A balanced diet covers the nutritional requirements necessary for our body to perform all its functions effectively. In other words, it consists of providing our body with a wide variety of foods that, together, manage to provide all the essential nutrients to carry out all our activities and keep us healthy.
As you can imagine, throughout our lives, nutritional requirements will change since the dietary needs are not the same as those of an adult. So how can we have a balanced diet adapted to our circumstances?
What is a balanced diet?
As you have read in other articles on our blog, eating in a balanced way is essential for our well-being.
But what exactly does a balanced diet consist of? Well, the key to eating in a balanced way is to consume, in the right proportion, all the variety of nutrients that our body needs to function correctly according to our particular circumstances. Although there are some general recommendations, these must be adapted to each specific moment of life.
Conventional diets and the advice we will give below are based on generic recommendations that are effective in many people. However, thanks to genetics, we know that it is now possible to go one step further in personalizing our needs. This is because we are all unique and have different metabolic characteristics, lifestyles, and particular circumstances, influencing our diet. If you want to know more about genetics and how it can control personalized diets, we recommend our article "How to improve your quality of life with a personalized diet."
The food wheel for a balanced diet
In the food wheel of the SEDCA (Spanish Society of Food Sciences), you can see the different food groups represented where they explain the role they play in our body. In addition, according to the colors, this wheel indicates the foods that we should consume to a greater extent (with a green background) and a lesser extent (with a red experience).
At the time of consumption, the variety of foods within each group must be as great as possible since each food is unique and provides certain nutrients, thus achieving a total contribution.
Next, we will review the food groups that appear in the wheel to see what each of them brings us, and, once we have these clear concepts, we will explain which ones should be prioritized in some specific stages of life.
Regulatory Foods
They are the groups colored in green, among which we find fruit, vegetables, and vegetables. They are called regulators because our body can conveniently use the rest of the food we eat (those found in the other groups). They are essential for our body to function correctly. Within this group, it is worth highlighting:
Fruit, at least three pieces a day
Fruit is a food that has to be present in our daily diet due to its contribution to water, sugars, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The World Health Organization recommends consuming at least five pieces of fruit a day. In addition, the fruit has many possibilities when it comes to eating it since it can be whole, chopped, or crushed. However, the entire fruit is the most recommended since, for example, making a fruit juice or the fruit in syrup decreases its fiber intake. It is also essential to know the different properties of each fruit and that you include pieces of fruit rich in antioxidants in your diet since they have multiple health benefits, such as strawberries, kiwis, or blueberries.
Vegetables, essential in main meals
Vegetables are another group of foods that cannot be missing from your meals due to their essential contribution of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), consuming more than 400 grams of fruits and vegetables a day is recommended. This improves general health and reduces the risk of certain non-communicable diseases that affect the cardiovascular system.
If a priori it seems complicated to incorporate so many vegetables in your diet, we give you several options. You can take them raw in salads or in multivitamin shakes along with fruits, which are easy to handle. You can also opt for cooked vegetables, ideally boiled or steamed, easier to digest.
Forming foods
Within this group are the foods that appear with a red background and owe their name to the fact that they allow the development, growth, and maintenance of the essential structures of our body, such as muscles and bones. All these foods are rich in protein, although their daily consumption should be moderate, as we explain below.
Dairy products: source of protein, lactose, calcium, and vitamins
We find milk and its processed derivatives within the dairy group, such as yogurt or cheese. As we have mentioned, they contain a large amount of protein. It should be noted that they have a high biological value (high biological value proteins have all the essential amino acids). In addition, it is one of the primary sources of vitamin D, A, and E, and among its fatty acids, those of short-chain standout, which facilitate the digestion of milk. As you may have heard, milk contains a high content of calcium, which is essential in many body processes, such as forming part of bones and teeth and participating in their maintenance, as well as participating in the transmission of nerve impulses.
