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easyQ. No. 16209-what-best-describes-a-balanced-diet

What best describes a balanced diet?

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This question tests a core concept of human nutrition: A balanced diet supplies energy, protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water in proportions suited to an individual’s needs. Understanding this relationship helps explain how the body obtains energy, builds tissues, maintains immunity and prevents deficiency disease. The correct answer is All essential nutrients in appropriate amounts and proportions. Students should connect the nutrient with its principal function, common dietary sources and characteristic deficiency or excess. The other options represent real nutrients or disorders but do not match the exact function or condition asked here.

AOnly low-calorie foods
BAll essential nutrients in appropriate amounts and proportions
COnly protein-rich foods
DEqual weight of every food item
Correct Answer: All essential nutrients in appropriate amounts and proportionsYour Answer: B

Explanation

Correct answer: All essential nutrients in appropriate amounts and proportions. A balanced diet supplies energy, protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water in proportions suited to an individual’s needs. Balance depends on variety, adequacy, moderation and individual factors such as age, activity, pregnancy and health. It is not defined by low calories, protein alone or equal weights of all foods, because nutrient density and requirements differ. The distractors are related to nutrition, but each describes a different nutrient, function, energy value or deficiency condition. A good solution identifies the key physiological clue and then checks every option against established nutritional science.

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FAQ

Nutrition FAQs

Common questions and clear answers for this topic.

What are the major nutrients required by the human body?

The human body requires six major nutrients: carbohydrates (energy source), proteins (growth and repair), fats (energy storage and insulation), vitamins (regulatory functions), minerals (bone and metabolic functions), and water. Each nutrient plays a specific role in maintaining health. A balanced diet includes all these nutrients in proper proportions.

What are vitamins and what is their role in the body?

Vitamins are organic compounds required in small quantities for normal body function. They are classified as fat-soluble (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble (B-complex, C). Vitamin A maintains vision, D helps calcium absorption, C builds immunity and prevents scurvy, B1 (thiamine) prevents beriberi, and B12 is essential for nerve function and blood formation.

What are deficiency diseases caused by lack of nutrients?

Nutrient deficiency diseases include: Scurvy (Vitamin C deficiency), Rickets (Vitamin D deficiency in children), Beriberi (Vitamin B1/thiamine), Night blindness (Vitamin A), Anaemia (Iron or B12 deficiency), Goitre (Iodine deficiency), Kwashiorkor and Marasmus (protein-energy malnutrition), and Pellagra (Niacin/Vitamin B3 deficiency).

What is the difference between carbohydrates, proteins and fats?

Carbohydrates provide immediate energy (4 kcal/g) and are found in rice, wheat, and fruits. Proteins are building blocks made of amino acids (4 kcal/g), essential for growth and repair, found in eggs, meat, legumes. Fats store energy (9 kcal/g), insulate organs, and aid vitamin absorption; found in oils, butter, nuts.

What is a balanced diet and why is it important?

A balanced diet contains all essential nutrients — carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water — in the right proportions. It supports growth, maintains energy, boosts immunity, and prevents deficiency diseases. ICMR recommends a daily intake that includes cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and adequate water.

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