A nutritionally balanced meal is important for maintaining good health and well-being. The balanced meal provides essential nutrients, and energy for daily activity, regulates blood sugar levels, improves digestion, improves heart health, bone health, cognitive health, immune system, and healthy ageing.
A balanced diet should contain vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and dietary fats.
A balanced diet helps in weight loss by regulating calorie intake, promoting sustainable weight loss, and maintaining energy levels. It also helps in improving chronic conditions.
This blog gives you an idea of how to build a healthy plate and a choice of macronutrients and their health benefits.
What are macronutrients?
The major macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein, and fats. They provide the major energy source for the body. It is important for growth, development, and other bodily processes.
1g of carbohydrate and 1g of protein provide 4 kcals and 1g of fat provides 9 kcals of energy.
Recommended dietary allowance
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the amount of intake of essential nutrients to meet the adequate requirement for healthy human beings.
| RDA | Protein | Carbohydrate | Fat (visible) |
| Male | 54g/day | 45-65% | 25g – 30g/day |
| Female | 55g/day | 45-65% | 20g – 30g/day |
My plate
To satisfy particular nutrient requirements criteria, my plate for the day offers a variety of food groups as well as variations within food groups. Almost half of the plate should be made up of vegetables, fruits, green leafy vegetables, tubers, and roots each day. This suggests eating macro and micronutrients from at least ten different dietary groups. Cereals and millet make up the other large portion, followed by oils, nuts, and pulses.
You can read my blog on how to empower your plate.
How to build your plate?
1. Protein
“It should be 1/4th of your plate”
Protein is a vital human macronutrient as it plays various roles in muscle maintenance, muscle growth, cellular structure, metabolic processes, immune system support, and tissue and organ maintenance.
Proteins also form enzymes, hormones, and antibodies, facilitating metabolic reactions and converting food into energy. They also protect the body against infections and boost the immune system.
Protein-rich foods promote fullness and aid in weight management.
Food sources
| Food Item | Protein | Food Item | Protein |
| Wheat flour, refined | 10.5 | Goat, shoulder | 20.3 |
| Wheat flour, atta | 10.5 | Goat, chops | 20.3 |
| Wheat, whole | 10.8 | Goat, legs | 22.0 |
| Bengal gram | 21.5 | Goat, brain | 13.8 |
| Bengal gram, Whole | 18.7 | Goat, heart | 19.3 |
| Black gram, dal | 23.0 | Goat, liver | 20.3 |
| Black gram, whole | 21.9 | Goat, spleen | 18.4 |
| Cowpea, brown | 20.3 | Pork, chops | 19.4 |
| Cowpea, white | 21.5 | Pork, ham | 18.8 |
| Field bean, black | 19.9 | Pork, heart | 16.3 |
| Field bean, brown | 19.9 | Pork, liver | 19.8 |
| Field bean, white | 19.8 | Vanjaram | 22.2 |
| Green gram, dal | 23.8 | Pomfret | 19.0 |
| Green gram, whole | 22.5 | Salmon | 20.9 |
| Horse gram, whole | 21.7 | Bombay duck | 13.5 |
| Lentil dal | 24.3 | Catfish | 22.18 |
| Lentil whole, brown | 22.4 | Hilsa | 21.8 |
| Lentil whole, yellow | 22.8 | Mackerel | 21.5 |
| Moth bean | 19.7 | Paarai | 21.5 |
| Peas, dry | 20.4 | Red snapper | 22.79 |
| Rajmah, black | 19.0 | sardine | 17.9 |
| Rajmah, brown | 19.5 | Silver carp | 21.7 |
| Rajmah, red | 19.9 | Tuna | 24.5 |
| Red gram, dal | 21.7 | Shark | 21.6 |
| Red gram, whole | 20.4 | Carb | 10.2 |
| Ricebean | 19.9 | Lobster | 15.9 |
| Soybean, brown | 35.5 | Lobster, king | 18.54 |
| Soybean, white | 37.8 | Mud crab | 10.0 |
| Paneer | 18.8 | Oyster | 9.5 |
| Milk, whole, cow | 3.2 | Tiger prawns, brown | 14.8 |
| Khoa | 16.3 | Tiger prawns, Orange | 14.2 |
| Egg, poultry, whole, boiled | 13.4 | Squid, black | 16.1 |
| Egg. poultry, white, boiled | 12.3 | Squid, white, small | 17.4 |
| Egg, poultry, yolk, boiled | 16.1 | Octopus | 14.7 |
| Quail, whole, boiled | 13.0 | Freshwater Eel | 20.4 |
| Chicken, leg, skinless | 19.4 | Rohu | 19.7 |
| Chicken, thigh, skinless | 18.1 | Crab | 13.2 |
| Chicken, breast, skinless | 21.8 | Prawns, Big | 19.2 |
| Chicken, wing, skinless | 17.4 | Tiger prawns | 14.2 |
2. Carbohydrates
“1/4 of your plate”
Carbohydrates provide energy for the body’s metabolic functions. It is present in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. In the body, carbohydrates are converted into glucose and used as energy. Carbohydrates help in maintaining glycogen stores, support endurance, prevent premature fatigue, and regulate metabolism by controlling blood sugar.
