Proper quality and quantity of food is most significant basis of health, proper growth, normal activity, vigour and longevity. Human food should contain the various nutrients in such proportions as can satisfy all the various needs of body. Such a food is called balanced diet.
Balanced diet varies from person to person, age to age and sex to sex. A person generally obtains 4 calories of energy from 1 gram of carbohydrates and proteins, and about 9.3 calories from one gram of fat. I t has been discovered that, in our energy requirement, we obtain about 50% energy from carbohydrates, 35% from fats and 15% from proteins. Thus the daily dietary requirement of a normal man is about 400 to 500 gm of carbohydrates, 65 to 75 gm of proteins and 60 to 70 gm of fats.
Balanced diet chart
