Question

Before taking this class, did you think your diet was balanced? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your current diet? Your initial answer should be 500 words minimum. Reference at least two sites you visited on this topic (APA or AMA citation).

Comment and provide feedback to the comments (300 words minimum). PLEASE PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIAL RESPONSES (300 word minimum) FOR THE ABOVE PARAGRAPH.Express ideas and opinions in a clear and concise manner with obvious connection to the topic.

Before answering this discussion question, I had to look up what a balanced diet is because I don’t truly know the real definition of what is considered balanced. According to Healthline, “you should consume the majority of your daily calories in fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, lean proteins”. When remembering what I ate the past few weeks, I thought that I sometimes have a balanced diet, but it is inconsistent. There would be days where I would eat cheetos and eat one meal of rice and some type of protein, and that would get me full for a day. Then there are other days where I would create my own smoothies with a good amount of fruits and vegetables, then eat my proteins with a side of steamed vegetables. For the most part, I live a healthy life but I treat myself often with processed foods and desserts. Growing up in an Asian household, our meals are usually focused on rice and then there would be side dishes of protein and vegetables, varying from 2-3 different dishes. So with that, we get a good balance of carbohydrates and proteins. One of my favorite dishes is tofu in a tomato reduced soup. I absolutely hate legumes and any type of bean, so I am glad that I can enjoy tofu, so that I fulfill the consumption of what is considered balanced. My strengths of my current diet is that I try to drink a smoothie every day to get my daily dose of fruits. I enjoy all types of fruit and the only one I would refuse to eat are avocados. I also love tomatoes and I try to cook and incorporate tomatoes into my daily meals. I love eating vegetables as well and because I am used to eating steamed vegetables, it is healthier than using more ingredients and stir frying them to make them taste better. I eat fruits and vegetables almost daily with few exceptions during the week. My weaknesses however, are definitely eating empty calories. According to WebMD, “there are basically two empty-calorie culprits in our diets: anything with lots of sugar or other sweeteners and anything with lots of fat and oil”. One of my weaknesses is eating chips and drinking fruit juice such as Minute Maid Fruit Punch. I try to limit my intake on empty calories and the most helpful tip that helped me limit them is by not having them in the house. When I have them in the house however, I usually eat them in one or two sittings, and I would be full for the day. When I go grocery shopping, I try to get just one bag of chips or sweets to help satisfy my craving and focus the rest of my groceries on healthy foods. Another vice I have is eating out, which used to take up a good amount of my diet, as I used to eat out in restaurants once or twice a week. Because of the pandemic happening, I haven’t been eating takeout and feel that even after it is over I will limit how often I eat out as I am used to it now.

so please give some additional feedbacks in 300 words using the paragraph i have attached.Like you have to compare those diets and you can give some additional diet plans using your opinion.

Answer 1

A balanced diet is a diet that contains differing kinds of foods in certain quantities and proportions so that the requirement for calories, proteins, minerals, vitamins and alternative nutrients is adequate and a small provision is reserved for additional nutrients to endure the short length of leanness. In addition, a balanced diet ought to offer bioactive phytochemicals like dietary fiber, antioxidants and nutraceuticals that have positive health advantages. A balanced diet should offer around 60-70% of total calories from carbohydrates, 10-12% from proteins and 20-25% of total calories from fat.

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 disease. It is also helpful in treating diabetes 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.

HERE ARE SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR HEALTHY EATING

• The most important rule of healthy eating is not skipping any meal. Skipping meals lowers your metabolic rate. Normal eating includes 3 major meals and 2 snacks between meals. Also, Never skip breakfast. It is the foremost vital meal of the day.
• Learn simple ways to prepare food. Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean complicated eating. Keep meal preparation easy, eat more raw foods such as salads, fruits and vegetable juices, and focus on the pleasure of eating healthy food rather than the calories.
• It is important to stop when you feel full. This will help you maintain your weight to an extent. This also will help you remain alert and feeling your best.
• Drink lots of water. Keep a bottle of water near you while working, watching TV, etc.
• Variety of foods should be used in the menu. No single food has all the nutrients.
• To improve the cereal and pulse protein quality, a minimum ratio of cereal protein to pulse protein should be 4:1. In terms of the grains, it will be eight parts of cereals and one part of pulses.
• Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.
• Keep a supply of healthy snacks to hand. This will stop you from eating an unhealthy snack when hungry.
• Remove all visible fat from food before you cook it – take the skin off chicken and trim the white fat off any meat.
• Limit stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and refined sugar.
• Limit the number of times you eat out to once a week. Take your own packed lunch to work.
• Only eat things you like the taste of – find what works for you and don’t force yourself to eat things just because they’re good for you.