What Is Balanced Diet & Why Is It Important For Your Health?

We all know the role a balanced diet plays in our life. It is very important for maintaining optimal health. A diet is said to be balanced if it contains all essential nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. Balanced diet is essential for growth and maintenance of healthy cells and tissues of body.

It is crucial for overall growth and development. Intake of various type of food makes up nutritious diet. This includes vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts and beans, lean meat, fish and low fat dairy products. A balanced diet does not include fast food and processed food as they are detrimental to health.

Eating a balanced diet has become need of the hour in modern days because unlike yesteryear’s, people have deviated from eating healthy to unhealthy food. Especially fast foods, processed foods and junk food have caused many health problems which generally can be avoided by eating healthy diet. A diet balanced with vitamins and other essential nutrients as mentioned before help to keep blood sugar level to its optimal level.

The antioxidants present in it protect each and every cell from bad effects of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that are responsible for several diseases including cancer and heart attack.

Obesity has become an epidemic all over the world, especially in developed countries like United States. Obesity invites many diseases such as heart attack, gall stones, stroke etc. One of the reasons for obesity is eating increased amount of saturated fats, sugar that are normally present in processed foods and fast foods. These foods contain more calories. If you eat more calorie containing unhealthy food than your body spends, it will be stored in the form of fat in your body. However, a balanced meal does not cause increase in fat load although it sufficiently keeps your energized and active. People who eat fast food and processed foods are at greater risk of becoming obese. They are at risk of suffering from hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases at young age.

What Are The Benefits Of A Balanced Diet?

Certain foods and ingredients in a balanced diet composed of vegetables, grains, nuts and beans etc is very useful for brain health. For example almonds, pistachios, fish and other sea foods are rich source of omega-3 fatty acid. Omega-3 is vital for improving mood. It also brings about improvement in depressed person. In short Omega helps the brain to function well and prevents its early aging. Besides omega 3, vitamin E present in several vegetables and fruits, nuts and beans is also beneficial in improving brain function that includes learning and memory.

A diet full of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients contributes healthy immunity to the body. Immune system of the body is like a soldier as it protects the body against invading bacteria, viruses and several other foreign bodies. Often malnutrition can reduce immunity in the body. As a result of this person may suffer from various infectious diseases. Balanced diet plays vital role in maintaining and strengthening immunity of the body.