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Why balance is the key to a healthy diet
The foods you choose to eat may be more important to your overall health than you realize.
General HealthClinically Speaking
4 min read
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The foods you choose to eat may be more important to your overall health than you realize: a healthy diet gives your body the power to function properly. It can reduce your risk for certain diseases and conditions, support your immune system, boost your energy levels, strengthen your bones, keep your skin, teeth, and eyes healthy, and more. But what does it mean to maintain a “healthy” diet? The answer is balance.
The core food groups
Your body needs a variety of food groups to feel its best. These groups are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and dairy. Each of these groups provides different kinds of health benefits:
Fruits and vegetables can boost your body’s supply of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Eating a diet with plenty of fruits and veggies may reduce the risk of heart disease and other illnesses, and ensure that your body has enough potassium.
Whole grains also provide many vitamins and minerals such as iron and magnesium, along with carbohydrates.
Proteins fuel your body with B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc, and magnesium. They also act as the building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood, and support enzymes, hormones, and vitamins.
Dairy including milk, yogurt, and natural cheese provides calcium, which is vital for building bones and teeth. It also helps you maintain bone strength throughout your life.
A diet that includes all of these food groups provides your body with the nutrients it knows and loves, so that you can feel your best. When deciding what to eat on a regular basis, it’s best to stick to unprocessed foods with little added salt or sugar.
How to ensure balance in your diet
Now that you know about the different types of food groups and why they’re important, you can form a balanced diet. Balance ensures that you’re fulfilling all of your body’s nutritional needs. This can support you in maintaining good health and reducing your risk of disease – and who doesn’t want that?
The USDA recommends (opens in new tab) that half of your plate consists of fruits and vegetables, and the other half of grains and protein. They also recommend adding a serving of low-fat dairy. If every meal isn’t perfectly proportioned, it’s okay! What’s important to remember is the diversity of what you’re eating – throughout the day, you should incorporate each food group as best you can. For example, if you only have grains for breakfast, be sure to have fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy for lunch or dinner.
Finding the right balance for you
We should all consume a wide range of nutrients, but that’s going to look different for everyone. Everyone’s body is different – we have unique dietary restrictions, needs, and preferences. For example, many people can’t eat dairy, or choose not to. If this sounds like you, you can still get the nutritional benefits from the dairy group through sources like lactose free milk or fortified soy milk. Similarly, many individuals chose to eat a gluten-free diet. Thankfully, grains such as quinoa, brown rice, and buckwheat don’t contain gluten. If you have diabetes, you may want to discuss your fruit intake with your healthcare provider, as fruits can contain high levels of sugar. What’s considered a healthy diet can vary from person to person.
Aside from intolerances, sensitivities, and health variables, everyone has different food preferences, and that’s okay! What’s important is finding foods from each group that you love – that way, you’ll look forward to eating healthy food. For example, if you just can’t stand eggs, try a different source of protein for breakfast, such as nuts, seeds, or soy products like tofu. When you’re creating your healthy diet, ensuring that you actually enjoy what you’re eating can support you in sticking with it.
The bottom line is, everyone has different needs when it comes to food. You can still create a balanced diet even if you can’t, or don’t particularly want to, eat certain foods.
Takeaways
When people think of healthy eating, they might think of a plate of steamed vegetables – but a nutritious diet is much more nuanced than that. A well-rounded diet is the key to making sure your body is getting what it needs.
If you have questions about how to form a healthy diet, get in touch with your healthcare provider. They can help you create a plan that works for you based on your health needs.
