Lesson 3: The Elements of a Healthy Diet

“Healthy people are those who live in healthy homes on a healthy diet; in an environment equally fit for birth, growth, work, healing, and dying...Healthy people need no bureaucratic interference to mate, give birth, share the human condition, and die.”- Ivan Illich

Constituents of a Healthy Diet

The key constituents of a healthy diet are:

• Natural foods
• Nutritious foods
• Fresh foods
• Seasonal foods
• Clean foods
• Tasty and tempting foods
• Food variety and rotation
• Food combining
• Moderation
• Balance

We are aware of the seasonal foods that are available in different seasons. Eating according to seasons, according to what is available during the season, is one of the best ways to live healthy. Eating seasonal foods helps our body to be balanced. During summers, we come across the juiciest fruits and vegetables. These help to cool the body and replace the lost fluids. These juicy fruits and vegetables are not available during winters or other seasons.

Here, tasty and tempting foods, means those foods which satisfy your senses. It can be color or taste. Some people love to eat apples because they love its color whilst others love to eat it due to its sweet taste. Eat healthy foods, which satisfy your senses. The need for a variety of foods in our diet is to obtain all kinds of nutrients from all kinds of foods. The same applies for food rotation. Eating the same kind of food may cause allergies. Food combining is equally essential as food combining can help prevent many gastrointestinal disorders like acid indigestion, heartburn and obesity. As far as food moderation is concerned, we should not eat too much nor under eat. Eating moderately is a sign of a healthy nutrition. To have a long-term healthy life, a balance diet is essential which includes the macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids), food groups (all fruits, vegetables, legumes, dairy products), flavors, colors and acid-alkaline foods (acid: wheat, oats, rice; alkaline: all vegetables).

Apart from these, we should make sure that whatever diet we maybe taking, it should be balanced in all nutrients. Proper consumption of food provides our body with the relevant nutrients that is required to carry out the daily metabolic activities. Hence, keeping all the constituents of a healthy diet in our minds, we can approach for a healthier and a better lifestyle.

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