Topic: Healthy diet

Submitted by: Amna Laraib (BS-English Literature and Linguistics)

A healthy diet is the one that is full of nutrients. Now what are nutrients? Nutrients are the
substances that our body requires to perform its normal functions. Nutrients that contain carbon are called
organic nutrients and those that don’t contain carbon are called inorganic nutrients. These nutrients
protect you against chronic diseases like heart attack, cancer and debates, and helps to boost up your
mood and respond to environmental surroundings like growth, excrete, breath etc.

A healthy and balanced diet can be maintained by choosing your diet from the five main food groups.

1. Vegetables and fruits

Vegetables and fruits are full of minerals, fiber and vitamins. Eating a variety of vegetables for
example, broccoli, spinach, green beans etc. increases your intake of vitamins and minerals.
Similarly fruits are also a great source of nutrients and contains natural sugar that is better than
other foods with added sugar. Some fruits are higher in sugar than others. Diabetic patients
should opt for low sugar fruits such as lime, raspberries, strawberries, kiwis, watermelon,
avocado etc.

2. Grains

To make your diet healthier, whole-grains should be chosen because they are a good source of
vitamin B, fiber and many other minerals, such as iron, zinc, manganese and magnesium, instead
of the refined-grains which are linked to many health issues such as diabetes, heart attack and
cancer.

3. Protein

Protein is the nutrient that is essential for the proper development of muscles and brain. The
primary sources of protein are meat, eggs, nuts and beans. Fish and chicken are considered low-
fat meats.

4. Dairy

Dairy products provide your body with essential nutrients like calcium and vitamin D. Cheese,
yogurt and milk are the best sources. An appropriate amount of these should be chosen as part of
one’s diet to maintain good health.

5. Fats

Fats provide energy to the brain and contains vitamins that are good for your skin, hair and your
overall health. Fatty meat, fried foods and cream contains saturated fats and its high intake can
lead to heart disease. Unsaturated fats in fruits i.e. avocado and meat i.e. fish reduces bad
cholesterol in your blood.
So, no food is “good” or “bad” rather what counts important is the amount of food we consume. In order
to have a good health, balance should always be maintained in the consummation of the listed above food
groups.