Balanced Diet

Is a balanced diet enough?

Most of us grew up being told that if we ate a variety of foods from different food groups and exercised three times a week, we would be healthy. Eat more fiber, have three to five servings of fruit and vegetables, consume less fat and refined sugars, drink eight glasses of water a day.

All that is good advice. But it is only the minimum and nowhere near a balanced diet.

There is a difference between what our bodies need for optimum health, and what they need to avoid shutting down. What health authorities and manufacturers of processed foods and nutritional supplements highlight as the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is the bare minimum our bodies require for good health.

Why is nutrition important?

One online dictionary defines nutrition as the science and practice of nourishing and being nourished and the process by which a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and for replacement of tissues. It is not about just what we eat, but also how we eat it and how (and whether) our bodies absorb and use the good stuff to fight disease, grow new cells, replace tissue and basically keep you and me alive and functioning.

If we are honest, many of us don't even get anywhere near achieving a balanced diet or required RDA in our intake of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, good bacteria and all the essential nutrients that keep our organs in good working order, our skin clear and our hair and nails strong.

Not only that, while many of us are aware of the benefits of nutritional supplements, beyond going to the local chemist and choosing something off the shelf, not many of us actually know how to choose the right supplement to top up our bodies' supplement stores.

The average Aussie diet favors doughnuts, pizzas, burgers, barbecued-till-charred sausages, meat pies, soft drinks, coffee, tea and lots of sweets (no meal is complete without muffins, cakes, slices, pudding, Pavlova... you get the idea).

Here's the scary truth: not only are we missing out on good wholesome foods, we are making our organs work extra hard when we pile on the fats, sugar, salt and artificial preservatives and food agents that go into making the processed convenience foods we can't do without.

No wonder more of us are getting sick with modern diseases like cancer, stroke and heart disease.

Learn how simple Food Nutrition Facts can help reduce your risk of disease.

We are eating, drinking and breathing poisons

Not only are we eating too much of the wrong foods and not enough of the right foods, the sources of our food and drink are also questionable.

Soil depletion

The soil that supported our grandparents' home grown tomatoes and cabbages has become depleted of its mineral content. This in turn causes serious mineral deficiencies and increasing incidence of medical diseases in humans.

Pesticides and fertilizers

Farmers rely on artificial pesticides and fertilizers that contain toxic amounts of chemicals to keep pests off those lovely juicy tomatoes and apples that we pick up at the supermarket. This is done with the knowledge and support of health agencies and corporations with vested interests.

As long ago as 1963, Dr Jerome Weisner, Science Councillor to John F. Kennedy, made this statement that is still true today: "The use of pesticides is more dangerous than atomic fallout."

Not even the most powerful family of our time is safe from the danger posed by dangerous chemicals.

Less than two months after First Lady Michelle Obama planted an organic vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House, the National Park Service disclosed that the South Lawn soil was heavily contaminated by lead. Apparently, the soil had for years been fertilized by a brand of compost made from sewage sludge.

One nutritional supplements expert reckons that there are more than a hundred chemicals to be found on an apple alone. So much for "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"!

Toxic waste in water supplies

Our water supplies are no longer guaranteed safe because of irresponsible companies that dump their manufacturing waste into rivers and seas, leaking landfills, nuclear waste seeping from mountain burial sites, and household waste that gets flushed down the sewage system and ends up in our waterways. Toxic waste leaks into the sea, where it destroys marine life, pollutes beaches, and poisons the fish (which get caught and served up in that delightful seafood dinner you had last night).

Air pollution

While governments debate how much of climate change is caused by human activity, we continue to inhale toxic fumes from cars, factories, refineries and industrial farms, and wonder where the headaches, respiratory problems, tumors and developmental delays in children have sprung from.

Taking back our health

As you can see, the solutions to the questions - why is nutrition important and what makes a balanced diet - are a little more complex than we think.

Should we be discouraged and defeated by how huge the problem seems and how little our efforts seem to count?I think not.

There are simple things you and I can start doing to regain responsibility for our health and the health of those we love. Please read on to learn more about Super Foods that will help you achieve the right sort of Balanced Diet, and what a good Fitness Nutrition Plan should include.

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