A diet which provides all the nutrients needed in the correct proportions.
Suitable quantities and combination of various foods which together provide all the nutrients required daily and in quantities needed for healthy growth of a specified age group.
Diet containing adequate amounts of all essential nutrients (vitamins and minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohdyrates) needed for growth and the maintenance of normal health and energy levels.
A diet that consists of adequate amounts of the seven essential substances; proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and water in appropriate proportions. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats contain calories and provide energy. A balanced daily diet for healthy individuals should derive 50 to 60 percent of calories from carbohydrates, no more than 30 percent (and preferably less) from fat, and 10 to 20 percent from protein. While fiber, vitamins, and minerals contain no calories, they are essential to good health. Two quarts (8 cups) of water should be drunk daily and can be in the form of beverages, soups, or other liquid foods. Beverages containing caffeine and alcohol promote water losses and should not count as sources of water.
A diet adequate in energy-providing substances (carbohydrates and fats), tissue-building compounds (proteins), inorganic chemicals (water and mineral salts), agents that regulate or catalyze metabolic processes (vitamins), and substances for certain physiological processes, such as bulk for promoting peristaltic movements of the digestive tract.