A Healthy and Balanced Diet - Essay Example

I resumed my afternoon routine but still felt some hunger as the day wore on. At supper time, I had two plates of spaghetti with minced meat and called it a day. On the second day, careful not to get entangled in the previous day’s mayhem again, I awoke in good time – enough to get myself cleaned up and prepare breakfast. I ate a cup of coffee with a plate of leftover spaghetti from the previous night. During the day, I felt fewer hunger pangs between meals than I had experienced on the last day, and instead of four chocolate bars, I consumed only two before lunch hour. I had a quick dinner at lunch – 2 beef burger pieces and a bottle of soda. I ate another burger at 4 pm on my way home, and later on, at night, I had a plateful of roasted meat with some beer as we enjoyed a get-together evening with a couple of friends.

And yesterday, I took 2 cups of plain coffee and rushed off to get the day going. I had a minimal appetite for food on this particular day, so I had no snacks between the meals (which I also laboured through). At lunchtime, I ate a plate of meat stew with rice and a glass of water. In the evening, I again had meat for supper, but this time with spaghetti (a plateful).

From my analysis of my feeding habits over the last three days and other days in general, I can conclude that I primarily consume carbohydrates/ sugars (chocolate, flavoured drinks, sausages, fries, beer, rice, and spaghetti), fats (fries, sausages, chocolates, beer and meat) and proteins (beef burgers, meat). This is a very alarming and dangerous eating habit as it lacks many foods from other vital groups (such as vitamins). Healthy eating is an essential component of health and well-being. What one eats, how often and how much is necessary for a healthy and balanced diet.

There are numerous changes and additions that I can make to improve my eating habits, as the overall quality of my diet is deficient and unhealthy. I eat a lot of calories yet partake in very little physical activity that can ensure a healthy balance between the energy I consume and my use. Instead of revelling in snacks, beer and chocolates, I ought to ensure up to a third of the food I eat are starchy foods such as potatoes (with skins on if possible), cereals, pasta, rice and bread, which can also be consumed during breakfast to make me feel full longer and avoid feeding in between meals. Each meal should have at least one starchy food (Goulding, 2005). In addition, I ought to introduce at least five portions of different types of vegetables and fruits each day. I could include a banana in my breakfasts daily, for example, or swap my usual mid-morning snacks for some dried fruit instead (Spaniol, 2012).

I should also introduce more fish to my diet (at least two portions a week). Fish is a good protein source and contains many vitamins and minerals. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines and pilchards are rich in the essential omega-3 fats. I also see the need to cut down on saturated fat and sugar (for example, chocolates, fries, sausages, pies, cream, cakes, and biscuits), increasing heart disease chances. Instead of such saturated fats, I can introduce vegetable oils or reduced-fat spread instead of butter, lard and ghee. Along the same vein, I also ought to cut down on sugary fizzy drinks such as soda and alcoholic beverages while replacing them with fruit juices, milk and more water (about 1.2 litres of fluid daily) to avoid dehydration and also reduce the amount of salt I add to my foods. There is a need to advance towards fresh foods rather than cooked foods (Spaniol, 2012). Skimping breakfasts should also be a thing of the past in my proposed new regime. A healthy breakfast is an integral part of a balanced diet, provides some of the vitamins and minerals needed and avoids the tendency to crave food between meals (Goulding, 2005).