Healthy Balanced Diet and Nutrition Tips

Balanced diet nutrition is crucial for overall health. A balanced diet and good nutrition will keep you trim, give you lots of energy and lower your risk of certain disorders such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some cancers. Here are some tips for creating a balanced diet for you and your family.

Calories and a Healthy Balanced Diet

The calorie is a unit we use to measure the energy available in the foods we eat. Calories are also used to measure the amount of energy we burn throughout the day with daily activities and exercise. In order to maintain your current weight, you need to take in about the same number of calories that you burn each day. To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than what you burn each day and to gain weight you need to eat more calories than you burn.

Know How Many Calories You Need for a Healthy Balanced Diet

On average an adult will need somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 to 2500 calories per day to maintain his or her current weight. The amount of calories you need depends on your natural size, muscle mass, activity level, age and gender. There are calorie tables and calculators that will help you estimate how many calories you need each day to maintain, lose or gain weight. Remember that these really are estimates since you may have differences in your metabolism that may mean you need a few more or a few less calories. Over time, you will know to adjust your overall calorie intake up or down by monitoring your weight.

Online Calorie Calculators and Body Mass Index Calculators:

  • Calorie Calculator and Nutrition Guide for Men and Women
  • My Pyramid Plan
  • Calorie Calculator for Kids
  • Are You Overweight? Calculate Your BMI
  • BMI Calculator for Kids

    • Keep a Food Diary to Track Your Healthy Balanced Diet

    If you need to lose weight, gain weight, watch your fat intake, protein intake, or sodium intake, you will have much better results if you use a food diary. You can print food diary pages and keep them in a notebook, or you can use a web-based diet programs to keep track of your diet online. Start by just writing down everything you eat for three or four days before you start a diet. You will see how many calories you are currently consuming, how many healthy foods you eat now and how many unhealthy foods you choose as well. Once you understand your current diet, you will know which healthy foods you need to increase and which ones you need to decrease in your diet.

    Food Diary Tools

  • Make Your Own Food Diary
  • Calorie Count

    • Choose the Right Foods for a Healthy Balanced Diet

    Once you know how many calories you need, your next step is to choose foods that will offer lots of good nutrition for the amount of calories you take in. For example at snack time, you could choose a healthy food such as a cup of blueberries for about 85 calories or a small glazed doughnut, about two inches in diameter, for 100 calories. Although there is only 15 calories difference between the two, the blueberries are a much better choice for a healthy diet. The blueberries are packed with vitamins, anti-oxidants, fiber and very low in fat. The glazed doughnut has very little nutritional value and a lot of unhealthy fats for such a small treat.

    Another example would be the comparison of a fish selection for a meal, either six ounces of salmon or five fish sticks. Both the salmon and the fish sticks would offer roughly about the same number of calories, but the salmon would be a better choice. The salmon is a great source of protein, B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, while the fish sticks contain a lot of unhealthy fats and sodium from the breading, and not as many vitamins and healthy fats.

    In general healthy foods are foods that are not covered in sauces, baked into desserts, deep-fried, refined or processed. Here are some examples:

    • An apple is healthy; a piece of apple pie is not.
    • A lean piece of broiled steak is better than a greasy chicken-fried steak.
    • Turkey or chicken is lower in saturated fats than red meats. Whole grain breads and cereals offer more fiber than white, refined breads and cereals.
    • Olive oil has been shown to reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease, while margarine and butter use may increase that risk.
    • Whole grain plain breakfast cereals are a better choice than sugar frosted breakfast cereals.

    Eating a healthy balanced diet also means eating a variety of foods. Choose foods from each of the food groups to make sure you are getting all of the nutrients that you need. Pick healthy foods, not junk foods. If you are not sure of the nutritional content of a packaged food, be sure to read the Nutrition Fact food labels to understand the nutritional content for the amount of calories per serving.

    Foods to Eat for a Healthy Balanced Diet

    The USDA has the food pyramid to help you determine how many servings of each type of food you need for a healthy diet. There are other food pyramids available from other nutrition and public health experts too that put more emphasis on fruits and vegetables, exercise and healing foods.

