What Does a Healthy Diet Look Like?
By Maddie Ruud
What Does a Balanced Diet Consist Of?
So many nutritionists spend so much time telling us what not to eat and how terrible crash diets are, we are left wondering just what we ought to be eating.
I'm fairly confident we all know what to avoid:
- Trans fat
- Saturated fat
- High-sodium foods
- Cholesterol
- Over-processed foods
- White bread and flour
- Added-sugar products
to name merely a few of the offenders on the "No-No" list. And it seems common sense to observe that someone eating red meat three times a day and avoiding fruit like the plague is not eating a balanced diet. We all know what a balanced diet isn't. So what does a healthy diet really look like?
The Basic Principles of Healthy Eating
Proper nutrition is dependent on your ability to introduce variety into your diet. Choose a range of foods within each food group, and on getting essentials from each group daily. Contrary to popular belief, one "bad" eating day will not wreak immediate havoc upon your body, nor even negatively affect your weight in the long run. The twenty-four hour clock is an intellectual invention; the body exists in continuity, and one "mistake" barely makes a blip on your physical radar.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), after extensive criticism of the food pyramind introduced in 1992, instituted new guidelines in 2005, with the slogan Steps to a Healthier You. The revised guidelines offer a healthier approach to eating, less based on rules and emphasizing moderation and activity in a lifelong journey to health.
The Food Groups
Carbohydrates
Ignore the low-carb diet hype. Carbohydrates are your body's main source of fuel, and without it, your muscles begin to atrophy - your body literally digesting itself. Instead of thinking in terms of "good" and "bad" carbs, concentrate on consuming half of your daily carbohydrates in whole grains and high-fiber foods. (See How to Fit More Fiber Into Your Diet.) Almost half of your daily calories should come from carbs. Excellent sources of complex carbohydrates include starchy vegetables like peas, corn, and potatoes, and legumes like beans and lentils.
Fruits and Vegetables
The government and agricultural farmers alike have been stressing this food group for years, and for good reason. A third of your diet should consist of fruits and vegetables. Choose plenty of vibrantly colored fruits and green, leafy vegetables for the best nutrition and taste. Eat them fresh, whenever possible. (See: Eating in Season - Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter.)Your next best options are steaming, baking or stir-frying in a little olive oil. Avoid deep frying or extensively boiling, as this robs vegetables of their nutrients and defeats the purpose of eating them!
Protein
Protein is essential to the functioning of the human body, but it is easy to overindulge. So much of the stereotypical American diet consists of red meat, it leaves little room for other important sources, such as seafood, nuts and seeds, and poultry. Try to vary your protein intake, based on what you enjoy eating, and pick lean cuts of meat and fish. Bake instead of frying, like in these easy oven-fried chicken recipes.
Dairy
Dairy is another good source of protein, and its right to a seperate group has long been debated. If you enjoy milk, cheese, and yogurt, include these in your daily routine. If not, be sure to take in enough calcium and vitamin d through other sources, like fresh spinach. Nowadays, even the lactose intolerant can enjoy dairy with a few simple tips.
"Other"
This section of the old 1992 food pyramid was accompanied by the infamous warning "use sparingly." Do not obsess over removing fats and sugars from your diet, but be mindful of your intake. This does not mean buying "reduced-fat" everything. It simply takes into account the fats and sugars that are built into the other food groups, and reminds us not to overdo the extras. For quick, easy fat-free indulgences you don't have to stress over, try these cookies and other desserts.
Remember, you don't have to sacrifice balanced meals in these tough economic times. Check out my tips for eating healthy on a budget.
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Further Resources
- The Mayo Clinic's Guide to Healthy Eating
Healthy diet — nutritional recommendations designed to promote health and help prevent disease. - The UK Food Standards Agency - Healthy Diet
A healthy diet contains lots of fruit and vegetables; is based on starchy foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice; and is low in fat (especially saturated fat), salt and sugar. - MyPyramid.gov - United States Department of Agriculture
- Kid's Health: Eating a Balanced Diet
Comments
Nice article . great hub.
Connor,
Your eating habits sound problematic. Your body needs fuel throughout the day, so try to snack more frequently rather than waiting until night time to eat. Also, the more processed the food you eat, the less nutritional punch it packs. Concentrate on eating things in as close to their natural state as possible (ie, fresh raw fruit and veg, whole grains, etc).
Hi, all i eat is junk food, soup, and CRAP, and worst of all, i only eat at night. I just want to know how bad this really is for me
i luv the concept of healthy diet.we must add all these things in our diet.
