What is a balanced diet?

Recently I have been reading Tao Te Ching [1], a Chinese classic text. I’m interested in Taiji yin-yang which is a complex relational concept in Chinese culture that has developed over thousands of years. To summarize briefly, “Yin and yang is a concept of dualism, describing how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.” 

I still remember what my family taught me when I was a kid. They told me not to eat too much of anything, but to eat a little bit of every food. In traditional Chinese food therapy, most food belongs to a “Yin” or “Yang” category, few are neutral. Eating a bit of everything is keeping the balance of yin-yang. Being balanced is a big part of Chinese culture inspired by Taiji yin-yang.

While studying nutrition and lifestyle behavior, I am constantly reminded about the importance of being balanced when it comes to diet.

There is not a universal definition of the term “healthy eating”, however the main idea centers around eating the right amount of everything to achieve balance. 

A balanced diet consists of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), fiber and water to provide our daily energy needs. (Although fiber is one kind of carbohydrate, it serves a different function than other carbohydrates in our diet.) In order to get all these nutrients, there are six groups of food that need to be included in our meals [3] : 

• vegetables and legumes (beans)

• fruit

• grains and cereals

• lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes (beans) tofu, nuts, seeds

• milk, cheese, yogurt or alternatives

• water

Here are some ideas:

source: https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=myplate%20ideas&rs=typed

I think most people know in our minds we should incorporate all these food groups into our meals, but in reality, do people eat like this 100% of the time? What if you attend a party, a wedding, or a holiday celebration? What if you go to a restaurant and can’t eat a MyPlate balanced meal? Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not. Having a balanced diet is not about one meal or one day, it’s about eating well most of the time and ENJOYING THE TIMES when you don’t. No one is perfect, we’re all just human beings. 

A balanced eating pattern is not a diet, it’s actually an anti-diet. It’s something that can be sustained over a lifetime. The dietary guidelines recommend eating LESS sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, not NO sugar, sodium, and saturated fat [3]. Food is more than just nutrients, and calories needed for survival. It connects people together and defines whole cultures. It gives us joy and happiness. Balancing all of these meaningful parts from food is what balanced eating means. 

* For people with diabetes and other chronic diseases, please follow your doctor or dietitian’s order. 

*  This article is not a prescription.

Reference:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching

2. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/balanced-diet

3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. Available at http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/