Welcome to Meal Plan

What is a balanced meal plan?

Eating nutritious and balanced meals is essential for a healthy life. Planning these meals can be tedious or sometimes inadequate in providing all the required nutrients. But relax. You are not alone. If you are someone who is constantly looking up healthy meal plans for yourself or your kids, AskNestlé is here to help. Here, meal plans that will make it easier for you to prepare dishes that are not just tasty, but also contain the right nutrients, have been suggested. This sample meal plan/diet chart suggests various food groups to be included in your daily meals, for you and your family.

MEAL TIME FOOD ITEM

Breakfast

Food items with cereals,pulses, dairy,egg, vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds

Tiffin/Mid morning

Fruits, nuts and seeds

Lunch

Food items with cereals(rice/wheat),pulses, dairy,chicken/fish, vegetables.

Snack/Mid evening

Fruits, nuts and seeds

Dinner

Food items with cereals(rice/wheat),pulses, dairy,chicken/fish, vegetables.

Bedtime

Dairy/fruit item

The four major food groups include: 1) Cereals, millets & pulses 2) Milk & animal foods 3) Vegetables & fruits 4) Oils, fats & nuts. The food chart showcased above, features foods from each of these groups. Let’s look at the nutrition quotient of each.

Cereals, millets & pulses

Wholegrains and grains like rice, wheat, jowar, bajra, ragi, oats, pasta, noodles, and bread are some of the foods that fall under this category and must always be included in a balanced diet chart. In addition to these, pulses like lentils, soyabean, kidney beans etc should be regularly included in meals.

Milk & animal foods

Dairy is well known for its excellent nutrient profile, which helps in general growth, body building and protective properties. Milk, cheese, paneer, curd, ghee, chicken, fish and eggs belong to this category. These food products are rich in calcium and protein.

Vegetables & fruits

Rich in vitamins, fibre, antioxidants and water, fruits and vegetables boost your energy levels. They are also known to protect kids from harmful diseases in the future.

Oils, fats & nuts

Vegetable oils, butter, ghee, almonds, walnuts, cashews come under this category. These are integral for supply of energy, essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins to the body. Nuts are a good source of protein.

Importance of Following Balanced Meal Plan

  • Variety in food is not only the spice of life but also the essence of nutrition and health.
  • A diet consisting of foods from several food groups provides all the required nutrients in proper amounts.
  • Cereals, millets and pulses are major sources of most nutrients.
  • Milk and other dairy products which provides good quality proteins and calcium must be an essential item of the diet, particularly for infants, children and women.
  • Oils and nuts are calorie-rich foods and are useful for increasing the energy density and quality of food.
  • Inclusion of eggs, flesh foods and fish enhances the quality of diet. However, vegetarians can derive almost all the nutrients from diets consisting of cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits and milk-based diets.
  • Vegetables and fruits provide protective substances such as vitamins/ minerals/ phytonutrients.

Reference: Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2011

Let's get started with today’s meal plan

Fill in your food preferences and age to generate a meal plan that caters to your nutritional needs. This meal plan has been designed in consultation with Nestlé Nutrition Experts to meet your Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) refers to the amount of nutrients that is recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences for all healthy diets. It refers to the ideal quantity of macro and micro that needs to be consumed daily for a healthy and balanced diet/life. RDA is dependent on various factors like age, gender, physiological state, body weight, etc.
Nutrients are compounds in foods that provide our body energy, the building blocks for repair and growth and substances necessary to regulate chemical processes. There are 8 essential nutrients that our body needs to function properly. These are Carbohydrates, Proteins, Calcuim, Iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C and Fat.
Click on RDA above to know more

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2-50 Years
AskNestlé supports nutritional insights for various age groups (2-50 years) basis ICMR, NIN nutrition guidelines. For any specific health guidance, kindly reach out to a medical expert. Using this feature, daily customized meal plans are suggested. These healthy diet plans can help take care of a person’s daily nutrition as per their age and food preferences.

Disclaimer: With this, you can get daily customized meal plans for your family. These healthy diet plans can easily take care of your family’s nutrition, as per their age and food preferences.

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