All About Balanced Diet & Dietary Guidelines :

What is Balanced Diet?

According to ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), 2011 ;

“A balanced diet is one which provides all the nutrients in required amounts and
proper proportions. It can easily be achieved through a blend of the four basic food groups. The quantities of foods needed to meet the nutrient requirements vary with age, gender, physiological status and physical activity. A balanced diet should provide around 50-60% of total calories from carbohydrates, preferably from complex carbohydrates, about 10-15% from proteins and 20-30% from both visible and invisible fat.
In addition, a balanced diet should provide other non-nutrients such as dietary fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals which bestow positive health benefits.
Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, riboflavin and selenium
protect the human body from free radical damage. Other phytochemicals such as polyphenols, flavones, etc., also afford protection against oxidant damage. Spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cumin and cloves are rich in antioxidants.” ¹

(Source ¹ : ‘DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR INDIAN -A Manual’, Page-15 , National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad – 500 007, INDIA)

Functions of a balanced diet:

A balanced diet enhances the quality of life and productivity of an individual.

• The balanced diet will meet all nutritional requirements like calories, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients for an individual.
• It provides phytochemicals such as flavonoids, other nutraceuticals etc which have positive benefits
• prevent degenerative diseases
• improve life expectancy
• prolongs productive life
• improves immunity
• increases endurance level
• develops optimum cognitive ability
• helps in stress management
• Incase of children, balance diet helps in their physical growth and mental development

What are food groups?

According to ICMR (2011), foods are generally grouped or classified as:

1. Cereals, millets and pulses
2. Vegetables and fruits
3. Milk and milk products, egg, meat and fish
4. Oils, fats, nuts and oilseeds

Four Food Group System:

The four food groups suggested by ICMR in 2011 are given below in a table. Its play a great role in formation of balanced diet and also helpful for menu planning.

Classification of Foods (According their functions in the body):

According their functions foods are classified into three major groups. There are :

1. Energy rich foods ( Carbohydrates & fats )
2. Body building foods ( Proteins )
3. Protective foods ( Vitamins and Minerals)

Other than the above, dietary fibre and water considered as regulating our body’s physiological functions and metabolisms.

Purposes of Forming Food Group System:

The four food group system can be used by health professionals for the following purposes:

Tool for nutritional counselling:

The dietary history based on the four food group system allows a health team to counsel or teach a patient about nutrition.

Tool for nutritional assessment and screenings:

A brief dietary history system can disclose inadequacies of nutrient from any of the four groups. The information can be the first clue that the subject may be at the risk of developing nutritional deficiency.

Food labelling and surveillance system:

Food groups can be used for food labelling and for nutrition surveillance system.

Explaining therapeutic diets to the patient:

Therapeutic diets are scientifically based on nutrient composition and groups which can be used in menu planning.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

• Eat a variety of foods
• Balance the food you eat with physical activity-maintain or improve your weight
• Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits
• Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
• Choose a diet moderate in sugars
• Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation

(Source: ‘Nutrition and Your Health’, ‘Dietary Guidelines for Americans’, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Fourth Edition,1995)

Dietary Guidelines for Indians :

According to ICMR, there are 15 dietary guidelines that is very important for an individual to achieve dietary goals. there are the followings :

1. Eat variety of foods to ensure a balanced diet.
2. Ensure provision of extra food and healthcare to pregnant and
   lactating women.
3. Promote exclusive breastfeeding for six months and encourage
   breastfeeding till two years or as long as one can.
4. Feed home based semi solid foods to the infant after six months.
5. Ensure adequate and appropriate diets for children and
   adolescents, both in health and sickness.
6. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits.
7. Ensure moderate use of edible oils and animal foods and very less
   use of ghee/ butter/ vanaspati.
8. Avoid overeating to prevent overweight and obesity.
9. Exercise regularly and be physically active to maintain ideal body
   weight.
10. Restrict salt intake to minimum.
11. Ensure the use of safe and clean foods.
12. Adopt right pre-cooking processes and appropriate cooking
    methods.
13. Drink plenty of water and take beverages in moderation.
14. Minimize the use of processed foods rich in salt, sugar and fats.
15. Include micronutrient-rich foods in the diets of elderly people to
    enable them to be fit and active

(Source: ‘DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR INDIAN -A Manual’, Page-15 , National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad – 500 007, INDIA)

Dietary Goals:

According to ICMR, there are six dietary goals.

