A balanced diet, or eating balanced meals, is the key to a healthy life. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer.

Although a balanced diet is important, there are other factors which contribute to a healthy life. People in some cultures do not eat a balanced diet, but use limited food sources. In addition, lack of stress could well be as important as diet.

One culture-related reason concerns environmental or climatic conditions. The Inuit, in the Arctic Circle, live in harsh surroundings and their major source of food for many months of the year is fish. Nutritionists in industrialized countries would not consider their diet balanced or even healthy, yet Inuit people have flourished in food from the sea for centuries. Another cultural reason is religion-based. Many Hindus are vegetarians¹ because of their religion. Again, many dieticians claim that vegetarianism² is unbalanced because humans need protein, especially from animals. Hindus, however, seem to be quite healthy, suffering no ill effects from the lack of animal protein.

The major reason for disagreeing with the balanced diet argument, however, is to do with stress. Even though people in the past did not always have a balanced diet, something existing only on potatoes and bread, they lived healthy lives because there afflicts³ urban residents today. Secondly⁴, there is a large percentage of contemporary people who do their jobs, then relax in front of the TV, and quite often eat junk food. But seem healthy enough. They may be spared disease by their relatively⁵ stress-free lives.

In conclusion, although it is undeniable that a balanced diet is of some importance to health, there are no doubt more factors that may get involved in affecting people’s health. For example, in terms of living environment, climate and stress in them.