Planning a Balanced Diet: Principles, Proportions, and Practical Tip

Planning a Balanced Diet: Principles, Proportions, and Practical Tip

Question 1. Planning Balanced Diets.
Answer.

Balanced diet

A balanced diet is one which contains different types of foods such as cereals, pulses and vegetables in such quantities and proportion that the nutritional requirements are adequately met and a small provision is made for extra nutrients to withstand short duration of leanness.

• A balanced diet should provide 60-70 percent of calories from carbohydrate, 10-20 percent from protein and 20-25 percent from fat.
• Calorie allowance can be + 50, while for all other nutrients minimum RDA must be met.
• Energy from cereals should not be more than 75 percent.
• Include two cereals in one meal eg:- rice and wheat.

Balanced Diet: Key Principles for Healthy Eating

• To improve protein quality the ratio of cereal protein to pulse protein should be 4:1.
• Two to three serving of pulses should be taken a day.
• Include atleast one medium size fruit. The fruit can be given raw without much cooking.
• Five servings of fruits and vegetables should be included in a day
• The diet should include minimum 100ml milk per day.
• Foods rich in fibre should be included.
• One third of the nutritional requirements, at least calorie and protein should be met by lunch or dinner.

Planning a Balanced Diet: Principles, Proportions, and Practical Tips

Question 2. Recommended Dietary Allowances.
Answer.

Recommended Dietary Allowance: The RDA, the estimated amount of a nutrient (or calories) per day considered necessary for the maintenance of good health by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council/ National Academy of Sciences.