Final answer:
A balanced diet is crucial for optimizing health, preventing disease, and ensuring that nutrient intake is adequate without overconsumption. It should include a variety of whole foods and functional foods to provide necessary nutrients and support health. Personal factors like age, gender, and activity level influence individual nutrient needs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of a balanced diet is to help individuals optimize their health, prevent disease, and avoid consuming too much of a nutrient. A balanced diet ensures that one does not consume one nutrient at the expense of another, providing appropriate amounts of all nutrients. Moreover, it includes a variety of food groups such as vegetables, legumes, fruits, grains, protein foods, and dairy, promoting moderation and calorie control, which are essential to maintaining good health and increasing reproductive capability.
Functional foods, as recognized by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, go beyond basic nutritional needs by fighting illness and aging and may reduce the risk of disease or promote optimal health. Nutrient needs vary by individual factors like age, gender, health status, and activity level, but a nutritious diet must be adequate in providing essential nutrients, fiber, and calories.
Making informed dietary and lifestyle choices can significantly reduce health risks and support individuals undergoing treatment for various conditions. Opting for whole foods over processed ones can supply the necessary vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber that are key to optimal health and preventing diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.