    Food Groups and Servings for a Healthy Diet

  • Dairy. Choose two or three servings from the dairy group each day. Dairy products are great sources of protein and are the best sources of calcium. If you don't like or can't tolerate dairy products, look for calcium-fortified orange juice and other foods. Good dairy serving choices include:
    • One cup of low fat milk.
    • Two slices of cheese.
    • One cup of yogurt.
    • 1/3 cup of shredded cheese.
    Poorer choices include:
    • Milk shakes and malts.
    • Ice cream sundaes.
    • Processed cheese spreads.
  • Grains and Cereals. The USDA suggests that you eat from six to eleven servings of grains and cereals each day. At least half of those servings should be from whole grains. Whole grains and cereals are great ways to get enough fiber in your diet and to add beneficial vitamins and minerals. Fiber helps to keep your digestive system healthy and can help control your cholesterol levels. Good grain and cereal serving choices include:
    • One slice of whole wheat bread.
    • One-half cup brown rice.
    • One cup of whole grain cereal.
    • One-half cup oatmeal.
    • four or five whole grain crackers.
    Poorer choices include:
    • White bread.
    • Pre-sweetened cereals.
    • Doughnuts, cake and cookies.
  • Fruits and Vegetables. The USDA suggests that you eat from five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Fruits and vegetables provide lots of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber. It is difficult to imagine being healthy without eating lots of fruits and vegetables. Good fruit and vegetable serving choices include:
    • One-half cup of sweet corn.
    • One piece of fresh fruit such as an apple, a pear or a peach.
    • One-half cup fruit cocktail.
    • One-half cup berries like strawberries or raspberries.
    • One-half cup of black beans or pinto beans.
    • One small baked potato.
    • One cup of green beans.
    • One cup of broccoli.
    Poorer choices include:
    • Frozen fruits made with syrup.
    • Desserts such as apple pie or peach cobblers.
    • French fries.
  • Meat, Fish and Eggs. While it is possible to get all of the protein you need from plant sources such as dry beans and nuts, many people prefer to eat meat, fish and eggs as their main protein sources. We need two or three servings of protein each day for healthy function of all the structural components of our bodies and healthy sources of protein also offer vitamins, minerals, and in the case of fish, healthy fats. Good serving choices of protein include:
    • Three ounces of cooked lean beefsteak.
    • Three ounces of lean cooked pork chop.
    • One small baked chicken breast.
    • Six ounces of cooked oily ocean fish such as salmon or tuna.
    • One-half cup of dry beans such as pinto beans or navy beans.
    • One ounce of nuts, about 25 almonds, 13 cashews or nine walnuts.
    Poorer choices include:
    • Fried chicken.
    • Fish sticks.
    • Red meat with large amounts of fat.
    • Processed lunch meats, hot dogs and sausages.
  • Fats and Oils. Healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats such as fish oil, canola oil and olive oil are good for your health. Saturated fats found in meats and artificial trans fats found in processed foods are bad for your health. You don't need to add a lot of extra oil to your diet, just make healthy food choices and cooking choices to get enough of the healthy fats that you need. Good serving choices of healthy fats include:
    • One ounce of nuts, about 25 almonds, 13 cashews or nine walnuts.
    • Three ounces of cooked oily ocean fish such as salmon or tuna.
    • Two tablespoons of olive oil for cooking or mixed with vinegar for salad dressing.
    • One tablespoon of walnut oil for a salad.
    • One teaspoon milled flax seeds.
    • Canola oil for cooking.
    Poorer choices include:
    • Red meat with large amounts of fat.
    • Processed lunch meats, hot dogs and sausages.
    • Desserts, treats and candy with lots of sugar and fats.
    • Deep-fried anything.
    • Fast food.

    • What Not to Eat for a Healthy Balanced Diet

    Using the unhealthy examples of foods mentioned above, make sure you limit your overall intake of sugar, fats, sodium and calories.

  • Excess Sugar:
    • Desserts, candy, treats.
  • Excess Fats:
    • Junk foods, fatty meats, fried foods.
  • Excess Calories:
    • Sugary foods, heavy sauces and gravies, big portions.
  • Excess Sodium:
    • Processed foods, prepackage meals, canned soups and vegetables.

    • Cooking for a Healthy Balanced Diet

    Cooking Methods are important as well. Improper cooking methods add calories and unhealthy fats and in some cases, reduce overall nutrition. For example:

  • Meats should be baked, broiled or carefully grilled, not fried. This will help to reduce the amount of unhealthy fats.
  • Vegetables should be eaten raw, lightly steamed or cooked in a microwave rather than boiled, which reduces many of the nutrients.
  • A quick vegetable sauté in olive oil or canola oil is better than cooking your vegetables in butter or margarine.

    • Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins in a Healthy Balanced Diet

    A healthy diet should be made up of the correct ratios of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The USDA suggests that you get about 50 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from fats and 20 percent from protein. If you eat all of the recommended servings of each food group and no more or no less, you should get your recommended amounts of nutrients without consuming too many calories. You can also use portion sizes and meal planning to make sure you get just the right amounts of everything.

    Typical Meal and Portion Size for a Healthy Balanced Diet

    Many people suffer from portion distortion. It can be very difficult to picture just how big a serving of any particular food is and if you don't control your portion size, studies show you will overeat. Read labels and use a kitchen scale if you have trouble with portion sizes for packaged foods. Be cautious when you eat out in restaurants and coffee shops. The typical bagel in a coffee shop is equal to five servings of bread and one super-sized meal at a fast food restaurant might be equal to all of the calories you need for the whole day. Whether you are at home or in a restaurant, use these tips for recognizing portion sizes of healthy foods at meal times:

  • Three ounces of meat - one serving is about the size of a deck of cards.
  • One cup of pasta - one serving is about the size of a tightly closed fist.
  • Two tablespoons of peanut butter - one serving is about the size of a ping-pong ball.
  • Two cups of green leafy vegetables - one serving is about the size of two closed fists.
  • Two ounces of cheese - one serving is about the size of two dominoes.
  • One cup of green vegetables - one serving is about the size of a tennis ball.

    • When you serve your meal on a plate, divide the plate into four quarters. One quarter is for your serving of meat or protein. One quarter is for one serving of starchy carbohydrates such as pasta, cereal, bread, rice, potatoes or corn. The half of the plate remaining should be filled with lower calorie vegetables, salad or fruit. Remember that butter, margarine, sauces, gravy, and cheesy toppings add calories to your plate, so use those sparingly. Better yet, use olive oil, lemon juice, herbs and spices to add flavor to your meal.

    Don't Skip Meals

    Most people need to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Skipping meals is a bad idea and will leave you feeling sleepy and so hungry at your next meal, you will be prone to over-eating. Skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight and skipping dinner might lead to late evening snack munching, so set a meal schedule and stick to it. You may also want to leave a few calories open for one or two small snacks during the day.

    Sources

    American Diabetes Association, Portion Sizes
    U of Iowa, Basics of a Balanced Diet
    USDA, MyPyramid
    USDA, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19
    USDA, Finding Your Way to a Healthier You
    Mayo Clinic, Whole grains: High in Nutrition and Fiber, Yet Low in Fat

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