Contents
Key Stage 1
Meaning
Having a balanced diet means eating the right amounts of different food.
About a Balanced Diet
- We need a balanced diet to stay healthy. Food allows us to move, grow, repair injuries and stay alive. If we do not eat certain foods this might make us tired trying to move, might stop us growing, might make injuries very slow to heal or make us so ill we could die.
- In a balanced diet we need to make sure we get enough:
Protein
Meat provides lots of protein for a balanced diet. | You can help keep your diet balanced by eating lots of different beans. |
Nuts are the seeds of trees and are part of a balanced diet. | There are many different kinds of peas that can help make sure you have a balanced diet. |
Vitamins
Fruit are very sweet and 2 - 5 portions of them everyday help make a balanced diet. | You should eat 3 to 5 portions of vegetables everyday to get the vitamins you need in a balanced diet. | Breakfast cereal has added vitamins in them to help make a balanced diet because some people are too fussy to eat enough vegetables. |
Energy
Bread makes part of a balanced diet because it has a lot of stored energy we can use. | A balanced diet might contain pasta for energy. |
Potatoes are an excellent source of energy in a balanced diet. | Rice is a very important part of many people's balanced diet. |
Key Stage 2
Meaning
Having a balanced diet means eating different foods to make sure an animal gets enough protein, vitamins and energy.
About Balanced Diets
- Different animals need different diets, but they all need the right balance of different nutrients.
- If a diet is not balanced it can cause an animal to become ill, or not to grow properly.
- 100 years ago humans were shorter because most people didn't have a balanced diet.