BALANCED DIET


A balanced diet is a meal that contains all the necessary or essential nutrients in proper or adequate proportions in order to maintain good health.

Balanced diet is very vital because, it plays a major/key role in the effective and efficient functioning of the human body organs and tissues. Growing children especially need balanced diet for the enhancement of their proper growth and development . Children who are not fed with balanced diets are prone to have growth and developmental problems, even their cognitive organs won’t develop well, thereby leading to poor academic performance.

The opposite of balanced diet is poor diet, poor diet results when the body is not fed with foods rich in the required nutrients and also in the appropriate proportions. Poor diet makes people highly susceptible to infections, diseases, fatigue which will bring about poor performance at work or in the persons academic.

Studies have shown that a lot of death caused by one disease or the other, are as a result of poor diets. Diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, etc. According to USA, calories in a food is a measurement of the amount of energy stored in that food. Calories help the human body in different ways; walking, breathing, thinking, etc. Children between the ages of 2-13 years need about 1000-2000 calories everyday depending on their gender.

IS BALANCED DIET ACHIEVABLE ?
Before a meal can be called a balanced diet, it must comprise group of foods that are low in unnecessary fats and sugars, but very rich in vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients . Some of the food groups that make a balanced diet are as follow:

FRUITS: fruits are wonderful source of nutrition, they can be also taken as snacks.   They contain natural sugar, which can be used as a healthy alternative  to refined sugars added to foods. There are fruits  that are rich in low sugar, these are highly suitable for people that are careful about their sugar intake. Such fruits are, peaches, citrus, melons, avocados, etc.

VEGETABLES: There are different types of vegetables, vegetables are the basic sources of essential  Vitamins and Minerals. They can be eaten at every meal depending on how you present them. Dark ,leafy greens contain the most nutrient. Examples Of vegetables are; water leaf ,Ugwu, spinach ,broccoli, kale, etc.

GRAINS: Grains are rich in nutrients ,however it is not without the hull. This is because the highest percentage of the nutrients are found in the hull. Thus, for maximum derivation of nutrients, grains should be consumed with the hull. Examples of grains are; rice, Millet, Maize, oats, wheat, etc. White bread and Pasta are produced from whole grains.

PROTEINS: The nutrients gotten from proteinous  foods are required  for proper muscle and brain development  of the human body, especially in children. The primary sources of protein are meat and Beans.  Lean and low-fat meats such as beef, chicken, fish, pork. Nuts are also good source of protein, plant based protein...walnuts, lentils, peas, almonds, Soya based products.

DAIRY: Dairy products are major  sources of fat, calcium, vitamin D and other essential nutrients. Examples are cheeses (full-fat/reduced-fat/fat-free), milk and yogurt. Plant- based milks can be used to replace animal-based milks. This is because plant based milks such as almonds, Soy,  flaxseed are fortified with high amount of calcium and other essential nutrients.

OILS: oils should be consumed moderately, endeavour to always choose good and healthy  oils, such as olive oils, almonds oils, avocado oils, etc.
If your meal contains all the group of foods above, you are eating healthy. 

TEESHAFO FOODS is an Organic Baby Food Manufacturing Company in Nigeria. We are duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, with our registered office address at 128, Nureni Yusuf Street, Kola-Alagbado, Lagos State.
We have a range of Organic Foods for babies from 6 months. Our products have been tried, tested and highly recommended.
To place your orders or for further enquiries, call 09023526527 or email fteeshafo@gmail.com.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IMPORTANCE OF UGWU LEAF DRINK AND MILK ON CHILDREN

Image
Ugwu leaves, also called pumpkin leaves, is a tropical vine plant common in West African countries. It is very palatable and filled with lots of nutrients. It is free from saturated fats or cholesterol, which is not good for the body system. Ugwu leaves have antioxidants, which act as protectors to the human immune system. Ugwu leaves are very important in children's diet because of the essential nutrients they contain. These nutrients are required for the proper growth and development of children.  Some of the importance of ugwu leaves on children are as follows: - It prevents and also serves as a cure for anemia: Anemia is a health condition in which there is deficiency of blood supply to the body system. This condition can be life threatening. Ugwu leaves come in handy because it is rich in iron. Iron is a red blood cell formating nutrient. - It boosts the immune system in children: The antioxidant present in ugwu leaves help the body to fight against bacteria. If the im
Read more

HEALTH BENEFITS OF TITUS FISH IN CHILDREN

Image
Titus fish is a type of seafood which is very oily and high in protein. The regular intake of titus fish in children helps in reducing the chances of them developing heart/cardiovascular diseases, because of the large amount of omega 3 fatty acids it contains. According to researches, Omega 3 fatty acids are very essential for children's health in terms of their growth and developments. Titus fish is highly beneficial to children because of its ability to promote neurological development. Parents should not be worried about the dangers of the traces of methyl mercury (an environmental contaminant) present in fish. If they become too worried, and refuse to give their children fish because of this factor, they are exposing their children to more harm than the methyl Mercury does. The fear for children's consumption of methyl mercury can be alleviated by moderating the intake of titus fish. If your child consumes a large amount of it, his/her nerve cells can be affecte
Read more

WHEN CAN I INTRODUCE EGGS TO MY BABY?

Image
Egg is very sweet and yummy, it's one of the foods that should be included in your baby's first foods. It belongs to a class of food called protein; it is a solid food. It is rich in essential nutrients required by your baby's body, for healthy growth and development. There are a lot of nutrients in it; protein, iron, phosphorus, folate, selenium, potassium, fat, calcium, choline, magnesium, etc. You can introduce eggs to your baby from 6 months old. However, you need to ensure it is well cooked, don't feed your baby with undercooked eggs or raw eggs. Undercooked and raw eggs usually carry a bacteria known as salmonella, this bacteria causes food poisoning.  Am sure you wouldn't want to have your baby infected all in the name of feeding her with eggs. It has been discovered through studies that about 8% of babies are allergic to eggs, especially the egg whites.  The good news is that most of them grow out of this at their 3rd birthday. Caution should be taken
Read more