Despite all the beneficial characteristics of dairy products, they contain a high level of cholesterol, which is why low-fat dairy products are recommended for people with overweight or obesity problems. In addition, their main carbohydrate is lactose. Therefore, those intolerant to this component have specific dairy products that they do not contain.
Meats, preferably lean
In addition to being a food rich in proteins of high biological value, Meat also contains vitamin B12 and minerals, among which zinc, phosphorus, iron, and potassium stand out, depending on its origin. However, it is also high in saturated fat, whose excessive consumption can increase "bad" cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yes, we can consume Meat, but always prioritize lean cuts that contain less saturated fat. It is recommended that meat consumption does not exceed three servings per week.
Fish and shellfish, 3 or 4 servings a week
If you do not consume it regularly, you must consider including fish in your diet since it is an essential source of proteins of high biological value. Vitamin B and oily fish are also rich in vitamins A, D, and E. In addition, most of them are also rich in minerals such as iodine, calcium, phosphorus, and selenium and, especially oily fish, contain omega-three polyunsaturated fatty acids, whose health benefits are increasingly being demonstrated. The general recommendation is to consume between 3 and 4 servings of fish per week. However, these data may be modified in population groups such as children or pregnant women. It is essential to avoid the consumption of fish with a high level of mercury, such as it can be swordfish or bluefin tuna.
As for shellfish, it shares many properties with fish and contains high levels of water, vitamins B1 and B12, and minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, iron, iodine, fluoride, and zinc.
Eggs, food of excellent nutritional interest
Eggs provide proteins of high biological value, are rich in vitamins such as B12, biotin, and vitamin D, and contain minerals such as phosphorus or zinc. In addition, they contain choline, an essential molecule for the development of the brain and the functioning of some organs. That is why the recommendations of balanced diets recommend an intake of up to 7 eggs per week. However, in people with high cholesterol, they should reduce this number from 3 to 4 per week, consuming more egg whites.
Legumes, 2 to 4 servings per week
It is recommended that you incorporate legumes into your regular diet, consuming 2 to 4 servings per week. Legumes provide carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other components that make them essential. In addition, there is a wide variety of them (chickpeas, lentils, beans, etc.), and you can cook them in very different ways: boiled, in hummus, or added to salads.
Nuts, source of energy
Nuts can be considered a healthy snack that provides multiple benefits. Among many of its properties, it should be noted that, although they have a high-fat content, these are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, which help reduce "bad" cholesterol levels. In addition, they are rich in fiber (which helps control appetite and regulate intestinal transit), an essential source of vegetable proteins, they are rich in vitamins such as B1, B3, or folate. They are rich in minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, iron, and antioxidant properties. It is essential to opt for natural nuts, avoiding fried or roasted nuts with added salts, and always controlling the quantity, as they are very caloric.
Energetic food
This group includes foods that we could consider the "fuel" of our body since they provide us with energy for those daily activities. They contain carbohydrates and fats, and in the food wheel, we find them on a yellow background.
Cereals, better whole
Another essential for a balanced diet are cereals, as they contain carbohydrates, proteins, minerals such as calcium, iron, and magnesium, and vitamins, among which B1, B12, and B2 stand out. There are various ways of manufacturing cereals, and, although their daily consumption is recommended, it is essential always to favor whole grains or those made with whole-grain flours, which are richer in fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined ones.
Sugars, sweets, and sugary drinks are consumed in a limited way.
In a balanced diet, it is important to limit those foods rich in fast-absorbing sugars, such as table sugar, since these are quickly transformed into glucose and released into the blood. Although they provide the body with energy very quickly, they are not recommended for diabetes. More and more medical indications prefer the consumption of slow-absorbing sugars even if people do not have previous pathologies. In addition, sweets and sugary drinks have been linked to the appearance of being overweight, cavities, and other pathologies.
Oils and fats are essential but in moderation.
