It is very important to have a balanced diet because it is where we get to have all the essential nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and more to maintain a healthy body. If we do not have the knowledge of keeping a balanced diet, we might get sick easily. For example, if we eat too much, the percentage of getting chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity will be higher. However, if we eat way too less, our body will not be getting enough nutrients and we might eventually get sick very quickly and lack of energy may lead to dysfunction of vital organs and proper growth and development. That is why, having a balanced diet is very important to maintain health.
Dietary requirements
Dietary recommendation for children and teenagers
1
Year |
2–3
Years |
4–8
Years |
9–13
Years |
14-18
Years
|
|
Calories
|
900
kcal
|
1000
kcal
|
|||
Female
|
1200
kcal
|
1600
kcal
|
1800
kcal
|
||
Male
|
1400
kcal
|
1800
kcal
|
2200
kcal
|
||
Fat
|
30-40%
kcal
|
30-35%
kcal
|
25-35%
kcal
|
25-35%
kcal
|
25-35%
kcal
|
Milk/Dairy
|
2
cups
|
2
cups
|
2
cups
|
3
cups
|
3
cups
|
Lean
Meat/Beans
|
1.5
oz
|
2
oz
|
5
oz
|
||
Female
|
3
oz
|
5
oz
|
|||
Male
|
4
oz
|
6 oz
|
|||
Fruits
|
1
cup
|
1
cup
|
1.5
cups
|
1.5
cups
|
|
Female
|
1.5
cups
|
||||
Male
|
2
cups
|
||||
Vegetables
|
3/4
cup
|
1
cup
|
|||
Female
|
1
cup
|
2
cups
|
2.5
cups
|
||
Male
|
1.5
cup
|
2.5
cups
|
3
cups
|
||
Grains_
|
2
oz
|
3
oz
|
|||
Female
|
4
oz
|
5
oz
|
6
oz
|
||
Male
|
5
oz
|
6
oz
|
7
oz
|
Dietary recommendation for adults
Age group
|
Energy
*
(kcal)
|
Protein
(g) |
Total
Fat
(g)
|
SFA
(g) |
Carbo-
hydrates
(g)
|
Dietary
fibre
(g)
|
Choles-
terol
(mg)
|
Ca
(g) |
Na
(mg) |
Fe
(mg) |
Vit
A
(mcg)
|
Folic
Acid
(mcg)
|
Vit
C
(mg)
|
Men
|
|||||||||||||
18- 29 yrs
|
2550
|
68
|
71
|
23.6
|
351
|
26
|
300
|
0.4-0.5
|
1700
|
6
|
750
|
200
|
30
|
30- 59 yrs
|
2500
|
68
|
69
|
23.0
|
344
|
25
|
300
|
0.4-0.5
|
1650
|
6
|
750
|
200
|
30
|
60 yrs and above
|
2100
|
68
|
58
|
19.3
|
289
|
21
|
300
|
0.4-0.5
|
1400
|
6
|
750
|
200
|
30
|
Women
|
|||||||||||||
18 - 29 yrs
|
2000
|
58
|
56
|
18.6
|
275
|
20
|
300
|
0.4-0.5
|
1350
|
19
|
750
|
200
|
30
|
30- 59 yrs
|
2000
|
58
|
57
|
19.0
|
275
|
20
|
300
|
0.4-0.5
|
1350
|
19
|
750
|
200
|
30
|
60 yrs and above
|
1800
|
58
|
50
|
16.7
|
248
|
18
|
300
|
0.4-0.5
|
1200
|
6
|
750
|
200
|
30
|
Pregnant women
|
|||||||||||||
- full activity
|
+285
|
+9
|
+8
|
+6
|
+39
|
+3
|
300
|
1.0-1.2
|
+200
|
19
|
750
|
400
|
50
|
- reduced activity
|
+200
|
+9
|
+6
|
+2
|
+28
|
+2
|
300
|
1.0-1.2
|
+150
|
19
|
750
|
400
|
5
|
Tips to achieve a healthy balanced diet
Keeping a balanced diet is the key to maintaining a healthy life, and it doesn't have to be so difficult, just follow these 5 tips I will be suggesting!
Before I start, I would like to share a picture describing the most relevant tip to achieve a healthy balanced diet:
 |
| The "fancy version" of a food pyramid |
1. Eat how much you can burn
Eat the right number of calories based on how active you are, so that you will not have the chance of gaining weight or losing weight which is very unhealthy.
