All living organisms need energy. We human eat two or three times a day. The food we eat is used to obtain energy in the body. So, we can say that food is the fuel required by the body to function properly and for the living organisms to survive. Human beings perform all the day-to-day activities like office work, daily exercise or yoga training etc. by using the energy obtained from the food that they eat. But our body also require energy when we do not perform any physical activities. This is because the energy is required by the body for biological processes which continuously occur in our body like breathing, heart beat and digestion.
To produce energy food is a basic requirement for everyone. There are a variety of food items available for us to eat. The simplest form of food is Glucose. Our body observes glucose quickly and provides instant energy. But this glucose is not a complete form of food. Food has many more components which when eaten together provide us with the required energy. Now a days, most people consume starchy food, oily food items like junk food, sugary food etc. The food provides us energy but not as quickly as glucose does. These food items contain starch which is a complex form of glucose itself. Starch is converted into glucose and is observed at a slower rate. These are called carbohydrates. There are also some proteins, vitamins, minerals, calories and fibers present in human diet which are called as nutrients.
If these component present in right quantity in our diet we call that diet to be a Healthy and well-balanced diet. The process of consuming all these nutrients and using them for growth, maintenance and repair of our body is called Nutrition. If these nutrients are present in an imbalance form in an individual diet that is if they are present in sufficient quantities, we say the person is suffering from under-nutrition or sometimes referred as Malnutrition. Malnutrition is the deficiency of nutrients present in the food consumed by a person. Deficiency occurs if an individual fail to meet the daily requirement of any of the particular nutrients. Therefore, it is very important for all the nutrients to be present in a balanced quantity in our diet for healthy and happy life.
Now a days, there are many processed food items are present in the market, where people think they are the complete source of nutrition, but these processed food items like frozen vegetables, canned food contain harmful substances that are unhealthy and possess a health hazard. So, it is necessary to avoid these types of food items. Therefore, we can say that a balance diet is a one in which all the components of nutrients like proteins, minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates and fiber are present which provides adequate energy to our body and maintain our overall health. A healthy diet like fruits, vegetables, less salty and low carbohydrate and low-fat food items. Apart from regular yoga training and physical exercise, in order to become immune from all the infections and health related problems, one should have healthy and a well-balanced diet.
