DIET

DIET

We know that the body requires a continuous supply of nutrients. These nutrients are utilized by the body in order to maintain health. The nutrients ought to be supplied daily in the right proportion for optimum utilization and proper body maintenance. This can be achieved by taking a balanced diet every day.

BALANCED DIET: A balanced diet is one which includes all the nutrients in correct proportion or adequate amounts to promote and preserve health.

The recommended food and dietary allowances as per the ICMR (1981) and (1989) have been in the tables give the food times that are required to be eaten in a balanced diet by the different age groups.

These tables give weights that should be considered as raw food weight, e. g. an adult sedentary woman should consume 300 g cereals. Cereals may include wheat, rice and millets depending on the dietary habits of the family. If a family includes any one cereal in their diet, then the raw weight of that cereal should be taken into account. However , if the family includes three or four cereals and millets daily in the diet, the total uncooked weight of the cereals and millets together should be taken into  account. The daily intake of food articles as given by ICMR may appear to be heavy but it is aimed at giving optimum nourishment according to the recommended dietary intakes given I the table. However , the intake may be affected by the prevailing weather conditions and eating habits.

Table: 1 Balanced Diet for an Adult Man

Food	Sedentary Work		Moderate Work		Heavy Work
	Veg. (g)	Non-veg. (g)	Veg. (g)	Non-veg. (g)	Veg. (g)	Non-veg. (g)
Cereals	400	400	475	475	650	650
Pulses	70	55	80	65	80	65
Green leafy vegetables	100	100	125	125	125	125
Other vegetables	75	75	75	75	100	100
Roots and Tubers	75	75	100	100	100	100
Fruits	30	30	30	30	30	30
Milk	200	100	200	100	200	100
Fats and oils	35	40	40	40	50	50
Meat and fish	---	30	---	30	---	30
Eggs	---	30	---	30	---	30
Sugar & jaggery	30	30	40	40	55	55
Groundnuts	---	---	---	---	50	50*

• An additional 30 g of fats and oils can be included in the diet in place of groundnuts.

Table:2 Balanced Diet for an Adult Woman

Food	Sedentary Work		Moderate Work		Heavy Work		Additional Allowance during
	Veg. (g)	Non-veg. (g)	Veg. (g)	Non-veg. (g)	Veg. (g)	Non-veg. (g)	Veg. (g)	Non-veg. (g)
Cereals	300	300	350	350	475	475	50	100
Pulses	60	45	70	55	70	55	---	10
Green leafy vegetables	125	125	125	125	125	125	25	25
Other vegetables	75	75	75	75	100	100	---	---
Roots and Tubers	50	50	75	75	100	100	---	---
Fruits	30	30	30	30	30	30	---	---
Milk	200	100	200	100	200	100	125	125
Fats and oils	30	35	35	40	40	45	---	15
Meat and fish	---	30	---	30	---	30	---	---
Eggs	---	30	---	30	---	30	---	---
Sugar & jaggery	30	30	30	30	40	40	10	20
Groundnuts	---	---	---	---	40 *	40 *	---	---

• An additional 25 g of fats and oils can be included in the diet in place of groundnuts.

Table: 3 Balanced diet for children

Food	Pre – school Children				School Children
	1 – 3 Years		4 – 6 Years		7 – 9 Years		10 – 12 Years
	Veg. (g)	Non-Veg. (g)	Veg. (g)	Non-Veg. (g)	Veg. (g)	Non-Veg. (g)	Veg. (g)	Non-Veg. (g)
Cereals	150	150	200	200	250	250	320	320
Pulses	50	40	60	50	70	60	70	60
Green leafy Vegetables	50	50	75	75	75	75	100	100
Other Vegetables Roots & Tubers	30	30	50	50	50	50	75	75
Fruits	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50
Milk	300	200	250	200	250	200	250	200
Fats & oils	20	20	25	25	30	30	35	35
Meat & Fish	---	30	---	30	---	30	---	30
Eggs Sugar & Jaggery	30	30	40	40	50	50	50	50

Table: 4 Balanced Diet for Adolescent Boys and Girls

Food	Boys				Girls
	13 – 15 Years		!6 – 18 Years		13 – 18 Years
	Veg. (g)	Non-Veg. (g)	Veg. (g)	Non-Veg. (g)	Veg. (g)	Non-Veg. (g)
Cereals	430	430	450	450	350	350
Pulses	70	50	70	50	70	50
Green leafy vegetables	100	100	100	100	150	150
Other vegetables	75	75	75	75	75	75
Roots and Tubers	75	75	100	100	75	75
Fruits	30	30	30	30	30	30
Milk	250	150	250	150	250	150
Fats and oils	35	40	45	50	35	40
Meat and fish	---	30	---	30	---	30
Eggs	---	30	---	30	---	30
Sugar & jaggery	30	30	40	40	30	30
Groundnuts	---	---	50 *	50 *	---	---

• Additional 30 g of fats and oils can be included in the diet in place of groundnuts.