Unit 9 M1
Describe how the components of a balanced diet contribute to an individuals health at different stages.

A balanced diet is food intake that includes all of the dietary needs of the organism in the correct proportions.
In order to live a healthy lifestyle all individuals must have a balanced diet. A balanced diet is not about just eating fruit and vegetables, it is all based on eating the right adequate amount from the 5 food groups.

Each food group has a purpose to the human body which is why if you eat too much of something you put on weight or for instance you are not eating enough of something you may start losing unnecessary weight. From birth the routine of a balanced diet has to be installed otherwise it can affect the body from young as you are not receiving the right vitamins to keep your body healthy and also to develop properly.

Eating well plays an important part of maintaining good health and not many individuals understand that. Without a stable diet you are putting yourself at risk. Many health related issues are caused by having a unbalanced diet, in the short term, poor nutrition can contribute to stress, tiredness and our capacity to work, and over time, it can contribute to the risk of developing some illnesses and other health problems such as:

being overweight or obese tooth decay high blood pressure high cholesterol heart disease and stroke type-2 diabetes osteoporosis some cancers depression eating disorders.

Each component from the food group contributes in many ways to our bodies, your body needs energy to work normally and keep you alive. You get this energy from nutrients in the food that you eat - mostly, carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Minerals and vitamins are other nutrients that are also important in your diet to help your body stay healthy.

It is important to get the right balance between these different nutrients to get maximum health benefits . Your diet should contain food from each of the following food groups:

Starchy foods such as bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, etc.
Fruit and vegetables.
Milk and dairy foods.
Protein foods. These include meat, fish, eggs and other non-dairy sources of protein (including nuts, tofu, beans, pulses, etc).
Fatty and sugary foods are the fifth food group that you eat. However, only a small amount of what you eat should be made up from fatty and sugary foods. In addition to the above, plenty of fibre and water in your diet is also important for your health.

Carbohydrates are broken-down by the digestive system into energy in the form of glucose (which can be absorbed into the blood).
The body needs and uses energy for the following:
Active transport
Synthesis of biochemical macromolecules
Cell division
Muscle contraction

Proteins