What is Balanced Diet and How Do You Get It?

Balanced Diet – Easy to Say, Hard to Do.

Question: Have you ever tried to research something on the Internet, and after hours of digging you came out feeling dumber than you went in?

That’s what it felt like when I attempted to research on the subject of diet.

But my time was not all wasted. I learned something about myself. See, I have this long-held belief that I’m not a dumb person, and I confirmed that during my attempted research.

I learned that one reason why I get derailed from my goals is that I listen to too many people who are not experts tell me things that are not based on facts but opinion.

What am I talking about? For instance, you’ll hear someone say that cholesterol is bad and you should avoid it at all cost. It happens all the time. That’s a misleading piece of advice, to say the least. Can cholesterol be bad? Sure. But so can honey. So can water. More on cholesterol later…

I’ve also come to appreciate that life is a balancing act. Make it too complicated, and you’ll circle in the jungle forever. Make it too simple, and you’ll fall off the cliff.

Additionally, we’re creatures of habit and consider sate and convenience before a balanced diet. We could eat the same food every day as long as it tastes good, satisfies hunger, and is easy to come by.

Like my fifth grade science teacher would say: You can’t put off or turn down a meal just because you can’t find sulfur in it. By the same token, you can’t bite a piece of metal because someone told you it’s a source of iron.

For that reason, I decided to go back to what I’ve always known about balanced diet since fifth grade. We learned that for a human body to function optimally, it needs nourishment from 7 essential nutrients which we highlight below.

The Seven Essential Nutrients

In keeping with the goal of this site, we concentrate more on how they affect your health, fitness, and ultimate survival. We give you a navigation map just so you know where the landmines are.

Carbohydrates 

In case you want to know:

• Carbohydrates earn their name from their chemical makeup of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen.
• There are four calories per gram of carbohydrates, and they provide about 60 percent of all calories your body needs.
• The final product of carbohydrates is sugar which is absorbed by your body in the form of glucose.

There are two types of carbohydrates that determine the types of sugar intake.

1. Simple Carbohydrates (monosaccharides) contain mainly one sugar.
Example:
– Fructose – sugar found in foods like fruits.
– Galactose – sugar found in foods like milk.

2. Compound Carbohydrates are further divided into two sub-categories.

a. Disaccharides with 2 sugars.
Example:
– Sucrose – from foods such as table sugar.
– Maltose – found in vegetables used to make things like beer.
b. Polysaccharides (Complex) with with 3 or more sugars.
Example:
– Amylose (Starch) – corn, beans, potatoes, peanuts, etc.
– Glycogen – Bananas, dates, papaya.

Humble advice: Don’t get hung up on terminology. For our purpose, most of these terms are given for context.

The only notable difference is the number of molecules, but the nutritional value is the same for all. The fewer the molecules (monosaccharides), the quicker they are converted into glucose.

Proteins

Protein is the basic component of living cells. If you’re reading this, you probably know what a cell is, but just in case you forgot: A cell is the smallest unit of life.

• Proteins are a chemical combination of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and chains of amino acids.
• Just like in carbohydrates, there are four calories per gram of protein (fats contain nine per gram). But unlike carbohydrates, only about 10 percent of protein is used for calories.
• The final product of protein is amino acids which are necessary for the structure, functioning and regulation of tissues and organs.

The best sources of proteins are:

Plants – soybeans, oats, peas, lentils, nuts, etc.
Animals – Seafood, chicken, beef, pork, etc.

Note: Of the common meats, white meat (mainly poultry and seafood) with less saturated fats, is considered safer than red meat (beef, pork, etc.) which has more.

Fats

Yeah, you heard that right – fat!

• For a balanced diet, fat should provide about 30 percent of calories.
• There are 9 calories per gram of fat.
• You need an average of 65 grams of fat every day. 
• Fat is used as stored energy in addition to other functions such as protecting organs, helping in absorption of some nutrients, support cell growth and keeping the body warm.

There are different types of fats:

Mono-unsaturated and Poly-unsaturated fats – mostly liquid (olive, canola, avocado, nut oils, etc).

