A balanced diet gives your body the nutrients it needs to function correctly. To get the nutrition you need, most of your daily calories should come from:
- fresh fruits
- fresh vegetables
- whole grains
- legumes
- nuts
- lean proteins
What makes up a healthy diet?
As a general rule, vegetables, fruits and starchy foods should provide the bulk of most of your meals. The remaining part of your diet should be made up from milk and dairy foods and protein foods. As mentioned above, you should limit the amount of foods and drinks that are high in fat or sugar. The dietary guidance to reduce your risk of heart disease is as follows:
Intake of saturated fat to less than 10% of total fat intake (preferably in lean meat and low-fat dairy products):
- Replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat where possible.
- Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day (new research has suggested that we should all aim for seven portions per day).
- Eat at least two servings of fish (preferably oily fish) per week.
- Consider regularly eating whole grains and nuts.
- Keep the amount of salt in your diet to less than 6 g per day.
- say no to alcohol.
- Avoid or reduce the following in your diet:
- Processed meats or commercially produced foods (including 'ready meals') which tend to be high in salt and trans fatty acids.
- Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread.
- High-calorie but nutritionally poor snacks, such as sweets, cakes and crisps.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF A BALANCED DIET
- Healthy eating increases energy, improves the way your body functions, strengthens your immune system and prevents weight gain. The other major benefits are:
- Meets your nutritional need. A varied, balanced diet provides the nutrients you need to avoid nutritional deficiencies.
- Prevent and treat certain diseases. Healthful eating can prevent the risk of developing certain diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart diseases. It is also helpful in treating diabities and high blood pressure.
- Following a special diet can reduce symptoms, and may help you better manage an illness or condition.
- Feel energetic and manage your weight. A healthy diet will assist you to feel higher, provide you with more energy, and help you fight stress.
- Food is the mainstay of many social and cultural events. Apart from nutrition properties, it helps facilitate connections between individuals.
10 Best Low-Sugar Fruits
Overview
Watching your sugar intake is a good idea, but taming your sweet tooth can be an incredibly difficult feat.
Perhaps you’ve already cut out processed sugars, but didn’t realize how much sugar is contained in fruit. Or maybe you live with diabetes and want to know which fruits will have the least impact on your blood sugar.
While fruit also contains lots of other healthy nutrients, some varieties are higher in sugar than others. Learn which fruits are lowest in sugar content so you can satisfy your sweet tooth without breaking the sugar bank.
1. Lemons (and limes)
High in vitamin C, lemons and their lime green counterparts are fairly sour fruits. They don’t contain much sugar (only a gram or two per lemon or lime) and are the perfect addition to a glass of water to help curb your appetite.
4. Blackberries
Blackberries also only have seven grams of sugar per cup. You don’t have to feel guilty snacking on these dark colored berries. As a bonus, they’re also high in antioxidants as well as fiber.
5. Kiwis
These odd fuzzy green-fleshed fruits are technically considered a berry too. Kiwis (or kiwifruits) are rich in vitamin C and low in sugar — with just six grams per kiwi. You can find kiwis all year-round at the grocery store.
6. Grapefruit
Another citrus fruit to make the list is grapefruit. While grapefruits certainly don’t taste as sweet as a grape, they make for a great breakfast with only nine grams of sugar in half of a medium-sized grapefruit.
7. Avocado
While not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you think of fruit, avocados are indeed fruits, and naturally low in sugar. An entire raw avocado only has about one gram
8. Watermelon
Watermelons are the iconic summer fruit. They may seem like a treat, but they’re low in sugar. A whole cup of diced up watermelon has unde 10 grams of sugar. A bonus of eating watermelon is it’s also a great source of iron.
9. Cantaloupe
Cantaloupes owe their orange color to a high vitamin A content. A cup of this delicious melon contains less than 13 grams of sugar. This may be a bit higher than other fruits, but keep in mind that a 12 ounce can of soda has nearly 14 grams of sugar of sugar, and very little nutritional value.
10. Oranges
Oranges are another great way to enjoy a sweet snack without all the calories and sugar, while also boosting your Vitamin C intake. A typical naval orange has about 12 grams of sugar per fruit and less than 70 calories.
