A well-balanced diet contains adequate amounts of all the major food groups. A diet that contains too much or too little of one or more food groups is not balanced. Ideally each meal should contain fat, carbohydrate, protein and all the essential micronutrients.

Many foods are made up of more than one food group, e.g. nuts contain carbohydrates, oils and proteins. Mixing foods can give a balanced meal, e.g. maize for energy with beans for protein or milk for protein and porridge for energy.