Hi Maddie,
Great hub! I love the whole concept of sharing what can be eaten. So correct fitness instructors tend to leave people hanging with the statement "Eat Healthy".
Happy Wednesday!
Gail
Excellent article.....all useful information.Thanks.
Good! As a medical student, I really appreciate your job !
Great Hub! Your hubs (I've looked at several - I appreciate all the links) have inspired me to eat a more healthy diet and write more hubs instead of snacking. :-) By the way, where do you get all the great pics?
Hi Maddie :-)
Great tips and wonderful pics, especially the visual for the balanced diet!
Regards,
Easylearningweb
I like fruits ,its the most healthy foods that helping in diet and its contain vitamin c which is anti-oxidant.
Thanks ,i kind of overweight nice article
It's really hard to keep on eating healthy especially this season. I am vegetarian and I easily gain weight that's why I really have to be careful of what to eat. And I like chocolate a lot!!!
A diet based on carbohydrates is one that is not very balanced at all. It isn't surprising that people keep getting fatter.
Hi, your hub is nice and informative. Cheers
Nice Hub. Very informative. Thanks for the information!
Great point about spinach having calcium! Getting a little sunshine every day can keep the vitamin D levels high enough.
You know sometimes we need to keep it basic, with all the advances in dietary knowledge I don't know what to believe any more. One day this works then the next day its bad for you. I think that excersise is understated. We believe that we get enouth exercise running thru our daily lives. But our body's just adjust the rate of calories we burn while doing the same thing over and over again.
Love the the pictures \thanks
Hi Maddie...a healthy diet should consist of balanced nutrition with great health value...beside...it should also meet the healthy guidelines and standard set my the authorities..great hub!
Simple, easy to understand and lots of useful info here. Brilliant.
Superb Hub....... a must read one
Great information that you provided. So many people think that a healthy diet has to be boring or see it as a punishment, but healthy eating doesn't have to be that way. It's important that people take care of themselves. This also applies to children as more and more children are also becoming overweight.
Nice informative article. I have given a stumble to your blog.
Good information - this is something that everybody should know (but a lot of people don't).
Good article. I agree with New Horizons, though, that the ADA and the USDA dietary recommendations are misleading. Grains, even, whole grains, are highly over-rated as a source of good carbs. Fresh vegetables and fruit are very much to be preferred. Acceptable sources of nutritional carbohydrates have a high water content as well as high fiber.
This Hub is so awesomely thorough - thanks so much for taking the time to put it together, I for one really appreciate all the info!
Maddie -
Great Hub!
I have spent my life on the weight-loss and gain roller-coaster that many women have also. I am really hoping that I can find balance once and for all in my eating habits. I particularly liked your advice about introducing variety into the diet.
I think variety is where I fall short. I like that which I like and don't add in new too often.
But hey, on closer evaluation - I do that in every facet of my life. So I think I need to just shake things up all together and live a little more.
Good advice and most appreciated.
tDMg
LdsNana-AskMormon
great pictures, and great content. I am enjoying reading your hubs.
I love the pictures Maddie - especially the first one. Another great hub!
oops! Sorry, Maddie. It's late at night!
Hi Maggie,
In researching more enlightened options for my diabetes readers on my long-established wordpress blog, I have been impressed with the Healing Foods Pyramid proposed by the University of Michigan.
I feel the USDA 2005 Pyramid and the ADA (American Diabetes Association) Pyramids have it all wrong. They fail to educate people that most "starches" are just long chains of glucose (sugar) molecules, and by having "starches" form the foundation of those pyramids, it's not much different than putting sweets there!
The real foundation of the pyramid should be water, then vegetables, as they are fiber-rich and that slows down their carbohydrate effect on blood sugar, and fruits should be in a minor role, whole not juiced. Legumes are another good choice, as the fiber in them is much more substantial than in grains. You can check out the rest of the University's Healing Foods Pyramid.
I just joined HubPages, and have written a couple of Hubs that I hope you can learn from, too.
Take care.
Great article! Keep them coming!
There was a time when it was people didn't eat meat two to three times a day. It seems like todays western diet has a meat of some kind at the centerpiece of most any meal. That can't be a good thing.
Great article. Thanks for the info.
I just finished reading "Skinny Bitch" and I have been totally inspired to revamp my diet. I love all of your tips. I'm going to have to alter them a bit to mesh them with the vegan plan though.
Thanks
Great hub, good stuff we all need to know!
weightlosshere 2 months ago
nice hub on dieting :)