Chapter 2: Achieving a Healthy Diet

2.2 Principles of a Healthy Diet

Achieving a healthy diet is a matter of balancing the quality and quantity of food that is eaten. There are five key factors that make up a healthful diet:

  • A diet must be adequate, by providing sufficient amounts of each essential nutrient, as well as fiber and calories.
  • A balanced diet results when you do not consume one nutrient at the expense of another, but rather get appropriate amounts of all nutrients.
  • Calorie control is necessary so that the amount of energy you get from the nutrients you consume equals the amount of energy you expend during your day’s activities.
  • Moderation means not eating to the extremes, neither too much nor too little.
  • Variety refers to consuming different foods from within each of the food groups on a regular basis.

A healthy diet is one that favors whole foods. As an alternative to modern processed foods, a healthy diet focuses on “real” fresh whole foods that have been sustaining people throughout the millenniums. Whole foods supply the needed vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber that are essential to good health. Commercially prepared and fast foods are often lacking nutrients and often contain inordinate amounts of sugar, salt, saturated and trans fats, all of which are associated with the development of diseases such as atherosclerosis, heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other illnesses. A balanced diet is a mix of food from the different food groups (vegetables, legumes, fruits, grains, protein foods, and dairy).

ADEQUACY

An adequate diet is a diet that provides all of the nutrients your body needs, including vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, fiber, and calories. Nutrient-dense foods are an important part of an adequate diet. These foods contain many essential nutrients per calorie, and so they can help you get an adequate amount of essential nutrients without going over the amount of calories you need. Nutrient-dense foods are the opposite of “empty-calorie” foods. If your diet has a lot of empty-calorie foods in it, you may go well above your calorie budget and still not have an adequate diet. Nutrient-dense foods include fruits and vegetables, lean meats, poultry, fish, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains. Choosing more nutrient-dense foods will facilitate maintenance of a healthy weight, while simultaneously providing all necessary nutrients.

Table 2.21 The Smart Choice: Nutrient-Dense Food Alternatives[1]

Instead of…

Replace with…

Sweetened fruit yogurt

Plain fat-free yogurt with fresh fruit

Whole milk

Low-fat or fat-free milk

Cheese

Low-fat or reduced-fat cheese

Bacon or sausage

Canadian bacon or lean ham

Sweetened cereals

Minimally sweetened cereals with fresh fruit

Apple or berry pie

Fresh apple or berries

Deep-fried French fries

Oven-baked French fries or sweet potato baked fries

Fried vegetables

Steamed or roasted vegetables

Sugary sweetened soft drinks

Seltzer mixed with 100 percent fruit juice

Recipes that call for sugar

Experiment with reducing amount of sugar and adding spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc…)

Illustration: diet, fruit, nutrition, weight, exercise, food
Figure 2.21 With careful planning, a balanced diet providing optimal nutrition can be achieved and maintained. ©Shutterstock

BALANCE

Balance the foods in your diet. Achieving balance in your diet entails not consuming one nutrient at the expense of another. For example, calcium is essential for healthy teeth and bones, but too much calcium will interfere with iron absorption. Most foods that are good sources of iron are poor sources of calcium, so in order to get the necessary amounts of calcium and iron from your diet, a proper balance between food choices is critical. Another example is that while sodium is a vital nutrient, an overabundance of it can contribute to congestive heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Remember, everything must be consumed in the proper amounts.

MODERATION

Eat in moderation. Moderation is crucial for optimal health and survival. Burgers, French fries, cake, and ice cream each night for dinner will lead to health complications. But as part of an otherwise healthful diet and consumed only on a weekly basis, this should not have too much of an impact on overall health. If this is done once per month, it will have even less of an impact upon overall health. It is important to remember that eating is, in part, about enjoyment and indulging with a spirit of moderation. This fits within a healthy diet.

CALORIE CONTROL

Monitor food portions. For optimum weight maintenance, it is important to ensure that energy consumed from foods meets the energy expenditures required for body functions and activity. If not, the excess energy contributes to gradual, steady weight gain. In order to lose weight, you need to ensure that more calories are burned than consumed. Likewise, in order to gain weight, calories must be eaten in excess of what is expended daily.

Illustration: calories in come from eating, one example of calories out is exercise.
Figure 2.22 The number of calories consumed should always match the number of calories being expended by the body to maintain a healthy weight. ©Networkgraphics

VARIETY

Figure 2.23 Scientific evidence confirms that a diet full of fresh whole foods reduces the risks for developing chronic disease and helps maintain a healthy weight. ©Dreamstime

Variety involves eating different foods from all the food groups. Eating a varied diet helps to ensure that you receive all the nutrients necessary for a healthy diet. One of the major drawbacks of a monotonous diet is the risk of consuming too much of some nutrients and not enough of others. Trying new foods can also be a source of pleasure—you never know what foods you might like until you try them.

Developing a healthful diet can be rewarding, but be mindful that all of the principles presented must be followed to derive maximal health benefits. For instance, introducing variety in your diet can still result in the consumption of too many high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods and inadequate nutrient intake if you do not also employ moderation and calorie control. Using all of these principles together will afford you lasting health benefits.

Table 2.22 Food Choices for a Healthful Diet[2]

Grain Whole-grain products: brown rice, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, millet, wild rice, oats, rye berries, sorghum, bulgur, kasha, farrow, wheat berries, corn, amaranth, spelt
Vegetable Dark green: broccoli, collards, kale, romaine lettuce, spinach, turnip greens, watercress
Red and orange: Acorn squash, butternut squash, carrots, pumpkin, red peppers, sweet potatoes
Beans and peas: Black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, navy beans, pinto beans, soybeans, split peas, white beans
Starchy: Cassava, green bananas, green peas, green lima beans, plantains, potatoes, taro, water chestnuts
Other vegetables: Asparagus, avocado, bean sprouts, beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, green beans, green peppers, mushrooms, okra, onions, parsnips
Fruit apples, apricots, bananas
Berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, lemons, limes, mangoes
Melons: cantaloupe, honey dew, watermelon
Other fruits: nectarines, oranges, peaches, pears, papaya, pineapple, plums, prunes
Dairy all fluid milk (fat free, low-fat, reduced-fat, whole milk, lactose-free), fortified soy milk, yogurt
Hard natural cheeses: cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, parmesan
Soft cheeses: ricotta, cottage cheese
Protein Meats: beef, ham, lamb, pork, veal
Poultry: chicken, goose, turkey, duck
Eggs
Beans and peas: (see vegetable section)
Nuts and seeds: almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts
Seafood: catfish, cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, herring, mackerel, pollock, porgy, salmon, sea bass, snapper, swordfish, trout, tuna
Shellfish: scallops, mussels, crab, lobster


  1. Source: US Department of Agriculture. “Food Groups.” http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/.
  2. Source: Adapted from https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/protein-foods.
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Principles of Human Nutrition Copyright © by Sarah Cabbage and Surya Tewari is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.