Balanced diet

A pie chart to show the ideal proportion of nutrients in our diet

What is a balanced diet?

A balanced diet means that you eat foods in the correct proportion for your body to remain healthy. Our bodies are made up of about:

• 60% water
• 16% protein
• 10 - 25% fat (15 - 30% in women)
• 5% minerals
• 1% carbohydrate

To achieve a balanced diet we need some nutrients in large amounts. These nutrients are called macronutrients and include carbohydrates, proteins and fats .We need other nutrients in smaller amounts, these are called micronutrients and include vitamins and minerals.

Other important parts of a balanced diet are fibre and water. Water is needed for all the reactions in our body to happen, and to make up the blood. We need about 1.5 litres of water a day.

A balanced diet should not provide too much Energy. The recommendations say that we should get 55% of our energy from carbohydrates, no more than a 30% from fat and the rest from protein (15%).

Different nutrients have different energy values. To supply the correct energy balance, the approximate proportions they should be eaten in are as follows:

• Carbohydrates - 68% of diet
• Fats- 15% of diet
• Proteins - 17% of diet

Too much or too little of any of the above nutrients can cause illnesses. If you eat a balanced diet the risk of illnesses such as heart disease, and obesity are reduced.

Is YOUR diet balanced?

To find out if you are having a balanced diet click here, or go to the top 100 foods and click on 'my diet'.