To meet the nutritional needs of Indonesians, the government introduced balanced nutrition guidelines. When you hear this, you might think it is just a guide on how to grow and get the right nutrients from healthy food.
It is important to note that the purpose of the balanced nutrition guidelines is not just to teach about eating patterns, but also to promote a healthy lifestyle in its entirety. For more details, let's dive right into the discussion below!
Definition of Balanced Nutrition Guidelines
Balanced nutrition guidelines are a daily food plan that includes various types of nutrients or nutritional substances as recommended by the Indonesian Ministry of Health.
What is the difference between balanced nutrition guidelines and the 4 Healthy 5 Perfect principle, also known as “4 sehat 5 sempurna” in Indonesian? Balanced nutrition guidelines are an improved version of the 4 Healthy 5 Perfect principle, which is considered outdated. In the new guidelines, nutritional value is not only based on food but also related to overall lifestyle.
The achievement of balanced nutrition intake is classified based on the body's daily needs, taking into account four main factors:
- Variety of healthy foods.
- Clean living habits.
- Physical activity.
- Maintaining an ideal body weight.
4 Main Pillars of Balanced Nutrition Guidelines
The four components mentioned above are intended to prevent various problems related to nutritional needs. For clarity, here is an explanation of the main principles of balanced nutrition guidelines that must be followed.
1. Consuming a Variety of Foods
As you know, no single food contains all the necessary nutrients. Therefore, dietary diversity is the appropriate way to obtain the various nutrients the body needs.
In the balanced nutrition guidelines, you are advised to consume a variety of foods containing macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and fat. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals.
All these nutrients can be obtained from various types of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, milk, eggs, and water.
2. Practicing Clean and Healthy Living Behaviors
Clean and healthy living behaviors are another way to achieve balanced nutrition. It is important to understand that clean living habits are one of the ways to prevent the transmission or spread of infectious diseases. Without minimizing the risk of disease, it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve adequate nutritional intake.
Therefore, you are advised to adopt clean and healthy living behaviors such as the following.
- Wash your hands properly with soap and running water.
- Wear footwear when going out of the house.
- Cover food to prevent flies from landing on it.
- Prepare and consume healthy and clean food.
- Eliminate mosquito larvae.
- Dispose of trash in the proper place.
- Use clean toilets.
3. Diligently Engage in Physical Activity
The balanced nutrition guidelines also recommend being active and engaging in physical activities such as exercise. In addition to helping control weight, a regular exercise routine can also help you sleep better, relieve stress, build muscle, and maintain the health of your body, brain, and memory.
Some types of exercises you can do at home or outdoors include pilates, cardio, jogging, cycling, swimming, and many more. These physical activities are considered sufficient if you do them for at least 15 minutes daily.
4. Monitoring and Maintaining Ideal Body Weight
The final principle of balanced nutrition guidelines is maintaining ideal body weight, where your Body Mass Index (BMI) falls within the normal range, approximately 19 to 24. BMI is one of the parameters for body fat, measured based on weight and height.
Your BMI value will indicate whether your weight is underweight, normal, overweight, or even obese. By knowing your status, you can adjust your eating patterns to meet your nutritional needs.
To calculate your BMI, divide your weight (in kilograms) by your height (in meters squared). For example, if your weight and height are 50 kg and 1.55 meters (1.55 x 1.55 = 2.4 square meters), then your Body Mass Index is 50 : 2.4 = 20.8 (normal).
10 General Tips in the Balanced Nutrition Guidelines
In addition to the four main pillars above, the balanced nutrition guidelines also include 10 general tips that you can apply in your daily life. Here are some of them.
- Get into the habit of consuming a variety of staple foods.
- Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables
- Get into the habit of consuming protein-rich side dishes.
- Limit your intake of sweet, salty, and fatty foods.
- Get into the habit of drinking safe and sufficient amounts of water.
- Get into the habit of having breakfast.
- Engage in sufficient physical activity and maintain a healthy weight.
- Wash your hands with soap and running water.
- Get into the habit of reading food labels.
- Appreciate and enjoy the diversity of foods.
These are the principles of balanced nutrition and other important things you should know. All these guidelines are fundamentally aimed at fulfilling the nutritional needs of every individual to maintain overall body health. It is not just about consuming a variety of nutritious foods, but also about balancing them with a healthy lifestyle, such as exercising and drinking enough water.
Drinking enough water or maintaining your body's water needs is just as important as other health aspects. This is because water is a nutrient that plays a crucial role in health, from regulating body temperature, dissolving certain substances, to acting as a medium for removing toxins and metabolic waste.
It is recommended to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, or about 2 liters, to prevent dehydration, which could lead to serious health issues. On the other hand, the Ministry of Health also advises you to consume safe drinking water as outlined in the balanced nutrition guidelines.
For this reason, you can choose high-quality mineral water like AQUA, with its composition and purity consistently maintained for over 48 years. AQUA is one of the leading drinking water brands in Indonesia, as it is directly sourced from its origin and passes through 400 quality tests before reaching your hands.
AQUA consistently protects water sources and surrounding ecosystems to maintain the natural mineral content and sustainability of the water source itself. Therefore, its safety and quality are undeniable.
Let’s start practicing balanced nutrition guidelines for a healthier life by drinking #AQUADULU every day!
