Balanced diet chart: what a balanced diet means in Pakistani food
A balanced diet gives you every nutrient from a mix of foods: half the plate sabzi and salad, a quarter protein (daal, chicken, fish, egg), a quarter chapati or rice, plus fruit, dahi or milk and a little oil. WHO advises at least 400 g of vegetables and fruit, under 5 g salt and little sugar each day.
The balanced plate
For lunch and dinner, picture your plate in three parts:
- Half: sabzi and salad (palak, bhindi, lauki, tori, gobhi, cucumber, tomato).
- A quarter: protein (daal, chana, lobia, chicken, fish, egg, paneer).
- A quarter: chakki-atta chapati, daliya or rice.
Add a katori of dahi or a glass of milk, a fruit between meals, and a measured spoon of oil or ghee for cooking. This one picture covers most of what a balanced diet needs.
Balanced diet chart: daily amounts for a healthy adult
Approximate amounts for a healthy adult at moderate activity (around 2,000 kcal). Smaller people and those losing weight need less; bigger or very active people need more.
| Food group | A day | Desi examples |
|---|---|---|
| Grains (mostly whole) | 3 to 6 chapatis, or an equal mix with rice or daliya | Chakki-atta chapati, daliya, brown rice, oats |
| Vegetables and salad | 3 to 4 katori cooked sabzi plus a plate of salad | Palak, bhindi, lauki, tori, gobhi, carrot, cucumber, tomato |
| Fruit | 2 to 3 whole fruits | Amrood, seb, kinnow, kela, papaya, seasonal fruit |
| Protein foods | 2 to 3 servings: 1 katori daal or chana, a palm-sized piece of chicken or fish, or 1 to 2 eggs | Daal, chana, lobia, rajma, eggs, chicken, fish, mutton in moderation |
| Milk and dahi | 2 servings (a glass of milk or a katori of dahi) | Milk, dahi, lassi without sugar, paneer |
| Oil, ghee and nuts | About 4 to 5 teaspoons of cooking oil or ghee in all, and a small handful of nuts | Measured oil, almonds, walnuts, peanuts |
| Water | About 2 litres of fluids | Water, plain lassi, unsweetened tea |
| Salt and sugar | Salt under 5 g (1 teaspoon); free sugars under 10% of energy, ideally under 5% | Limit achar, chips, cold drinks, mithai |
Sample one-day balanced diet
| Meal | What to eat |
|---|---|
| Nashta | 1 or 2 chapatis (or 1 katori daliya) with 1 egg or 1 katori chana, chai with little sugar, 1 fruit |
| Mid-morning | 1 katori dahi or a handful of nuts |
| Lunch | 1 or 2 chapatis, 1 katori daal, 1 katori sabzi, a plate of salad, raita |
| Evening | 1 fruit or roasted chanay, chai with little sugar |
| Dinner | 1 or 2 chapatis, a palm-sized piece of chicken or fish (or daal), 1 katori sabzi, salad |
This is a general example, not a prescription. For a chart built around your weight, reports and medicines, talk to a dietitian online.
6 common mistakes in a Pakistani balanced diet
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Roti and chai as a full meal | Add an egg, daal, dahi or chana, and a plate of sabzi |
| Too much rice and too little sabzi | Half the plate sabzi and salad, a quarter rice or roti |
| Very little protein at breakfast | Add 1 egg, daal, dahi or chana to nashta |
| Cold drinks, juice and sweet chai every day | Water, plain lassi, chai with less sugar |
| Cooking with a lot of oil and ghee | Measure oil with a spoon; steam, grill or bake sometimes |
| No fruit in the day | Two whole fruits as snacks |
Which diet plan do you need?
A balanced diet is the base. If you have a goal or condition, use the plan made for it: weight loss, weight gain, diabetes, PCOS, high blood pressure or the Mediterranean diet.
See a doctor first if
- You have diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease or high blood pressure (you need a plan for your condition)
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding
- You are losing or gaining weight without trying
- You are planning a diet for a child, teenager or older adult with health problems
Common questions
What is a balanced diet?
A balanced diet gives your body the right amount of energy and all the nutrients it needs from different food groups: grains, vegetables, fruit, protein foods, milk or dahi, and a small amount of healthy fat. In a Pakistani meal it looks like half a plate of sabzi and salad, a quarter protein (daal, chicken, fish, egg) and a quarter chapati or rice.
What is a balanced diet chart?
It is a daily food plan that shows how much of each food group an adult needs. The tables on this page give a simple balanced diet chart with desi examples. Your own chart changes with your age, weight, activity, health and medicines.
How many rotis in a balanced diet?
Most adults do well with 3 to 6 chapatis a day, depending on size, activity and weight, spread across meals along with rice or daliya if you eat them. Bigger people, manual workers and athletes need more; people trying to lose weight need fewer.
What is a balanced diet for a student or child?
Children need the same food groups with milk or dahi, eggs or daal for protein, fruit and plenty of sabzi, but in portions for their age. Children are not small adults; for a growing child ask a paediatrician or a children's dietitian. See the kids nutrition service.
Is a balanced diet the same as a healthy diet?
The terms are used together. A healthy diet follows WHO advice: at least 400 g of vegetables and fruit a day, less than 5 g salt, little sugar and saturated fat, and no trans fat. A balanced diet is how you arrange those foods across your plate and day.
Do I need supplements if I eat a balanced diet?
Most healthy adults do not. Exceptions are people with a deficiency found on a blood test (such as vitamin D, B12 or iron), pregnancy, and some restricted diets. Take supplements only on a doctor's advice after tests.
What is the balanced diet in Urdu?
متوازن غذا وہ ہے جس میں تمام غذائی گروپ (اناج، سبزی، پھل، دال/گوشت، دودھ/دہی اور تھوڑا تیل) مناسب مقدار میں شامل ہوں۔ آدھی پلیٹ سبزی اور سلاد، ایک چوتھائی پروٹین اور ایک چوتھائی روٹی یا چاول۔
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