balanced diet chart

A person’s diet refers to the amount and type of food that they are consuming. The human body requires nutrition for its various body processes. Nutrition is required, not just in terms of calorie value, but also in terms of variety. There are a whole range of vitamins and minerals that are required by the body. There are also different amounts of proteins and carbohydrates required by the body. This complex list of requirements often makes it difficult to decide how much food needs to be consumed by an individual. A balanced diet chart can help the individual understand what he or she needs to do in order to plan and consume a healthy and wholesome diet.

The weight of an individual is dependent on many different factors. The amount of food being consumed by an individual is one factor. The exercise undertaken by the individual is another important factor. Exercise requires energy which is produced by the body burning food through the process of metabolism. Metabolism allows the body to produce heat and energy and is the way in which all forms of nutrition are broken down.

The balanced diet chart is based on the principle of moderation. If the body is fed moderately and moderate exercise is undertaken, the individual will be healthy and fit. Crash diets rob the body of various nutrients that it may require from time to time. Crash diets can also cause excessive weight loss in such a way that toxins are released into the body from dying body cells. A balanced diet is also not bland. Food with plenty of flavor can be had without any problem. The balanced diet chart only focuses on the various food groups and is made to help an individual choose foods from each group so that the balance is maintained. The major food groups in the balanced diet chart are vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products, oil and meat products.  Meat products may be avoided by vegetarians and this will result in a greater reliance on vegetables and fruits. A balanced diet chart is usually set in a range of calorie intake. For adults this range is between 1800 and 2400 calories.

People with sedentary lifestyles may stick to the lower end of the calorie range whereas those with physically intensive jobs may go higher than the normal range during days of work and stick to the normal range during days of rest.