Balanced Healthy Diet - The Importance of Macronutrients and Micronutrients

A balanced healthy diet is one that provides all the nutrients our bodies need in just the right proportions. We all need a daily intake of a variety of nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber to maintain normal health. And we need these nutrients in varying proportions.

We get nutrients from the food we eat. No single type of food provides all the nutrients that our body needs. Different foods provide different nutrients. A balanced diet has balanced proportion of foods from all the food groups that contribute to different nutrients.

In this article I will explain the nutritional value of the different macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients and why they are important for a balanced healthy diet.

There are two main types of nutrients needed for a balanced healthy diet and this is based on the quantity needed by our bodies.

1. Macronutrients - Our body needs these nutrients in larger quantities (usually in grams) compared to the minor nutrients. The dietary classes in this group are carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
2. Micronutrients - These are nutrients that are needed by our bodies in minor quantities (usually in milligrams and micrograms). Though they are needed in minor quantities, they are extremely important to maintain normal health. The dietary classes in this group are vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

It is important to re-state that Macro and Micro nutrients are named only depending on the amount of these nutrients that our bodies need, but it does not mean they are any more or less important.

Macro nutrients that make a Balanced Healthy Diet

A - Carbohydrates

These are mainly plant-based and present in starchy foods like cereals, grains, fruits, starchy vegetables and products made from these like bread, crackers, rice, pasta, etc.

The carbohydrates get broken down to a simple sugar called 'glucose', which is the main source of energy in our body. Carbohydrates provide immediate energy to the cells. Every single cell in our body needs glucose to function properly. The brain and blood cells especially, need only glucose as the energy source.

Apart from providing glucose, the main source of energy, carbohydrates also provide something called satiety, which means a person feels full in the tummy for about 3-4 hours after eating a carbohydrate rich food. This is good because when we are full, we don't get the urge to munch on not-so-healthy snacks all day.

Make sure carbohydrate-rich foods form the base or majority of foods you eat. It could be bread, rolls, cooked rice, pasta, porridge, flat breads, wraps, mashed potato, boiled tapioca, yam, fruits, vegetables, or other foods made with cereals, grains and starchy vegetables.

B - Proteins

Proteins are called 'the building blocks of our body'. Proteins are present in beans, legumes, milk and milk products, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, nuts and seeds, and to a lesser extent in cereals and grains, fruits and vegetables.

Proteins when digested are broken down to amino acids. These amino acids get absorbed into our blood and then get rearranged to form different body proteins according to the need in our body. Proteins are needed to build up the muscles in our body, to make us strong, to provide us with immunity against illnesses and infections, and to carry out all the metabolic functions effectively. Our muscles, tissues, cells, blood, etc are all made of proteins. We need proteins for almost every function in our body.

For example,

1. For the oxygen we breathe to reach every cell in our body, we need hemoglobin, which is a protein.
2. For the food we eat to get digested, we need enzymes, which are proteins.
3. For the digested food in our intestines to get absorbed into our blood, we need special transporters, which are again proteins.

We need proteins for almost every function in our body. Different protein-rich foods have different compositions or make up of amino acids. So including a variety of lean meats, eggs, beans, peas, lentils and legumes in our diet provides all the amino acids we need from different foods.

C - Fats

These are fats and oils like vegetable oil, butter, margarine, hydrogenated fats, soft spreads, and are also present in other foods like meat, eggs, nuts and seeds.

Fats are packed with energy. They are also very important for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and also for the synthesis of steroid hormones.

Fats are also needed to provide insulation and protect our internal organs, to provide good shape to our body, and to act as a store of food for emergencies. So our bodies need a daily supply of fats in small quantities. Plant-based oils are easy to digest than animal-based fats. Fats need a lot of energy and take longer to digest, and also require a lot of activity to burn or use up. If the fats we eat are not used up for energy purposes, they get deposited as adipose tissue or fat in our body and excess of that results in obesity.

Try to limit your consumption of these foods, and choose plant-based oils for cooking purposes.

These are the macro-nutrients you need for a balanced healthy diet. Click on the next page to read on about the role of micro-nutrients in maintaining a balanced healthy diet.

Next Page: Micronutrients in an Balanced Healthy Diet