Balanced diet:- A balanced diet must contain carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, mineral salts and fibre. It must contain these nutrients in the correct proportions and adequate amount to supply proper nutrition and energy for the maintenance of body cells, tissues and organs, and to support normal growth and development.

Major nutrients for balanced diet include

• Carbohydrates:- major source of energy.
• Proteins:- provide basic nutrient for growth and repair of body.
• Fats:- provide energy and contain fat soluble vitamins.
• Vitamins:- required in very small quantities to maintain health.
• Minerals:- required for optimum health.
• Fibre:- required for proper functioning of intestine, non digestible.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the most important source of energy. They contain Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. In all forms of carbohydrates, the ratio of Hydrogen atoms to Oxygen atoms is 2:1.

Simple carbohydrates are the major source of fuel for metabolism, being used both as an energy source (glucose being the most important in nature) and in biosynthesis of new tissues. When carbohydrates are not needed by cells they are quickly converted into complex storage form.

In diet, carbohydrate occurs mainly in the form of starch. Major sources include grain foods, roots and tubers.

1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 Kcal

Proteins

Proteins constitute about 15% of the body weight.

Proteins are required for growth and repair. Proteins contain Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen and sometimes Sulphur. Amino acids are basic units that combine to form a protein molecule. There are about 20 different amino acids.

Our body can turn the amino acids back into protein. Proteins can also be used as a source of energy.

Major source of protein include meat, fish, poultry, eggs, pulses, cereals, vegetables etc.

1 gram of protein = 4 Kcal

Fats

Like carbohydrates, fats contain the elements Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. Fats are used as a source of energy, they are also stored beneath the skin helping to insulate us against the cold.

Fats are the reserve fuel of the body. Fats provide more than twice the energy per gram of proteins or carbohydrates.

Some amount of diet, rich in carbohydrate and proteins, gets converted to fat, which results in weight gain. Therefore, one must balance the amount of energy containing foods with the amount of energy that is required by the body.

Fats also provide fat soluble vitamins and impart flavor to food.

1 gram of fat = 9Kcal

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic substances present in small amounts in many foods. They are required to carry out many vital functions of the body. Many of them are involved in the utilization of major nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins and fat.

Fat soluble vitamins include Vitamin A, D, E and K.

Water soluble vitamins include Vitamin C and B complex.

Minerals

These are also needed in small quantities. A large number of minerals and trace metals are present in the body. Some of these form part of body structural components and some others act as catalytic agents in many body reactions.

They include calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, iodine, chromium etc.

Dietary Fibre

Dietary fibre is the name given collectively to undigestible carbohydrates present in foods. They consist of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, plant gum and mucilage. Some of them are water soluble and others water insoluble.

Nutritive content of daily Indian foods