A Balanced Diet

Nowadays people in large numbers and at a much early age start suffering from diabetes, high cholesterol, high or low blood pressure and also heart ailments. These are called lifestyle diseases as we suffer from these ailments due to a stressful lifestyle and improper eating habits. These can be rectified by a disciplined lifestyle, which include exercise and a balanced diet. Therefore it is imperative to have a balanced diet for a long and healthy life. A balanced diet requires choosing different types of food from the different food groups and their correct quantity. A balanced diet is essential for good health.

Different age group requires different kinds of diet according to the
function their body is performing. A balanced diet includes food from all
food groups providing various nutrients like carbohydrate, vitamins,
minerals, fats and proteins on a daily basis. This may vary from people to people depending on their age, activity and weight. It also varies
according to an individual’s food intake capacity or restrictions due to
health issues like allergies or diabetes.

Age wise nutrition requirement

As mentioned already, diet varies according to the age. Growing children need all nutrients but especially they require body building food and food that will strengthen their bones. This food should be rich in proteins and calcium. Therefore milk is a very vital drink in a child’s diet and should be included daily along with other types of food to ensure that they get high nutrients as they are very crucial at this stage.

Young healthy adults too require diet rich in all nutrients. But it is
essential to avoid fatty food to avoid ailments in the future. Also young
people as well as middle aged people must have a restricted diet and avoid foods having more sugar, salt and fats. These types of food lead to lots of ailments like diabetes and hypertension, which affects the body functioning. Therefore in this age group it is essential to keep track of the calories taken in to avoid obesity and other ailments.

For elderly people, who invariably suffer some ailment or another, a
balanced diet according to their age and ailment is essential. It is best
to have diet according to a doctor’s recommendation.

Generally a well balanced diet consists of lots of fruits and vegetables,
along with whole grains and fish and drinking at least 8 glasses of water
is essential. It is essential to include all kinds of food groups in the
right quantity for a balanced diet. For this we need to follow the food
pyramid which provides us with the food groups and the right quantity of the food group intake