February 27, 2015,
A balanced diet means getting the right types and amounts of foods and drinks to supply nutrition and energy for maintaining body cells, tissues, and organs, and for supporting normal growth and development.
- Should Athletes Eat Fat or Carbs?
- Calories on Menus: Nationwide Experiment Into Human Behavior
- How Do You Teach Kids to Eat Well When You’re Not With Them?
- PMS Symptoms Linked to Diet
- Mediterranean Diet Shown to Ward Off Heart Attack and Stroke
- Multivitamin Use Linked to Lowered Cancer Risk
- New Rules for School Meals Aim at Reducing Obesity
- It Could Be Old Age, or It Could Be Low B12
- More Ways to Cope With Type 1 Diabetes
- A Diet Manifesto: Drop the Apple and Walk Away
Back to TopAlternative Names
Back to TopFunction
A well-balanced diet provides enough energy and nutrition for optimal growth and development.
Back to TopFood Sources
Milk group (dairy products)
- Cheese: fat-free or reduced-fat (1%)
- Milk or buttermilk: fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%)
- Yogurt: fat-free or low-fat, regular or frozen
Meat and beans group
- Legumes (including beans, lentils, peas, and split peas)
- Meat (beef, pork, poultry with skin removed, game meats, fish, shellfish): select lean cuts; trim away visible fat; broil, roast, or poach
- Nuts and seeds (including almonds, hazelnuts, mixed nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, walnuts)
- Tofu, tempeh, and other soy-protein products
- Apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, dates, grapes, grapefruit, mangos, melons, oranges, peaches, pineapples, raisins and other unsweetened dried fruits, tangerines
- 100% fruit juice
- Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, collard and other greens, cucumbers, green beans, kale, lettuces, potatoes, radishes, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
- 100% vegetable juice
Grain group (breads and cereals)
- Enriched, whole-grain breads, rolls, English muffins, bagels, cereals (hot and cold), and pasta
- Light or low-fat salad dressing
- Low-fat mayonnaise
- Vegetable oil
Back to TopRecommendations
The term "balanced" simply means that a diet meets your nutritional needs while not providing too much of any nutrients. To achieve a balanced diet, you must eat a variety of foods from each of the food groups. You will need to know:
- How many calories you should consume every day
- What size portions you should eat. Too much of a healthy food may no longer be healthy
- Which are the healthy choices from each food group
There are several guidelines available to help you plan your balanced diet. They include:
- The Food Guide Pyramid
- The U.S. Dietary Guidelines (RDA guidelines)
- Do not skip breakfast
- Eat at least three meals each day
- Eat foods from each of the food groups at every meal
The most important step to eating a balanced diet is to educate yourself about what your body needs, and to read the nutrition label and ingredients of all the food you eat.
New dietary guidelines from the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) recommend fewer calories and smarter food choices. Some of the key recommendations:
- Follow a balanced diet that is low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt, and alcohol, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Eating Plan.
- Balance your calorie intake with exercise. Slowly decrease the amount of calories you take in while increasing exercise to prevent gradual weight gain over time. Exercise regularly and reduce activities in which you sit (such as watching TV).
- Eat 2 cups (4 servings) of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables (5 servings) per day for an average 2,000-calorie per day diet.
- Eat 3 ounces or more of whole-grain products per day.
- Consume 3 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or milk products.
- Get fewer than 7% of calories from saturated fatty acids.
- Avoid trans fatty acids, which are unhealthy fats. They are found in fried foods, commercial baked goods such as donuts, cookies, and crackers, in processed foods, and in margarines.
- Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg/day.
- Make total fat intake no more than 20 - 35% of calories. Choose "good" fats such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils containing polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Lean, low-fat, or fat-free meats, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products are preferable. Total fat intake can approach 35% if most of the fats are "good" fats.
- Stay away from added sugars.
- Consume fewer than 2,300 mg (approximately one teaspoon of salt) of sodium daily, and limit added salt when you prepare food.
- Do not consume more than 1 alcoholic drink per day for women, 2 per day for men. Certain people should not drink any alcohol.
- Read nutrition labels on all foods. This will help you know what kind of fats, and how much, the food contains.
Back to TopReferences
Dietary Guidelines for Americans - 2005 . Washington, DC. US Dept of Health and Human Services and US Dept of Agriculture; 2005.
American Heart Association Nutrition Committee: Lichtenstein AH, Appel LJ, Brands M, Carnetho M, Daniels S, et al. Diet and lifestyle recommendations revision 2006: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Circulation . 2006;114(1):82-96.
MOST POPULAR - HEALTH
- A Faster Way to Try Many Drugs on Many Cancers
- Researchers Warn on Anesthesia, Unsure of Risk to Children
- Well: Married Sex Gets Better in the Golden Years
- Well: Meditation for a Good Night’s Sleep
- U.S. Push for Abstinence in Africa Is Seen as Failure Against H.I.V.
- Fatality Rate Is Falling in West African Ebola Clinics
- Well: Feeding Infants Peanut Products Could Prevent Allergies, Study Suggests
- Well: What Sound Annoys You?
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Study Findings May Lead to Diagnostic Tool
- Well: Should Athletes Eat Fat or Carbs?