HOW TO EAT A
BALANCED DIET?
MADE BY SHRUTI BANSAL

WHAT IS A
BALANCED DIET?
A balanced diet containing all the
essential nutrients like carbohydrates,
proteins, vitamins, fats, minerals, and
water in the correct proportion is called a
balanced diet.

USES
A balanced diet is important
for our body’s normal growth
and development.
A balanced diet can be
achieved by eating a variety
of food items since there is
no single food item with the
correct amount of all the
essential nutrients.
The quantity of nutrients in a
balanced diet always differs
with age, sex, and physical
activities taken by an
individual.
The major components of
balanced diet includes
cereals (like rice, wheat, and
jowar), pulses, roots and
tubers, fruits, milk, and dairy
products, fats and oils,
sugar, and groundnuts.

IMPORTANCE OF A BALANCED DIET
• Our body requires a proper supply of nutrition to work efficiently and be fit and
healthy.
• Without balanced nutrition, the human body is more prone to diseases, infections,
fatigue, and poor performance.
• Children with a poor diet may cause the risk of frequent infections and
underdeveloped body growth. They can develop bad eating habits, which can
continue for the rest of their lives.
• They are also at higher risk of obesity and other diseases that make up metabolic
syndromes, like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Hence, every individual
must consume a balanced diet in order to protect themselves from all the risks
mentioned above.

FOOD PYRAMID
A food pyramid is a graphical
pyramid shaped nutrition guide,
divided into sections. Each
section represents a specific
food group and shows
the recommended intake for
each food group.

What are Food Groups?
Each of the food items that we eat contains a variety of nutrients. The ‘Basic Five Food
Groups’ that are required to be on your balanced diet plate are as follows:
• Cereals, grains, and products
• Pulses and legumes
• Milk and meat products
• Vegetables and fruits
• Sugars and fats

FOOD GROUPS

BALANCED MEALS
• Chapati /rice is a regular menu item for many
families and is consumed with dal and vegetables.
• If you’re serving porridge made with milk for
breakfast, consider adding nuts and fruit to add
flavour to the porridge.
Balancing meals ensures getting adequate nutrition.
• As children get older, the balanced meal approach
adds more interest and variety to healthy family
meals.
Balanced meals include one food
from each food group- cereals,
pulses, and legumes, milk and meat
products, fruits and vegetables,
fats, and sugar. While planning a
meal, try to include “five of five.”
Here are a few examples of how to
do it:

A balanced diet
plate