What is a Balanced Diet, and How Should It Be?

Adequate and Balanced Nutrition List from a Dietitian

A balanced diet is a popular term that you can hear from many different sources in your daily life. So what does a balanced diet mean, what requirements does it cover? Which food groups should we include in the balanced diet list ? What are the effects of a balanced diet on human health? I will be answering all the questions about the balanced nutrition program for you in the following sub-titles!

What is a Balanced Diet, and How Should It Be?

• Let’s continue with the answer to the question of how a balanced diet should be.
• A balanced diet is a diet rich in vitamins and minerals with foods from all groups. If we do not get the energy and nutrients we need daily, we become malnourished.
• As a result, deficiencies occur in blood values.
• We can say that the meaning of a balanced diet is almost the same as a healthy diet.
• If you ask whether a balanced diet is a diet, yes, it is, in a way.
• In fact, although the meaning of diet is generally known as compelling nutrition programs applied to lose or gain weight, the reality is not.
• In general, a diet is a healthy nutrition program that is suitable for the body characteristics of the person.
• The energy we need to take daily varies according to the height, weight, and age of the person.
• It varies between 1300-1600 kcal in women and between 1600-2500 kcal in men.
• We need to catch this calorie, which varies according to the metabolic rate, in our daily diet.
• Of course, it is important not only to calculate calories, but also to include 5 food groups in the diet.
• In other words, if you are asking what we should do to have a balanced diet, you should pay attention to 2 headings: the number of calories you need to take daily and the variety of foods you will get these calories.
• Let’s not go without mentioning that, if the point we want to reach is to have a healthy body and mind, a balanced diet and sports should go together.
• We can even add to this the title of building healthy and safe relationships.

Balanced Nutrition List: Dietitian Approved

All food groups should be present on our plates. A balanced diet also means having a variety of meals at meals such as dinner, lunch, and breakfast. So which are these groups?

1) Milk Group

• Milk group, which has an important place especially in children’s nutrition, is rich in protein, calcium, and vitamin B12.
• Our diet should include at least 2 servings of milk group. Milk, ayran, tzatziki, yogurt, and kefir are in this group.
• It is a food group that helps in the development of bones and teeth, as well as increases the neck in children.
• It is recommended for children, especially at every breakfast and before going to bed.
• It is a group that those with lactose intolerance and anemia should pay attention to portion sizes.

2) Meat Group

• This group includes red and white meats such as meat, chicken, fish, and legumes (dried beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas) which are low-quality proteins.
• This group is rich in iron, protein, vitamin B12, and zinc.
• Fish that are a source of omega-3 should be consumed at least twice a week.
• Pay attention to the cooking method of meat.
• It should be consumed in the oven, grilled or boiled, and fried foods should be avoided as much as possible.
• In addition, processed meats such as sausages, salami, and sausages containing carcinogenic substances should be avoided.

3) Bread Group

• Perhaps the biggest mistake of the recently popular diets is to completely exclude a group rich in B vitamins, such as bread, from the diet.
• However, when we lack the whole-grain group from our diet, it creates problems in our stomach and intestinal system, such as constipation.
• Bread, pasta, soup, bulgur, and rice pilaf are included in this group, which is rich in fiber.

4) Vegetable and Fruit Group

• Consumption of vegetables and fruits according to the season constitutes an important part of the diet.
• Do not neglect to eat cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, and radish during the winter months.
• 5 servings of vegetables and fruits daily support the strengthening of immunity and vitamin C supplementation.

5) Oil Group

• Fat should make up 20-25% of every diet.
• Fat consumption should be in the form of olive oil, walnuts, fish oils, flaxseed containing w-3, w-6 fatty acids, not saturated fats.
• Solid oils, margarines, animal fats should be avoided, and low-fat cooking methods should be used while cooking.

What is the Importance of Vitamins and Minerals in a Balanced Diet?

• If we do not take the vitamins and minerals our body needs on a daily basis, vitamin deficiency will occur, and as a matter of fact, most people cannot realize this deficiency and diseases occur in the body.
• Based on the symptoms, drug supplements are often given with the result of the blood test; But it takes time for the body to recover.
• As a result of the deficiency of some vitamins, irreversible results occur.
• For example; As a result of folate deficiency in pregnant women, neural tube defect disease is encountered in babies.
• This is why; If we consume the foods we need daily, we will be both healthy and our immunity will be at a high level.
• These requirements vary from person to person.
• Children’s needs are higher, while adults’ needs are lower.
• By discussing this with your nutritionist, your carbohydrate-fat-protein level is adjusted according to the calories you need to take daily, and your required vitamin-mineral level is determined.
• Care is taken to ensure that there is an appropriate amount distribution among all these in the balanced nutrition diet list.
• In order to have a healthy and balanced diet, it may be useful to do a little research on the balanced nutrition pyramid.
• In this way, you can stay clearer in your mind, what will you benefit from which food groups and how much.

What Diseases Cause Vitamin Deficiencies?

• Night blindness occurs in vitamin A deficiency. Carrots contain the most vitamin A; however, this becomes active with olive oil. So when consuming carrots, do not forget to add a little olive oil to them!
• Vitamin D deficiency is more common, especially in winter. We can only get vitamin D from the sun and fish. Its deficiency causes bone fractures as a result of weakness in bones such as rickets and osteomalacia.
• Vitamin D deficiency can also cause anemia.
• Vitamin E deficiency is not common. It is more likely to occur in the presence of diseases such as Crohn’s and Celiac.
• In vitamin E deficiency, problems can be seen in the whole body structure, especially in the skin. However, studies have found that dementia can be prevented with vitamin E.
• In vitamin K deficiency, blood clotting is delayed. It is found in cauliflower, cabbage, egg yolk.
• In vitamin C deficiency, immunity decreases and the body becomes vulnerable to diseases. Vitamin C is mostly found in citrus fruits such as potatoes, parsley, and kiwi, as well as green peppers and tomatoes.
• Vitamin B12 is found in animal foods. It is rich in eggs, chicken, meat products. Deficiency usually occurs in vegetarians. The biggest symptom of its deficiency is forgetfulness.
• In addition, it can trigger diseases such as anemia, weakness, and depressive mood.