Fats are essential to keep us healthy since, among other functions, they play a crucial role in the formation of membranes, which are part of all our cells. In addition, they provide the body with a high energy level, so they should be consumed in moderation and always prioritize fats of vegetable origin that are not refined, such as virgin olive oil with a high content of omega-three fatty acids 6, which is beneficial to cardiovascular health. Whenever possible, it is preferable to choose this type of fat before animal origin, such as butter.
Guidelines for a balanced diet in childhood
A balanced diet plays a fundamental role in health at all ages, but, in addition, in the case of children, it is essential for their physical, cognitive, and psychomotor development. It has a great weight in preventing, on some occasions, the risk of developing overweight, obesity, or other diseases. In addition to the recommendations for a balanced diet that you have been reading in this article, in the case of children, we can include some more:
In the case of infants, the World Health Organization recommends that they feed exclusively on milk during the first six months of life and that this continue to be supplied, at least, until two years. In addition, the Spanish Association of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, among others, recommend breastfeeding whenever possible, since various studies have shown the existence of antibodies in this milk that formula milk does not contain, helping the correct functioning of the immune system. When you start to supplement your baby's diet with other foods, it's important to follow expert advice and avoid high in salt and added sugars.
It is essential for children to eat breakfast, as studies show that those who do not eat a full breakfast are more likely to suffer from obesity in the future—making breakfast a habit will be more leisurely if they start taking this habit from a young age.
Do not abuse processed products! Although sugary drinks may be the preferred choice for children, it is essential to offer them other products that are healthier and may seem just as appetizing, such as changing carbonated drinks for kombucha. This fermented tea-based drink is beneficial for digestive health.
Nutritional needs of the elderly
In addition to all the advice that we have seen previously, following this series of tips can help improve the quality of life and even prevent specific pathologies during old age.
The nutritional requirements of the elderly, in most cases, are characterized by requiring a lower energy intake, mainly due to the decrease in physical activity and the loss of muscle mass that occurs at these ages. However, there are other nutrients whose contribution should be emphasized during this stage. Next, we are going to see a couple of them, although there are more recommendations:
Minerals: Calcium absorption decreases with age, and also in the case of women, menopause favors the loss of bone mass, so it is essential to introduce it in the diet. In addition, some diseases and medications such as diuretics can cause a magnesium deficiency, which increases the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, among others.
Vitamins: There are some frequent diseases at this age that cause a decrease in vitamin B12 levels, and, in addition, in the case of taking certain medications, their interaction with vitamins can increase the needs of some of them, as is the case of vitamin C. _
Special needs during pregnancy and lactation
In the development of the fetus, the mother's diet is essential, as is a healthy lifestyle.
The diet must be adapted to the physical and physiological changes during the nine months of pregnancy and be as varied and complete as possible.
In addition to the recommendations that we have seen throughout the article, it is essential to ensure a correct intake of some specific nutrients for this critical moment:
Calcium: During pregnancy, it is essential to increase calcium intake since the developing baby also needs it correctly. Calcium can be found in high concentrations in sources such as dark green leafy vegetables like spinach or kale.
Iron: it is essential to synthesize hemoglobin, a component of red blood cells that transports oxygen. The iron intake must be appropriate, even more so if pregnant. When a person doesn't have adequate iron levels, he doesn't make enough red blood cells, and his organs and tissues don't get enough oxygen, so they don't work correctly.
Some of the foods richest in iron are lentils, salmon, and dehydrated fruits.
Folic Acid: It is recommended that women who are planning to become pregnant take a folic acid supplement. Numerous studies have shown that taking it at least one month before conception and during the first three months of pregnancy reduces the risk of the baby being born with a neural tube defect, leading to spina bifida.
As you have seen in this article, in a balanced diet, food groups should be prioritized to lead a healthy life. In contrast, a moderate intake is recommended for others due to their high saturated fats or sugar content.
We hope you have enjoyed this article and, above all, that it will be helpful for you to have a balanced diet depending on your circumstances.