It is high in dietary fibre, promotes digestive health, and supports the gut microbiome. High health is often associated with low complex carbohydrates. Long-term complications include obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases.
It is important to consume a variety of carbohydrates to achieve overall nutrition and manage weight.
Food sources
| Food Item | Carbohydrate | Food Item | Carbohydrate |
| Bajra | 61.7 | Field bean, black | 43.4 |
| Barley | 61.7 | Black gram, dal | 51.0 |
| Jowar | 67.6 | Black gram, whole | 43.9 |
| Maize, dry | 64.7 | Cowpea, brown | 54.6 |
| Maize, tender, sweet | 16.4 | Cowpea, white | 53.7 |
| Quinoa | 53.6 | Field bean, brown | 45.2 |
| Ragi | 66.8 | Field bean, white | 44.5 |
| Rice flakes | 76.7 | Green gram, dal | 52.5 |
| Rice puffed | 77.6 | Green gram, whole | 46.1 |
| Rice, raw, brown | 74.8 | Horse gram, whole | 57.2 |
| Rice, parboiled, milled | 77.1 | Lentil dal | 52.5 |
| Rice, raw, milled | 78.2 | Lentil whole, brown | 48.4 |
| Samai | 65.5 | Lentil whole, yellow | 47.9 |
| Varagu | 66.1 | Moth bean | 52.0 |
| Wheat flour, refined | 74.2 | Peas, dry | 48.9 |
| Wheat flour, atta | 64.1 | Rajmah, black | 49.5 |
| Wheat, whole | 64.7 | Rajmah, brown | 48.8 |
| Wheat, bulgur | 69.0 | Rajmah, red | 48.6 |
| Wheat, semolina | 68.4 | Red gram, dal | 55.2 |
| Wheat, vermicelli | 70.3 | Red gram, whole | 42.4 |
| Wheat, vermicelli, roasted | 71.4 | Ricebean | 51.2 |
| Bengal gram | 46.7 | Soybean, brown | 12.7 |
| Bengal gram, Whole | 39.5 | Soybean, white | 10.1 |
3. Dietary fats
“Moderation”
A vital macronutrient that provides energy, supports bodily functions and aids in absorption of fat-soluble vitamins is dietary fat. Two types of unsaturated fats: monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA), have potential health benefits.
They improve brain health, essential for cognitive function and memory. MUFAs and PUFAs have potential health benefits, improving cardiovascular health by reducing LDL cholesterol (bad fat), and increasing HDL cholesterol (good fat).
It also helps to regulate inflammation, stabilises blood sugar levels, regulates weight, and improves skin health. It is important to choose foods that are rich in MUFA and PUFA to maximise health benefits.
Food sources
| Food Item | Fat |
| Almond | 58.4 |
| Cashew nut | 45.2 |
| Coconut, kernel, dry | 63.2 |
| Coconut, kernel, fresh | 41.3 |
| Gingelly seeds, black | 43.1 |
| Gingelly seeds, brown | 43.2 |
| Gingelly seeds, white | 43.0 |
| Ground nut | 39.6 |
| Mustard seeds | 40.1 |
| Pine seeds | 48.7 |
| Pistachio nuts | 42.4 |
| Safflower seeds | 30.8 |
| Sunflower seeds | 51.8 |
| Walnut | 64.2 |
| Paneer | 14.7 |
| Khoa | 20.6 |
To conclude, it is important to understand the macronutrients to build a healthy plate. The “my plate” concept highlights the diverse selection of nutrient-rich foods that include vegetables, whole grains, fruit, protein, and dairy.
Having a balanced plate promotes muscle maintenance, metabolic processes, immune system support, and weight management. Having dietary fats in moderation by focusing on the unsaturated fats, provides energy, supports organ function, and improves heart health. It is always best to consult a dietitian to learn more about how to build a healthy plate and what is the correct way to approach a healthy lifestyle
Kripa N,
Senior Clinical Dietitian, Simplyweight
