A BALANCED DIET

There are 7 nutrients that make up a balanced diet. These are:- · Carbohydrates - these are a good source of energy and are mainly sugars, starches and fibre found in things like fruit, grains, dairy products and vegetables. · Fats - these are also a good source of energy and come in lots of different types. Whilst the body needs some fat in a balanced diet, an adult should only get about 30% of their calories from fats. Trans fats (found in things like cakes, margarine and deep fried food) are the worst. Some fats are better for you - poly-unsaturated fats (found in fish for example) are better for you. · Proteins - these help your body to grow and to mend itself. The body cannot function without proteins. They are found in foods like nuts, seeds, yoghurt, meat and fish. Other nutrients that don't give energy are:- · Minerals - like iron, found in dried fruit, liver and eggs, help make red blood cells that move oxygen around your body. If you don't have enough iron in your diet you can get anaemia. · Vitamins - these keep you healthy and you only need them in small quantities. You find vitamins in dairy foods, fruit and vegetables. For example, you get Vitamin C from oranges. · Fibre - you need fibre to help keep you going to the toilet and to help food pass through you. Fibre is found in vegetables and bran. · Water - Your body has to have water and is needed for your cells to grow. It is found on its own and in things like milk and fruit juice. If you have too much or too little of one of the nutrients, bad things can happen to your body. For example, even though you only need small amounts of vitamins, if you don’t get enough of vitamin A you can become blind. If you don’t get enough vitamin C you get scurvy which makes your mouth bleed and you get very tired. Vitamin C is needed to make collagen in your body. This is the protein found in things like skin, blood vessels nd bones. If you don’t have vitamin C the tissue breaks down and you get scurvy.