When it comes to good dietary practices and its link with good health, there is an awareness and information deficit, even among the more affluent sections of our society.
When Adhyant and Nirbhay were a little over a year old, I recall an incident where they were playing in our then building playground when the grandfather of another child who was accompanying his grandson, offered the boys a bourbon biscuit. I intervened and politely declined saying that they don’t eat those. The elderly man shrugged his shoulders and laughed it off while asking a rhetorical question – “Dieting already!?”
Given that I am usually pretty non-confrontational, I let it pass without retorting. But the incident played on my mind and what I wish I would have been able to convey then was that – Yes, they are on a diet – a balanced diet.
So what is a Balanced diet and why is it important for both us and our children?
A balanced diet is one which provides all the nutrients in required amounts and proper proportions. Since people eat food and not nutrients it makes sense to advocate nutrition in terms of food and not nutrients. Requirement of nutrients also varies with age, gender, physiology and physical activity. That’s where our understanding of a balanced diet helps.
The boys are currently learning about Go, Grow and Glow foods at school. And how our meals should comprise a combination of foods from all three groups to keep us healthy. When I was a young child doing my primary schooling in the US, I remember being taught about five food groups and how our diet should include all of them. India’s National Institute of Nutrition illustrates a food pyramid which divides food on the basis of what we should consume adequately, eat liberally, eat moderately and eat sparingly. The most recent USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) dietary recommendations uses a plate to depict what proportion of which food groups an average meal should comprise of.
Adhyant and Nirbhay are being taught about how a balanced meal should comprise a combinations of foods that help one GO, GROW and GLOW
These are all basically different ways to help us understand the same concept. That being – what proportion of what kinds of foods are essential to keep us healthy. Variety is not only the spice of life but also the essence of nutrition. Consuming adequate amounts from all groups will ensure that we get all the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins & fats), micronutrients (vitamins & minerals), dietary fibre, water and phytochemicals that we need to thrive.
A survey by India’s National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau indicates that in Indian households the daily intake of all foods except cereals and millets is lower than the recommended dietary allowances (RDA). An imbalanced diet at any stage of our life can lead to malnutrition (deficiency diseases) or overnutrition (diseases of affluence). This is especially true for children, for whom a balanced diet aids optimal growth and development and gives a boost to their immunity.
How do we achieve a balanced diet? Stay with me as I take a deep dive into the world of nutrition for our children and our families.
Earlier Posts in my Child Nutrition series: