balanced diet

Diet that can be followed for a long period of time and that will keep the body healthy. In simple terms a balanced diet includes carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, water, minerals, and dietary fibre (roughage) in appropriate quantities. What is appropriate varies according to a person's age, sex, and level of activity. Although there can be considerable variations between the diets of different people, they can still appear to result in good health. More research is needed to find out precisely what level of each nutrient is appropriate.

Recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for essential vitamins and minerals were first drawn up in the USA during World War II to ensure that rations given to US soldiers would prevent severe nutritional deficiencies. Many food and drink products now list the proportion of RDAs present in their constituent nutrients. However, although building a balanced diet around recognized RDAs would prevent severe nutritional deficiency, such a diet would not necessarily guarantee perfect health, as RDAs do not reflect a person's individual and changing needs.