Which one among the following combinations most appropriately represent the components of balanced diet?
- (a)Carbohydrate, vitamins, proteins, fat, minerals, fibres and water
- (b)Carbohydrate, vitamins, proteins, fat and minerals
- (c)Carbohydrate, vitamins, proteins, minerals and water
- (d)Vitamins, proteins, fat, minerals, fibres and water
Correct — A, 'Carbohydrate, vitamins, proteins, fat, minerals, fibres and water.' A balanced diet must supply all the body's nutrient needs — energy foods (carbohydrates and fats), body-building foods (proteins), protective micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), roughage (dietary fibre) for digestion, and water. Option (a) is the only choice that includes every one of these seven components, so it is the most complete and appropriate.
- (b)Carbohydrate, vitamins, proteins, fat and minerals — Incomplete — it leaves out dietary fibre (roughage) and water, both essential parts of a balanced diet.
- (c)Carbohydrate, vitamins, proteins, minerals and water — Incomplete — it omits fats (a key energy nutrient) and dietary fibre.
- (d)Vitamins, proteins, fat, minerals, fibres and water — Incomplete — it drops carbohydrates, the body's main source of energy.
A balanced diet contains the right proportions of all nutrient classes: carbohydrates and fats (energy), proteins (growth and repair), vitamins and minerals (regulation/protection), dietary fibre (roughage, for gut movement) and water (medium for all body processes). Missing any class makes a diet unbalanced.
Compare the four lists and pick the most complete one. Each of (b), (c) and (d) drops at least one essential class — fibre and water (b), fat and fibre (c), or carbohydrate (d). Only (a) names all seven, so it is the most appropriate representation of a balanced diet.
- Components of a balanced diet: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre (roughage) and water.
- Carbohydrates and fats are the main energy-giving nutrients; proteins build and repair tissues.
- Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients needed in small amounts for protection and regulation.
- Dietary fibre aids digestion and bowel movement; water is the medium for metabolic reactions and transport.
Only (a) lists all seven nutrient components of a balanced diet.
- Forgetting that water and dietary fibre are formal components of a balanced diet, not just 'extras'.
- Picking a shorter list that omits an energy nutrient (fat or carbohydrate).
Asked as 'which combination represents a balanced diet' or 'which of the following is NOT a component of a balanced diet'.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following is the chief roughage (dietary fibre) component of food that aids digestion?
- (a)Starch
- (b)Cellulose
- (c)Glucose
- (d)Protein
Answer(b) Cellulose — indigestible plant fibre that provides roughage.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which nutrient class is the body's main source of quick energy?
- (a)Proteins
- (b)Vitamins
- (c)Carbohydrates
- (d)Minerals
Answer(c) Carbohydrates — the primary energy-giving nutrient.