According to health experts, in order to achieve good health---and avoid long term diseases and illnesses...it's so important to make sure that your diet is balanced---and As our lives become busier, this can become more difficult.
However, this article will go a long way to help you understand what makes a balanced diet, why it's important, and how to apply this information to your everyday life. This article discusses the five major food groups (Fruits and Vegetables, Carbs, Protein, Dairy, and Fatty and Sugary Foods). Get started with Step 1 below to get on your way to maintaining a healthy, balanced diet.
Method 1: Eat Fruits and Vegetables
Fruit and vegetables: Despite this being one of the most important food groups, and having many health benefits, studies have shown that the majority of the population aren't eating enough of them. This is surprising considering the goodness it provides and huge variety available in shops nowadays. So, let's take a more detailed look at what this group is.
· Why it's important:Fruits and vegetables provide your body with lots of vitamins and minerals which are hard to come by in other areas of your diet. They also have a high water and low fat content so are a good choice for snacks. Research has shown that a diet which lacks in this group of food can lead to diseases such as heart disease and even some cancers! A lack of it can also lead to high blood pressure and various vitamin deficiencies which result in a lowered immune system, and sometimes long-term illness. So as you can see, it's pretty important.
· How much do you need:As you probably know, the general guideline is to eat at least five portions per day. These portions must be of five different fruits and vegetables to make sure that you get a variety of vitamins and minerals. To get the best variety, choose ones which are different colours, as generally, different colours give you different things. But how much is in a portion? A quick way to decide is to count one generous handful as a portion, but it does vary between different foods.
· What foods is it in:Well obviously it's just fruits and vegetables, but there are many different ways to consume them. For example, vegetable soups, tinned fruits, smoothies, fruit juice, salad, dried fruit, and obviously, fresh food. In order to get the most goodness out of them, they are best eaten raw, or vegetables should be cooked by steaming them rather than boiling.
· How to bring it into your diet:The easiest way to raise the amount of fruit and veg that you eat is to snack on them rather than chocolate and crisps. But as well as that, here are some simple ways to include fruits and vegetables in your diet;
· Glass of fresh fruit juice with your breakfast.
· Berries or other fruit sprinkled over your breakfast cereal.
· Portion of dried fruit as a mid-morning snack
· A salad with your lunch
· A portion of steamed vegetables with your evening meal
· Sweet fruit such as strawberries as a desert.
