What is a balanced diet?

Starlight23:  One of the easy ways to tell if your diet is balanced, is to utilize the plate method.  50% of your plate should be fruits and vegetables, 25% lean protein, and 25% starches/starchy vegetables, including whole grains.  Each meal can have a little added monounsaturated fats for palatibility and health.

Also, if you are maintaining a healthy weight, you will then know if you have a balanced diet in regards to calorie need.  Hope that helps

Oh thankyou very much! : )

also I was wondering what foods have good fats?

Agreed with Mindy.  A balanced diet about 2 things:

- variety of food choices - The New American Plate is a good example (Nini's Easy Recipes: New American Plate)

- Moderation of energy (calories) - Balance the calories "in" that you eat, and the calories "out" that you spend.  If you're not moving much, eat less, but if you're highly active, your body will need more calories.

ANd I always add to balance your week:  if you splurged during the weekend, eat a little less during the week.  If you didn't move much during the week, use the weekend to do some kind of physical activity.

As for some basic pantry items, you can find a list at The Daily Crunch and more articles on healthy eating and food choices.  Eat, and Be Well.

Healthy fats are: monounsaturated healthy fats from nuts and olive oil, polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids from fish and seafood, and fats from plant soucers (fruts and vegetables).

To keep a balances diet, your portion sizes are also important!