Eating a healthy, balanced diet is a vital part of your overall health and nutrition, yet many people have false beliefs of what this should look like. Think about it, I’m sure you’ve heard many of these myths yourself, and at some point believed them. Imagine the last time you saw a video about nutrition on Instagram or somewhere else online, and I bet you anything you have heard at least one of these things said-follow a keto diet, don’t eat carbs, drink diet soda instead of regular soda, and even restrict yourself from eating the deserts you love. While these things may seem convincingly true, they are completely wrong. The easiest fix to this is to follow a real foods diet, while also finding balance within your diet based off of your lifestyle.

So, what does a balanced diet look like? When I first thought about this, variety is the word that came to mind. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, “we should eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day (see 5 A Day), base meals on higher fiber starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta, have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks), and eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein.” An easy, simple way to think about this is to aim for a plate full of colorful, diverse foods.

Another key to a balanced diet is to allow yourself to “splurge” every once in a while. Restricting yourself from deserts and good, not-so-healthy foods, can actually cause more harm than good. As stated by Loyola Medicine, “’A healthy diet does not need to be one-size-fits-all,’ says Ms. Caputo. ‘It can include the occasional treat when balanced alongside healthful options. If you love sweets or pasta, those foods don’t need to disappear entirely. Just limit them to once in a while.’” Not allowing yourself to enjoy food and have a good time eating while out with your friends is never the answer. This is not going to negatively affect you, as long as it is done in moderation.

To do things in “moderation” is a broad term, which needs to be made more specific within regards of nutrition and dieting. When thinking about moderation in your diet, I think of an 85:15 ratio. This means that 85% of the time, we should eat a balanced, whole foods diet, but the other 15% of the time, we can enjoy eating the other foods we love.

Overall, eating healthy isn’t as hard as it seems. As long as we aim to eat real, whole foods and find balance in our diet, we can completely change our nutrition, and our lifestyle, for the better.

Written By

Carly Jane J

I am a student at CHS. I am a Christian, athlete, and huge Auburn fan.