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.

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