Balanced Diet Essay

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Balanced diet Food is an essential part of our life; it gives us the energy to do work as well as it helps as to lead a healthy lifestyle. The food that we intake every day is called our ‘diet’. This food that we consume daily can be divided into groups and each of these groups contains nutrients, which are essential for our body. These nutrients are proteins, fats, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals. The food that we intake, which consists of the right amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates along with adequate water, minerals and vitamins is called a ‘balanced diet’ (3). A well balanced diet is a major component of a child’s daily routine as it serves as a key factor for the wellbeing, growth and development of a child (1). The diet consumed by the child must be of the nutritional value to ensure that they receive the sustenance that is required to meet the demands of a child’s physical growth and activities. Also, it is equally important, especially for child, that his or her input of calories is enough to help them function throughout their day, which is filled with various physical activities. According to the Nutrition Bulletin, between age 1 and adolescence, the average growth of a child is 2 ½ inches per year, and hence, growing muscles and bones demands a well balanced nutritional diet (1). Furthermore, nutrition is the fundamental means by which a child can receive adequate nutrients for a healthy brain development. Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide classifies foods into (one of) four food groups: * Vegetables and Fruits – fresh, frozen, canned or dried vegetables and fruits or 100% pure juices * Grain products – breads, pasta, cereals, rice and other grains * Milk and Alternatives - milk, yogurt, cheese, fortified soy beverage * Meat and Alternatives - beef, pork, fish, poultry, eggs, legumes, tofu, peanut butter (4)
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