• It may be common sense to some of you but is everyone has a balanced diet?

The answer to this question is obviously NO. Most get confused by a balanced diet and eating regularly.

A balanced diet is one that has all the required nutrients in the correct proportion!

This is a recommended balanced diet for a typical average person.
0-3 servings (use sparingly) fats, oils, sweets
2-3 servings (6 - 9 ounces) meat/protein
2-3 servings dairy
2-4 servings fruit
3-5 servings vegetables
6-11 servings bread/starch

If we count the calories, a male should take in about 1700 - 2200 calories a day and a female should take in about 1200 - 1700 calories a day.

Are you consuming too much or too little? Who takes Mcdonald’s meal? Count the amount of calories you take in for just a meal…

Mcdonald’s Calories Calculator

Food item Calories Fat Carbohydrate Protein
Cheese Burger 295 11 31.1 14.7
Double Cheese Burger 421 21 34 26
The Big Mac 485 21.5 42.5 27
Chicken Nuggets ( 1 ) 40 2.4 1.9 3.1
Ham Burger 249 7.5 33 13.5
Chicken Sandwich 370 17 37 17
Quarter Pound + Cheese500 26 38 30
Fish Burger 370 17 41 17
Bacon Double + Cheese 475 24 34 28
Big Breakfast 578 36 40 26
Large Fries 400 17.5 57 6
Hash Brown ( 1 ) 134 75 16 1.5
Milkshake 380 9 68 11

You can also count your calories using the following websites:

Calories Calculator

http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/default.asp?pg_id=1652

http://www.nutrition.com.sg/ha/hacalcal.asp

• What happens to a person who does not have a balanced diet?

A lack in a certain nutrient group would give rise to problems in the body. For example: Many teenagers do not eat vegetables. They have a higher chance to suffer from constipation as the food they eat lacks fibre and makes movement of bowels tough.

There are many diseases related to lack of particular nutrient and all the information can be obtained easily from the internet.

• Is there a reason why everyone places much emphasis on a balanced diet?

For the obvious reason to keep healthy. Health IS wealth!

• Can you link the reason behind having a balanced diet and how the body functions (from the topic you have learnt in Biology)?

Let’s recall the function of each nutrient:
Nutrient Function
Water
• important for hydrolysis
• transport substances from one organ to another
• helps control body temperature
• medium for chemical reactions in the body
• main part of digestive juices
Protein
• make new cells
• replace old cells
• make enzymes
• make antibodies
Carbohydrate
• used for respiration to produce energy
• form mucus to lubricate digestive tract
• synthesise DNA material
• converted to amino acids and fats
Fats
• energy source
• insulating layer
• dissolves vitamins
• essential part of cell membranes

Now that we know the reason why we must have these nutrients, we should understand why the need to have the balanced diet. Without it, we would not be able to carry out all the stated functions!

• Does everyone have the same dietary requirements? (Can a pregnant lady, a grandmother aged 90 and a girl aged 15 have the same nutritional requirements?

Definitely no! The requirement would largely depend on which function he/she has to carry out. For example: pregnant lady needs her foetus to grow healthily. This requires making new cells. Protein is required to make new cells thus she has to take in food with high protein!