Balanced Diet

The body needs to take in food in the correct proportions, so that the essential elements are included
A good balanced diet will be:
10 15 % protein white meat such as chicken is better than red meat 25 30 % fat polyunsaturated fats rather than animal fats 50 60 % carbohydrates starch rather than simple sugar carbohydrates

This will also give the necessary amounts of vitamins, minerals and fibre

Diet And Energy

Diet is one of those words that is sometimes misused
Diet can be defined as the normal food we eat, but there are also special diets, for example, to lose or gain weight, diets because of moral values (e.g. a vegetarian diet) or because of food allergies, such as wheat flour intolerance Weight loss can be brought about in 1 of 3 ways, but each is concerned with energy balance

We need energy to produce muscle contractions, for growth and repair of tissues

Diet And Energy

Energy levels differ between people, due to:
Age during growth, more energy is needed Sex males tend to use more energy than females Lifestyle active people need more energy

Energy Balance
Energy balance means taking in (eating) and using up (through work, exercise, etc.) an equal number of calories or kilocalories Every human has their own metabolism or rate of using up energy this is known as Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

BMR
The BMR is the lowest level of energy required by the body for normal healthy living Age, sex, body size and body composition determine BMR
Males between the age of 15 and 18 need about 11,500 KJ (2755 kcal) per day Females between the age of 15 and 18 need about 8,800 KJ (2100 kcal) per day

Daily Calorie Calculator

Overweight, Overfat, Obese

These words do not mean the same thing

Definitions
Charles Corbin defines them as:
Overweight having weight in excess of normal. Not harmful unless it is accompanied by overfatness

Overfat having too much body composition as fat; men having more than 19% of total body composition as fat; for women 26% Obese or obesity extreme overweight, often considered as 20% to 35% above normal; probably best described as an extreme overfat condition