1. Maintenance of a state of positive health and optimal performance in populations at large by maintaining ideal body weight.
2. Ensuring adequate nutritional status for pregnant women and lactating mothers.
3. Improvement of birth weights and promotion of growth of infants, children and adolescents to achieve their full genetic potential.
4. Achievement of adequacy in all nutrients and prevention of deficiency diseases.
5. Prevention of chronic diet-related disorders.
6. Maintenance of the health of the elderly and increasing the life expectancy.

1. Maintenance of a state of positive health and optimal performance in populations at large by maintaining ideal body weight :

Nutrition is a basic human needs and essential for healthy life. Proper nutrition and nutrients along with dietary fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals are prerequisite to maintain the ideal body weight (IBW) of an individual and a state of positive health. In growing periods specially in preschool going, school going and adolescent boys and girls, should eat variety of foods to ensure a balanced diet that will help them to grow and develop.

2. Ensuring adequate nutritional status for pregnant women and lactating mothers:

Pregnancy and lactation are both important phase in a woman’s life. Adequate nutrition before and during pregnancy has a greater potential for a long term health impact than it does at any other time. The effects of undernutrition during reproduction will vary depending upon the nutrients involved, the length of time it is lacking and the stage of gestation at which it occurs. A woman whose diet is adequate before pregnancy is usually able to bear a full term viable infant, without extensive modifications of her diet. Mother’s diet should produce adequate nutrients so that maternal stores do not get depleted and produce sufficient milk to nourish her child after birth. The nutritional demands are highly increased in an adolescent mother.

Lactating mother’s nutritional requirements should meet:

(1) her own daily needs

(2) provide enough nutrients in milk for the growing infant and

(3) furnish the energy for the mechanics of milk production.

Diet of lactating mother and her nutritional status during pregnancy affect to a certain extent quality and quantity of breast milk. Nutritional needs exceed during lactation compared to pregnancy. In six months a normally developing infant doubles the birth weight equivalent of which is accumulated in 9 months of pregnancy.

3. Improvement of birth weights and promotion of growth of infants, children and adolescents to achieve their full genetic potential:

A woman who has been well nourished before conception begins her pregnancy with reserves of several nutrients so that the needs of the growing foetus can be met without affecting her health. Infants who are well nourished in the womb, have an enhanced chance of entering life in good physical and mental health and it helps in improvement of birth weight. Infancy, childhood and adolescence are fast growing phase of life, proper nutrition and adequate food helps to achieve their full genetic potential.

4. Achievement of adequacy in all nutrients and prevention of deficiency diseases:

If we consume food inadequate amount and if there are one or more nutrient deficient than we need, then it leads to undernutrition and we can face deficiency diseases also. Presence of excess nutrient also harmful, leads to overnutrition like obesity and toxicity like hypervitaminosis.

5. Prevention of chronic diet-related disorders:

Adequate nutritional healthy balanced diet helps in preventing of chronic diet-related disorders like if we consume adequate Vitamin A rich foods, can helps in preventing xerophthalmia or keratomalacia.

6. Maintenance of the health of the elderly and increasing the life expectancy:

In elderly, nutrient dense low fat diet is essential for being physically active and healthy. Proper food according to age, sex has ability to improve the life expectancy.

References:

1. ‘DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR INDIAN -A Manual’, National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad – 500 007, INDIA)
2. ‘Nutrition and Your Health’, ‘Dietary Guidelines for Americans’, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Fourth Edition,1995
3. ‘Dietetics’, B. Srilakshmi, New Age International Publishers, 7th Edition

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