A healthy balanced diet

Posted on November 14, 2013 by john in Weight loss and diet plans

A healthy balanced diet. what is a balanced diet?

1 The importance of eating well.

The man needs to eat to live. The nutrients in food provide the energy you need to deal with daily activities and keep your body functioning.

To be healthy and maintain optimal performance every day is necessary to follow a healthy and balanced diet. This is achieved by combining an effective food to ingest nutrients necessary according to age, gender and level of physical activity.

Many diseases are directly related to poor diet maintained over the years, obesity, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, osteoporosis, hypertension and type II diabetes.

2 proteins, carbohydrates and fats, balance is the key.

There are three naturally occurring nutrients : protein, carbohydrates, sugars and fats. A healthy diet combined passes all properly. The correct ratio which would result in a balanced diet is the following.

- Between 15 % and 20 % of the nutrients must be proteins. Play a role in building and muscle tissue regeneration and transport of other nutrients, including fats.

- Between 25% and 30% should be fats. These nutrients are primarily used by the body for energy.

- Between 50% and 60% should be carbohydrates. As the fats, carbohydrates are mainly used by the body for energy.

3 The source of nutrients. eating balanced diet.

Properly combine Besides, it is very important to choose the right nutrients. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates they are of many types, and a healthy diet by eating the right passes.

” Between 15 % and 20 % of proteins are ingested fish should be,” says Dr. Charro Salado, Professor of Endocrinology and Nutrition, UCM and director of the Center for Endocrine. ” Contains Omega -3 fat very beneficial for the heart.” Also stresses the importance of consuming vegetable protein. eating balanced diet.

Of all the fats that are ingested, try that the maximum amount are polyunsaturated. These are found in fish ( omega 3 ), peanuts, almonds, soy or sunflower oil and are very beneficial for the heart. At least another 10% should be saturated fats, which are also beneficial. It should minimize the intake of saturated fats. Present in fried foods, red meat, milk or their products such as butter, are high in cholesterol and can lead to cardiovascular problems.

Finally, Dr. Charro Salgado notes that “at least 50% should be complex carbohydrates “, present in fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains. ” Of all the sugars that are ingested, less than 10 % should come from sweets, bakery products and soft drinks.”

4 Vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Step 4

Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are not the only components present in food and necessary for a healthy and balanced diet. “Vitamins, minerals, fiber and water are nutrients that do not provide energy, but they are very necessary for the proper functioning of the body,” says José Luis Sánchez Benito, pharmacist attached to the College of Pharmacists of Madrid.

Vitamins and minerals have antioxidant properties, and long term can prevent a large number of disorders, including atherosclerosis, infertility problems and cancer. These nutrients are present in different proportions in a variety of food, it is advisable to follow a diet as varied as possible.

Regarding the fiber, Sanchez notes that ” a part of the mechanical functions encourage evacuation serves to colonic bacteria produce short chain fatty acids are very beneficial for the cardiovascular system.” This nutrient is found in some fruits ( plums, apples and citrus mainly), vegetables (asparagus and other root vegetables, peas, cabbage) and cereals and grains.

5 The diet has to suit the level of energy expenditure.
Step 5

It is important that the diet meets the energy expenditure of each person. The study ‘ The balanced diet or healthy prudent ‘, Community of Madrid, explains how you can calculate the energy needs of an individual. You have to get the so-called ‘ resting metabolic rate ‘. It is part of their sex, age and weight and used the equations proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO ) or the Harris -Benedict formula.

Thus, according to the WHO formulas a 30 year old man weighing 80 kg would have to eat 1807 Kcal. day. A woman of the same age with a weight of 65 kg would need 1394.5 Kcal.

The Harris -Benedict estimates added height variable. Following these equations, a man of 30 who measured 1.80 m and weighed 80kg would have an energy requirement of 1858 kcal. day. Meanwhile, a woman of the same age that measured 1.75 m and weighed 65 kg would need 1453 Kcal. day.

The results obtained with the above equations must be multiplied by the coefficient corresponding physical activity. For men, this ratio is 1.60 if the exercise intensity is light, 1.78 if 2.10 is intense and if it’s high. In women it is 1.50 for low yields of 1.64 to 1.90 for middle and high.

6 model diet. A healthy balanced diet.

A balanced diet must be adapted to the needs of each individual power. It is essential to have the help and advice of a nutritionist or endocrine to develop an appropriate system for each person.

From being premises, the following is a model diet for a person with energy requirements of 1,700 Kcal. And 3,000 Kcal. :

- Between 6 and 10 servings per day of grain products, potatoes and vegetables.
- From 2 to 4 servings a day of fruits and fruit juices.
- Between 3 and 5 servings of vegetables a day.
- From 2 to 3 servings a day of milk and dairy products.
- Between 1 and 2 servings a day of meat, fish and eggs.
- Should consume oils and fats sparingly, trying not to move from the 80 g / day.
- You have to minimize the consumption of sugar, sweets and bakery products, making it only occasionally.
7 The importance of breakfast.

Given that food provides nutrients to the body to cope with their energy expenditure, it is important to distribute properly. It is best to eat between 4 and 5 times a day. Breakfast should be coupled with noon lunch, the food contains more calories. Dinner, on the other hand, must be one of the lightest.

The following data can serve as a reference, but always be contrasted with a nutritionist or dietitian :

- Breakfast should provide 25 % of total calories consumed in a day.
- The mid-morning meal has to contribute 5 % of calories.
Noon - Lunch must contribute 40 % of calories.
- The 15% snack.
‘Dinner for 15%.
8 In Spain you eat poorly.

Yet despite being within the area of ​​influence of the so-called “Mediterranean diet” (characterized by a very balanced nutrient supply ), in Spain you eat poorly. Professor Martínez Álvarez, Faculty of Medicine, UCM, suggests that the cause is ” an increase in the intake of saturated and trans fats, reducing the consumption of complex carbohydrates and fiber and lower intake of fruits and vegetables ” ( ‘ feeding recommendations for the Spanish population ‘, Hospital and Clinical Nutrition Dietetics ‘ )

The result is that if in 1995 the percentage of overweight and obesity in Spain was 45 %, in 2006 this had risen to 53.3 %. Four years later, in 2010, the data were of particular concern in children : 1 in 4 was above its weight.

The consequences of inadequate nutrition to maintain over the years can be disastrous. Alvarez Martinez explains in his article, ” six of the seven most important risk factors for premature death are correlated with diet and physical activity : blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol consumption. ”
9 Want more information ?

IF you want to know more, we recommend you enter our nutrition section. Moreover, in the category of food and drink will find many healthy recipes and easy to prepare. A healthy balanced diet.