Balanced Diet
What makes up a balanced diet these days? A balanced diet used to mean that you were to eat from all of the food groups. In other words, stick to the food pyramid. However, what signifies a well balanced diet nowadays differs from one person to another. This is especially true among dieters on the numerous fad diets and weight loss schemes on the market today. If you ask someone on one of the numerous low-carb diets, you will probably get a totally different answer than if you ask someone on a low-fat diet or high-protein diet.

The same is true if you ask a vegan or vegetarian what they believe makes up a balanced healthy diet. A vegetarian will likely tell you that a balanced diet consists of fruits and vegetables, beans for protein, whole grains, possibly some dairy products and soy based products. A vegan will probably give you the same answer, however will be certain to tell you that they believe no animal products, including dairy to be part of a healthy diet.

The truth of the matter is that all of the food groups represented by the food pyramid are important for different reasons. Eliminating carbohydrates is not healthy, nor is living on a virtually fat-free diet.

The benefits of a well balanced diet are great. Your body cannot function properly if you are not getting the vitamins and minerals you need. One good way to tell if you are eating a balanced diet is to examine how you feel day to day. Keeping a journal is even a good idea. Chances are, if you are feeling sluggish, run-down, or even moody for days on end, you are not eating the foods your body needs. A diet high in fruits and vegetables is always a good idea, for obvious reasons. It is also wise to choose lean meats and seafood as a source of protein. However, if you do not eat animal flesh, make sure you are at least getting your protein from beans and nuts.

One more highly neglected area of a healthy balanced diet is water consumption. Most people do not even come close to taking in enough water each day. The one exception might be vegetarians, as they consume enough vegetables to adequately supply the body with water. If you do not like to drink water, you can increase your fruit and vegetables intake. This will dramatically decrease the amount of water you need to drink each day.