WHAT IS A BALANCED DIET? by Ngaio, 01/04/20

A balanced diet is a diet that consists of all the main food groups (carbohydrates, protein, fibre etc...as it shows on the diagram on the next page)

CARBOHYDRATES🥯

Carbohydrates give us energy. There are lots of carbs in foods like bread, pasta, potatoes, cereal, oats and rice. Carbs break down into glucose which provides energy for our organs and muscles. However, having to much Carbohydrates isn't healthy either, so we need the other food groups to help balance it out.

FIBRE🍎

Fibre is important for helping us digest our food. It's normally found in fruits like prunes, (prune juice is good to because it help to flush out your system!) apples, oranges (which carries vitamin C) , bananas, peaches and pears. Unfortunately, just juicing fruit removes all the good fibres, so drinking a 'healthy' smoothie is really just like drinking a can of fizzy drink!

PROTEIN🐟

Proteins help our bodies repair themselves. They are found in foods such as fish, beans, tuna, meat, eggs, lentils, chick peas and seeds. Proteins provides your body with the stuff it needs to repair its self. Your body uses protein to make new cells for growth, and repair damaged tissues.

Sport nutritionists use knowledge about protein to ensure that their clients get the protein they need to repair any damaged muscles.

DAIRY🥛

Dairy keeps your bones strong. It includes food that are made from cows, sheep or goats E.G milk, cheese, yogurt and butter. Dairy products are mass produced and ingredients in many different foods. A simple definition of Dairy, is any foods made from the milk products of animals, or produced in the mammary glands. The most common of dairy products comes from Cows, they are often the prime producer of Dairy products, their milk also used in the production of creams, cheeses and desserts. Dairy products are not mutually exclusive to Cows though, we also take milk from Goats and Sheep, in other countries you will also find use from many other mammals. Even though we do class the sap from tree's as "milk", this is very high in proteins and is not counted under the same group.