2. Get hydrated all the time
"Water is the best medicine to cure any diseases." Water is the best superfood ever if it was a food, it can help digestion, promotes clear skin and can even help to prevent heart diseases. Some researches have even mentioned that water can help to boost metabolism which could help us to lose weight easily. So, get hydrated all the time! It could help you a lot. Get some healthy fluids like milk, and try to avoid those sweetened drinks that can be high in calories.
3. Take more vegetables and fruits
Taking more vegetables and fruits is also one of the way to keep hydrated because 80% of them are made out of fluids filled with rich Vitamins and 20% of solids filled with fibers which is also one of the important nutrients. Vitamins are very important for our body because they are the one help to maintain and strongen our immune system so that we won't get sick easily.
4. Get more proteins!
Proteins could be the most important nutrients among all because it is the one helping our body to build and repair body cells, our body won't be able to live without proteins, technically. So, get more proteins to achieve a healthy balanced diet by getting more dairies and meats!
5. If the food has a label, ignore it.
Stop spending time watching the labels on the food, it's literally pointless, those could be lies. Start consuming foods that have no labels like vegetables, whole grains, instead of consuming foods that have been "factorized".
Right next, I am going to talk about the dietary requirements for diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases.
Dietary requirements for hypertension
Sodium: 2,300 milligrams per day (Standard diet)
: 1,500 milligrams per day (Lower sodium diet)
Grains: 6 to 8 servings per day
Vegetables: 4 to 5 servings per day
Fruits: 4 to 5 servings per day
Dairy: 2 to 3 servings per day
Nuts, seeds and legumes: 4 to 5 servings per day
Fat and oils: 2 to 3 servings per day
Sweets: 5 or fewer a week
For people who are having hypertension shouldn't intake too much alcohols because it can increase blood pressure readily. Taking caffeine is not encouraged too though the effect of it still remains unknown, but caffeine still have the percentage or rising up your blood pressure, so the choice is yours.
Dietary requirements for diabetes
There is no specific dietary requirements for people with diabetes, you can actually eat what you want, but you just have to balance up what you eat, just like what other people do, but you have to control your blood sugar level especially.
So actually, people with diabetes can just follow the dietary requirements for children and adults I have given above. :) No worries! :D
Dietary requirements for heart diseases
For people with heart diseases, you should be careful of your diet because it may cause you to lose your life!
Sodium: 2,000 milligrams per day
Look through what I have suggested above about not looking at the food labels! It may help you to have an awareness of not eating foods with labels because they sometimes may have high sodium level :)
Grains: 6 or more servings per day
Proteins: 2 to 3 servings per day
Dairy: 2 or more servings per day
Vegetables: 5 or more servings per day
Fruits: 5 or more servings per day
Fats and oils: intake sparingly
Sweets: intake sparingly
Other than all these above, try to take foods that are high in fibers and potassium! If you are taking some diuretics, your potassium level may drop, so get all your nutrients well!
I suppose that's all for today, I guess I have written quite a lot already... Pheww... Hope I am helping you guys! Thanks, bye!
Next post: Exercise planning for chronic diseases
- "10 Tips for a Healthy Diet." Chow The CHOW Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.chow.com/food-news/54884/10-tips-for-a-healthy-diet/>."Balanced Diet For Kids - HealthCentral." Balanced Diet For Kids - HealthCentral. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.healthcentral.com/diet-exercise/h/balanced-diet-for-kids.html>.
- "Dietary Recommendations for Healthy Children." Dietary Recommendations for Healthy Children. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Dietary-Recommendations-for-Healthy-Children_UCM_303886_Article.jsp>.
- "Heart Failure Nutrition Guidelines." Cleveland Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/nutrition/heartfailureguidelines.aspx>.
- "Importance of a Balanced Diet for a Healthy Lifestyle." Green Apple Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.greenappleactive.com/blog/tips-2/importance-of-a-balanced-diet-for-healthy-lifestyles/>.
- "Nutrition.com.sg - Healthy Eating - Recommended Dietary Allowances - Adults."Nutrition.com.sg - Healthy Eating - Recommended Dietary Allowances - Adults. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nutrition.com.sg/he/herda-adt.asp>.
- "What Is a Balanced Diet?" Calorie Counter UK & Food Diary. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nutracheck.co.uk/Library/Healthy-Eating/how-to-get-a-healthy-balanced-diet_1.html>.
- "What Is a Balanced Diet and Why Is It Important?" Calorie Secrets RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.caloriesecrets.net/what-is-a-balanced-diet-and-why-is-it-important/>.
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