 |
| Balanced Diet |
|
| Diet is the food on which an individual lives. A balanced diet may be defined as the one which contains all the essential nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins in the correct proportion for the normal growth and development of the body. A balanced diet is related to the state of one's age, health and occupation. A food exchange chart will be useful in planning a balanced diet. In this exchange system, foods of specific servings are decided and standardized in terms of energy which is measured in (kcal). The corresponding carbohydrate, protein and fat content of the food is given in grams. Table7 lists the food exchange system. Table8 is a copy of the balanced vegetarian diet as recommended by ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research). Table9 is a substitution diet for non vegetarian. |
| |
| Table 7. The food exchange system |
| |
 
|
| |
| Table 8. Balanced diet as recommended by ICMR for vegetarians (The quantities are given in grams) |
| |
 
|
| |
| Table 9. Suggested substitution diet for non-vegetarians |
| |
 |
| |
|
| Malnutrition results from imbalance between the body's needs and the intake of nutrients which can lead to syndromes of deficiency, dependency, toxicity or obesity. Malnutrition includes undernutrition in which nutrients are undersupplied and overnutrition, in which nutrients are oversupplied. |
| |
| Types of malnutrition |
| |
 |
| |
| |
| |
| a) Undernutrition can result from inadequate intake, malabsorption, abnormal systematic loss of nutrients due to diarrhoea, bleeding, renal failure, infection, or addiction to drugs. When there is malnutrition due to lack of a specific nutrient it can lead to diseases which are related to specific deficiencies. The deficiency diseases are of three types: |
| |
| (i) Protein deficiency diseases Kwashiorkar, Marasmus |
| |
| (ii) Mineral deficiency diseases Goitre, Anaemia |
| |
| (iii) Vitamin deficiency diseases Scurvy, Beri-beri, Rickets etc. |
| |
 |
| Kwashiorkar |
| |
 |
| Marasmus |
| |
| |
| |
| b) Overnutrition can result from overeating, insufficient exercise and excessive intake of specific food components like fats (cholesterol) and vitamins A and D. Overeating leads to a disease called obesity. The person becomes overweight and bulky due to the excessive accumulation of fat in the body. Obesity can lead to hypertension and heart attack. Excessive consumption of cholesterol leads to a disease called arteriosclerosis (deposition of cholesterol on the arterial walls). All these diseases can be fatal. |
| |