11. Peaches
Peaches can be incredibly sweet, but at
Takeaway
These 11 low-sugar fruits contain between one and 13 grams of sugar, but remember that serving size makes all the difference.
A serving of watermelon is just one cup, so indulging in three or four cups of watermelon can easily put you somewhere near a can of sugary soda in terms of sugar.
Of course, all fruit contains a lot more vitamins, minerals, and fiber compared to sugary processed snacks. High fiber foods slow down digestion, which means your blood sugar won’t spike as quickly after eating fruit. As with most things in life, moderation is key.
Foods to avoid
Foods to avoid or limit on a healthy diet include:
- highly processed foods
- refined grains
- added sugar and salt
- red and processed meat
- alcohol
- trans fats
What’s healthy for one person may not be suitable for another.
Whole wheat flour can be a healthy ingredient for many people but isn’t suitable for those with a gluten intolerance.
Important Nutrients to Know: Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats
Proteins
Proteins are often called the body’s building blocks. They are used to build and repair tissues. They help you fight infection. Your body uses extra protein for energy. The protein foods group includes seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds. Protein is also found in the dairy group. Protein from plant sources tends to be lower in saturated fat, contains no cholesterol, and provides fiber and other health-promoting nutrients.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. The fruit, vegetables, dairy, and grain food groups all contain carbohydrates. Sweeteners like sugar, honey, and syrup and foods with added sugars like candy, soft drinks, and cookies also contain carbohydrates. Try to get most of your carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, fat-free and low-fat dairy, and whole grains rather than added sugars or refined grains.
Many foods with carbohydrates also supply fiber. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body cannot digest. It is found in many foods that come from plants, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains. Eating food with fiber can help prevent stomach or intestinal problems, such as constipation. It might also help lower cholesterol and blood sugar.
It’s better to get fiber from food than dietary supplements. Start adding fiber slowly. This will help avoid gas. To add fiber:
- Eat cooked dry beans, peas, and lentils.
- Leave skins on your fruit and vegetables but wash them before eating.
- Choose whole fruit over fruit juice.
- Eat whole grain breads and cereals that contain fiber.
Fats
Fats give you energy, and they help the body absorb certain vitamins. Essential fatty acids help the body function, but they aren’t made by your body—you have to consume them. Many foods naturally contain fats, including dairy products; meats, poultry, seafood, and eggs; and seeds, nuts, avocados, and coconuts.
Certain kinds of fat can be bad for your health—saturated fats and trans fats:
- Saturated fats are found in the greatest amounts in butter, beef fat, and coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils. Higher-fat meats and dairy and cakes, cookies, and some snack foods are higher in saturated fats. Dishes with many ingredients are common sources of saturated fat, including pizza, casseroles, burgers, tacos, and sandwiches.
- Trans fats, which is short for trans fatty acids, occur naturally in some foods but are also artificially produced. Because trans fats are not healthy, food manufacturers are phasing them out. But trans fats can still be found in some processed foods, such as some desserts, microwave popcorn, frozen pizza, margarine, and coffee creamer.
Fats that contain mostly trans fats and saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Limit your intake of saturated fats to less than 10 percent of your calories each day, and keep trans fat intake as low as possible.
Replace saturated and trans fats with these two types of healthier fats while keeping total fat intake within the recommended range:
- Monounsaturated fats. These are found in the greatest amounts in canola, olive, peanut, sunflower, and safflower oils and in avocados, peanut butter, and most nuts.
- Polyunsaturated fats. These are found in the greatest amounts in sunflower, corn, soybean, and cottonseed oils and in fatty fish, walnuts, and some seeds.
Oils contain mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and are liquid at room temperature. These types of fat seem to lower your chance of heart disease when they replace saturated fats.
To lower the saturated fat in your diet:
- Choose cuts of meat with less fat and remove the skin from chicken
- Use low-fat or fat-free dairy products
- Choose oils, such as olive or canola, for cooking
- Replace ingredients higher in saturated fats with vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, or lean cuts of meats and poultry
- Read the Nutrition Facts label and choose products lower in saturated fats
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