Table of Contents
1 A balanced diet - what does that mean?
2 Nutrients
3 Achieve balance
4 What do I do now?

A balanced diet - what does that mean?

You have come to the conclusion that you want to change your eating habits and make your diet more balanced. Congratulations on this! You have taken the most important step towards a better life. But what does "nutritionally balanced" mean? To answer this question, we first need to look at what a nutrient actually is.

Nutrients

So what are nutrients? Nutrients are molecules that are found in food and are the building blocks of all living organisms. They give us energy, help us grow, prevent disease, regulate chemical processes and much more. Nutrients essentially support our bodies and our overall health. There are six groups of essential nutrients, which can be further subdivided into macro- and micronutrients.

The macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins and fats and the micronutrients are vitamins and minerals. Macronutrients provide your body with energy. The word 'macro' suggests something bigger, so people generally focus on this when planning their diet. However, the role of micronutrients is also very important, and neglecting them can have a negative impact on your health. Now that you have a general idea of what nutrients are, let's look at what 'balanced' means.

Achieving balance 

A balanced diet means that you consume the right amount of calories, macronutrients and micronutrients on a daily basis. There are different approaches to tracking your calories and macros. Some people believe that calculating them accurately is the best way to ensure they stay healthy. Others find that this approach is not compatible with their lifestyle and see it as a source of stress.

Whichever way you decide to go, it's still important to have a general idea of how many calories your body needs each day. The basal metabolic rate is the minimum number of calories you need to maintain your body. Falling below the basal metabolic rate can have a devastating effect on your body. The easiest way to achieve a balanced diet is to focus on adding different nutrients and staying away from unhealthy fats and sugars.

What do I do now?

This seems like a lot of information, but in reality we've barely scratched the surface. Nutrition is a scientific field in itself, and there are a few factors to consider when planning your diet. The variety of foods you need to combine to achieve a balanced diet can put many people off. With food allergies, it becomes even more difficult.

It is not realistic to expect someone who is constantly traveling or working to always eat a healthy and nutritious diet.At the same time, your current health gives you the ability to work at all. Most of us don't realize how important nutrition is in our daily lives. This is mainly because the negative consequences of poor nutrition come with a delay.