1. Saturated fats – mostly solid at room temperature e.g. from meats and dairy products. Hard fats like coconut and hydrogenated vegetable oils also contain saturated fat.
2. Trans-fats – According American Heart Society, these fats can be naturally occurring such as those from animals; or hardened vegetable oils. Their main use is in processed foods.

Note: Unsaturated fats are the best form for consumption.

What is cholesterol, and why do we need it for a balanced diet?

From the way most of us talk about cholesterol, you’d be forgiven to think it cannot be part of a balanced diet. Yet here we are. So, what is it?

Although they’re both types of lipids, Cholesterol should not be confused with Fat.

• Cholesterol only comes from animal products.
• Cholesterol is used for building cell membranes and hormones.
• Since it’s not a form of energy, it cannot be exercised off.
• It can form plaque in your arteries and cause problems such as heart attack or stroke.

Note: Everyone should be tested for excess amounts of cholesterol every so often, especially if you consume substantial amounts of animal products.

Vitamins

• Vitamins are organic compounds essential for normal growth.
• They come in very small quantities and can be found in many types of food.
• They can be divided into two major categories: Water soluble and fat soluble. 

For the purpose of this article, we will mention the names and food sources where you can find them.

Water Soluble Vitamins:

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), Vitamin B9 (Folic acid), Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin), Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), Vitamin H (Biotin).

Fat Soluble Vitamins:

Vitamin A (Retinoids), Vitamin D (Calciferol), Vitamin E (Tocopherol), Vitamin K.

Food Sources: Mostly Fruits, Vegetables and diet supplements.

Note: You can get vitamins from animal products too, but we don’t emphasize that here because you get these foods are also in other categories such as proteins and carbohydrates.

However, we should emphasize that, just like any other good thing, there is such a thing as too much vitamins, so be careful.

You can get a more comprehensive guide book on Amazon.

Minerals

A broad definition for mineral is “a solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence.”

In other words, minerals occur naturally and cannot be planted.

Some of the uses of minerals are:

• Building strong bones.
• Transmitting nerve impulses.
• Building hormones.
• Maintaining normal heartbeats.

There are many types of minerals that are useful in our bodies and are present in the foods we eat. The most common ones are:

Calcium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Sodium Chloride (table salt), Iron, Copper, Fluoride, Zinc, Chromium, Selenium, Iodine, Manganese and Molybdenum.

Note: If you’re eating most of the foods recommended for balanced diet, you should be getting sufficient amounts of minerals.

Fiber

According to experts, Dietary fiber (roughage) is the portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely broken down by digestive enzymes.

• It is good for weight control because it helps you feel fuller for longer and slows down sugar absorption.
• It also helps in bowel movement.

Food Sources: Mostly fruits, vegetables and seeds.

Water

Some people debate that water should not be considered a part of balanced diet as it has no nutritional value. However, no discussion about food can be complete without it.

Water is a chemical substance that plays a vital role in the functioning of the body and survival. Of all the substances, it’s arguably the most important because there is no life without it.

• At least 60 percent of human body is water.
• Although not technically a nutrient, you need it in digestion, absorption.
• It cleans your organs and helps in excretion.
• Additionally, it helps to regulate body temperature.

Opinions are divided on how much water one should take per day. To be on the safe side, you should drink at least 2 liters, or half a gallon per day.

Final note

Same foods can be sources of different types of nutrients. For example, beans can be a source of carbohydrates and proteins.

Conclusion

Though necessary, a balanced diet is not easy to come by. Since we’re too busy dealing with other aspects of life, we hardly ever have time to eat healthy food, let alone balanced diet.

We’re also creatures of habit. You eat corn today and find it very tasty, then you decide you’ll be eating corn every day because it tastes good and it satisfies hunger. Balanced diet be damned.

It’s for that reason most of us need diet supplements. They’re convenient time savers. Read more on diet supplements here.

Further Reading:

• Diet Supplements: The Ultimate Guide.
• Carb Cycling for Weight Loss
• The Best Food for a Strong Immune System
• How to gain healthy weight

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