Eating a balanced
diet means choosing a wide variety of foods and drinks from all the food
groups. It also means eating certain things in moderation, namely saturated
fat, trans fat, cholesterol, refined sugar, salt and alcohol. The goal is to
take in nutrients you need for health at the recommended levels.
Where to Begin
Two examples of a
balanced eating pattern are the USDA Food Guide at MyPyramid.gov and the
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH Diet).
Both eating
patterns emphasize fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as low or
no-fat dairy products, and lean animal proteins. Fish is recommended at least
two times per week, beans, nuts and seeds are encouraged, and unsaturated fats
are always the fats of choice - like olive oil.
What About Calories?
Your balanced diet
must be planned at your own calorie level, and portion size is key. You want to
get the most nutrients for the calories by choosing food with a high-nutrient
density. Nutrient-dense foods provide substantial amounts of vitamins and
minerals and relatively few calories, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, lean
meat and fish, and whole grains and beans. Low-nutrient dense foods have few
vitamins but lots of calories, such as candy bars, soda, donuts and onion
rings.
Sample Meals
A high
nutrient-dense lunch would look something like this:
2 slices whole wheat bread
Deli turkey
1 slice roasted red pepper
romaine lettuce
1 tsp mayonnaise
baby carrots
hummus
8 oz non-fat milk
Deli turkey
1 slice roasted red pepper
romaine lettuce
1 tsp mayonnaise
baby carrots
hummus
8 oz non-fat milk
A low
nutrient-dense lunch would look something like this:
One ground beef hamburger patty
Two hamburger buns
Iceberg lettuce
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 slice American cheese
Order of French fries, fried in peanut oil
Large regular soda
Candy bar
Two hamburger buns
Iceberg lettuce
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 slice American cheese
Order of French fries, fried in peanut oil
Large regular soda
Candy bar
Know Thyself
What really
matters, though, is knowing yourself. You need to make responsible eating
choices within the context of your preferences and lifestyle. What are your
goals? Which food groups do you like to eat? Which food groups are missing? Do
you eat too much sugar, salt and fried food? Which foods are the contributors
and what foods can you eat instead? The locus of control rests within you to
design the best eating plan for you. Eating healthy takes planning and
practice. Keep your balance.
A Differing Opinion
Nutrition
guidelines recommend eating a wide variety of foods. But, there's a school of
thought that eating variety of foods leads to overeating. There's "the
tendency to stay hungry longer and eat more food when flavors are diverse and
keep changing", according to Dr. David Katz, who maintains that we
"fill up on fewer calories when flavor variety is controlled". You've
seen this principle in action when you come home with a load of groceries.
Don't you want to sample the wide variety of tasty foods?
Sources
- Katz DL, Gonzales M. Way to Eat: A Six-Step
Path to Lifelong Weight Control Sourcebooks, 2004
- The United States Department of Health and
Human Services and the United States Department of Agriculture, Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, 2005
www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines - The United States Department of Agriculture
www.mypyramid.gov
