Perfect diet, balanced diet

If we treat you today, we will help you today; if instead we educate you, we will help you throughout your life

Damage of a Bad Diet

Eating disorders have taken on global dimensions; in fact, if in the most industrialized nations people continue to suffer from too many excesses, a wide range of people accuses important nutritional deficiencies. In general, therefore, we can say that humanity is completely sick from a food standpoint.

Unfortunately, problems related to an inadequate diet never appear in the short term with a sort of cause-effect mechanism (except for problems such as allergies, food intolerances and poisoning). On the contrary, when these diseases make their debut - generally after several years - it is already too late, because we can no longer recover an optimal state of health but, at the limit, maintain it and avoid further worsening the situation (thanks to appropriate drugs, associated with a correct lifestyle and a healthy diet).

Characteristics of a Correct Diet

A diet can be defined as correct if it is satisfactory from a quantitative point of view, ie if it guarantees the supply of energy and of each individual nutrient in the right quantities.

The diet, however, must also be qualitatively balanced; it is not enough, in fact, to guarantee the right amounts of nutrients, because, even though it is correct from a quantitative point of view, a diet of this type could still be inadequate.

Let's see a simple example to better understand these concepts: the recommended ration of carbohydrates or carbohydrates is established for the Italian population between 55 and 65% of the total daily calories; some individuals may find themselves in a position to satisfy their own needs by respecting exactly this percentage, but still following an incorrect diet. This is the case, for example, of those who do not respect the right proportion between simple carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc.) and complex carbohydrates, reducing the latter in favor of the former. A diet that is perpetually unbalanced in this sense (so rich in sugary drinks, sweets, etc.) can create, in the long run, a pathological condition called diabetes. Therefore, if on the one hand we have to guarantee that 55-65% of the total calories have a carbohydrate origin, on the other we will ensure that no more than 10-12% derive from simple carbohydrates. Type 2 diabetes, whose onset is strongly conditioned - in addition to genetic factors - by motor inactivity, obesity and the aforementioned eating disorders, is an example of an effectively controllable disease that cannot be cured.

A "perfect" diet must also be: appropriately distributed, balanced, varied and optimal.

Properly distributed diet

In a diet, the amount of various nutrients is not the only important parameter; if for example we satisfy the caloric needs in a single daily meal, the enormous quantity of food taken all at once dilates the stomach walls, gradually increases the gastric capacity and with it the sensation of appetite; it also predisposes to overweight and overloads the digestive system. A correct caloric distribution foresees that the daily food ration is distributed in five main meals, of which three are more importantly (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Breakfast should provide about 20% of total calories, lunch and dinner 35% each, while the remaining 10% should be covered by the afternoon and morning snacks.

Balanced diet

It is not important to establish only the quantity of calories we need, but we need to distribute them in a balanced way among the various nutrients; in this regard, the guidelines for the Italian population recommend taking 10-12% of calories in the form of proteins, 25-30% in the form of fats and 55-65% in the form of carbohydrates. Proteins, then, must also be correctly distributed according to the source: 1/3 of them should have a vegetable origin, while 2/3 an animal origin.

Fatty acids must be broken down into 55% monounsaturated, 20% polyunsaturated (at least 12 grams per day) and 25% saturated. As for the recommended ration of essential fatty acids, we recommend a minimum intake of 2% of total daily calories for ω6 (linoleic acid) and 0.5-1% of total daily calories for ω3 (alpha-linolenic acid ).

Cholesterol intake must be less than 300 mg / day, while trans fatty acids must not exceed 5 grams per day (other authors impose lower limits, in the order of two grams / day).

Perfect diet: second part »