Creating a Well Balanced Meal

A well balanced meal is necessary for one's physical, mental and emotional well-being. One's height, weight, and gender are all categories that should be taken into consideration. The type of work activity is also an issue. Sedentary work requires less calories than highly active, physical work. A well balanced meal will help to keep the weight at an ideal poundage level.

The government's pyramid of food has been developed as a guide. The pyramid is divided into three parts. At the bottom is bread, cereal, pasta, carbohydrates. One should have six to eleven servings of this each day. In the middle of the pyramid are fruits and vegetables. It is suggested that one have three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit each day. The top part of the pyramid is divided into two groups. These are dairy foods and meats, poultry, fish, eggs and nuts. One eats sparingly of this last group since that is the group with the most fats. The top of the pyramid has the most servings and the bottom the least number of servings per day.

The body needs some of each categories on the pyramid and all must be done in moderation. Meat, as an example, gives the body protein. Dairy products give the body calcium. Protein and carbohydrates help one to burn calories and to keep the body feeling full.

Some have questioned what the word "portion" means. Usually one thinks of the size of a "portion" to be about the size of one's fist. Keep this in mind when measuring how much of a meal to put on a plate.