By Regina Whenu
A balanced diet is one that contains adequate amounts of all the necessary nutrients required for healthy growth and activity. It is important because the human body’s organs need proper nutrition to work effectively. Without good nutrition, your body is more disposed to infection, paleness and poor performance. Children with a poor diet run the risk of growth and developmental problems, as bad eating habits can continue for the rest of their lives.
To eat a balanced diet, you need to combine several different types of foods – from each of the main food groups, in the right amounts, so your body gets all the nutrients it needs while maintaining a healthy weight.
But balanced diet administration does not apply to every individual in the same way. In a family, the adult’s diet is quite different from that of the toddler and the teenager.
According to Dr. Kehinde Ogoji, active children require more protein because they burn energy quickly.
His words: “Active children, the ones that burn energy quickly require protein; so that they will not have to suffer from protein energy malnutrition. Other food nutrients like carbohydrates and fats can be added to their meal for variety.”
The youths, he said, not only require protein but carbohydrates. “They require a whole lot of it, as they tend to burn and utilise energy in their daily lives.”
He advises the working class to go on more fibre and protein, but less carbohydrates and fat. This, he added, should be complemented by regular exercise.
“Some are office workers who sit more than work. Carbohydrates they eat are stored as fats which can lead to obesity. To stay healthy in this case requires extra efforts like regular exercise to substitute for the long hours on a spot, to reduce the fat that might have accumulated in the areas of the heart.
“Workers, especially those who move around and burn energy, require more carbohydrates and protein. This is because they burn energy on a daily basis. Due to the everyday stress, more fruits are recommended, as fruits have anti-oxidants that prevent quick ageing caused by stress,” he said.
The elderly ones are not left out of this healthy scheme. Ogoji advises the elderly ones to take more of scaly fishes, as they find it difficult to burn fats like the young ones. “A lot of fruits is required in their meal, as fruit aids digestion and replenishes the skin. Red meat should be avoided in their meals,” he added
While choosing your meal, the following food nutrients should be taken into consideration.
Vitamins
Vitamin A is needed for healthy teeth, skin, and produces the pigment in the retina of the eye – helping you to see. Vitamin C has a vital synthesiser for collagen and blood vessels, and is critical to brain function. This vitamin is known to affect moods. It is a highly effective anti-oxidant, which protects the body from free toxins that cause cancer.
Vitamin D is needed, so that the body can absorb calcium which strengthens the bone and prevents rickets in children. Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant, which replenishes damaged cells, and the last of all, Vitamin K, plays a key role in helping the blood clot, preventing excessive bleeding.
Vitamins can be found in eggs, meat, milk, cheese, cod, carrots, and many dark green vegetables. It is more pronounced in citrus fruit.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate is a perfect source of energy. When you eat foods that contain carbohydrates, the body breaks it down into simple sugars and then into glucose. The bloodstream then absorbs glucose, the body’s energy donor, and transports it to the cells and muscles, with the help of insulin for immediate use.
Protein
The body needs protein to repair and maintain itself. The basic structure of protein is a chain of amino acids. Protein is needed in the diet, as it helps in the repair of body cells and the creation of new ones. Protein is important and essential in physical and mental growth. Sources are chicken, beef, beans, egg, nuts and seeds like cashew nuts and sunflower seeds.
Minerals
Minerals are essential for the body to stay healthy. The body utilises minerals in building bones, making hormones and regulating the heartbeat. Mineral is broken down into calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluorine, selenium and sulphur.
Taking a look at the essential minerals in the body, iron helps in the formation of blood cells – haemoglobin (the red pigment in blood) is what transports the oxygen around the body. On the other hand, calcium is principal in the formation of bones and teeth. It also regulates muscle contraction (including the heartbeat) helping blood to clot normally.
Minerals are found in meat, fish, dark green vegetables, dried apricots, pumpkin seeds, whole grain (brown bread), pulses, beans, and dairy products.
Fats
Fats are essential in your diet, but not too much. Fats give energy and help the body absorb vitamins. Nutritional fat also plays a major role in the cholesterol levels. Feed healthy by trying olive oil, safflower oil, sesame oil or sunflower oil in your meal.
Water
Water is an essential nutrient; the body is composed of about 60 per cent water. The functions of this fluid include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. Water helps in gaining weight loss.