Concept of a Balanced Diet

A balanced  diet can  be defined as one which contains different types of foods in such quantities and proportions that the need for  calories,  minerals, vitamins  and other nutrients is adequately  met and a small provision is made for  extra nutrients to withstand  short duration of leanness. 

Concept of a Balanced Diet

If you look  at the defination carefully,  you  would realize that a balanced  diet 

• consists of different types of food items 
• meets the need for nutrients and 
• provides for periods of leanness  when the diet  may possibly not supply adequate amounts of all nutrients. 

Let us talk about each of these aspects. 

A balanced  diet consists of different types of food items: A balanced  diet  includes a  variety of  foods. But how do we  select these  foods? The major aim is to ensure that all  nutrients  are supplied. This can be achieved by first classifying food  into groups--each  group supplying certain specific nutrients and  then selecting items from each food  group to plan a balanced  meal or diet. Including items from each food group ensures that all the nutrients will  be supplied. These aspects will be clearer  when you read through subsection which  discusses the use of food groups in planning balanced  diets. 

A balanced diet  meets  the nutrient needs: A balanced diet meets nutrient needs because of the amounts and proportions of the  foods selected.

How much  should a person  consume of individual foods to meet  his needs? This would be based on the recommended  dietary  intakes (RDIs) laid  down for the individual for whom the diet is planned.  You will study more about RDIs in the subsection.

Balanced diets provide for  periods of leanness: We have now examined the first two aspects of the definition of  a balanced diet. Balanced diets also provide for periods of leanness. This implies that there is a "safety  margin" or a "little extra" for those times  when you do not meet your nutrient needs adequately. A normal individual consumes a variety of foods. It is possible that on a given day he may not consume foods in the amounts he requires.  How, then, can we provide  for 

such periods of leanness?  Actually we do not need to make any special adjustments because RDIs already include a margin of safety. Planning diets on the basis of RDIs would take care of this aspect as well.