well balanced meal of the day includes:
¼ plate of fruit. Choose whole fruits over canned varieties, and use 100 percent fruit juice.
¼ plate of vegetables.
One-quarter of the plate should have protein-rich foods.
Grains should constitute one-fourth of the plate, with whole grains making up half of the grain intake.
Water is the recommended beverage for hydration.
References
1 Understanding Influences on Food Choices. UC Davis, (n.d), link
2 Food and your life stages. Better health, (n.d), link
3 What Factors Affect My Eating Habits?. Dove med, 2018, link
4 Factors That Influence Food Choices, JM Nutrition, (n.d), link
5 The Factors That Influence Our Food Choices. Food Facts For Healthy Choices, 2006 link
6 Balanced Diet. Health Line, 2023, link
7 A guide to eating a balanced diet. Medical News Today, 2024, link
8 Healthy Living My Plate Dietary Guidelines. Youtube, n.d, link
9 nutritional disease. Britannica, n.d, link
10 Junk Food Vs Healthy Food: Advantages, Disadvantages And Healthier Food Choices, Netmeds, 2020, link
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