What We Need in Our Diet The primary consideration in achieving a balanced diet is now how much or how little we eat, but what we eat. Basically we need carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals, together with regular but not excessive exercise. Carbohydrates are found in foods such as bread, potatoes and sugar. They are excellent energy products, but if eaten to excess may be largely converted to fat and a reduction in the amount of carbohydrates or "starchy: foods is one of the obvious ways to reduce weight, since most of us eat too much of them anyway. Protein, found in meat and cheese, is used for tissue building and in the developed countries most people eat about 110g daily, which is a good deal more than the recommended minimum of 70g a day. Animal fats, e. g. butter are also good sources of energy, but are sometimes held to caus increased cholesterol levels in the blood (which may lead to fatty deposits in the arteries) and are therefore best avoided by people suffering from certain forms of heart disease, vegetable fats being recommended as a substitue. Vitamins are another essential requirement for health. There are about forty known vitamins, but the most generally referred to are A, B, C, D and E, Deficiency of Vitamin A, found in carrots, rose - hips, etc. , is alleged (据称) to affect the vision and the skin and reduce resistance to infection. Vitamin C, present in nearly all fruit, particularly oranges and other citrus fruit, has come to be regarded as particularly effective in the prevention of cold and low energy states. Among the minerals we need, the most important are calcium, iron and iodinc (碘). Milk is one of the richest sources of calcium, which helps to build our bones and our teeth. Lack of iron in the blood produces anaemia anay children and others suffering from anaemic conditions are generally advised to increase their intake of iron, which: may be found in liver, lentils, molasses and dates among other foods.