A balanced diet is important in the attainment of good nutrition. A balanced diet provides the body with energy, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, which should be in right proportions to avoid excesses and inadequacies that lead to diseases. Deficiency diseases such as osteoporosis result from an extended period of time without taking the right amounts of nutrients in food (Meier & Kranzlin 2011). Good nutrition is a step towards achieving millennium development goals. Good nutrition reduces morbidity and mortality rates, and is important in the fight against poverty. In the contemporary world, lifestyle diseases have become a great cause of death, illness and disability (National Health and Medical Research Council 2013). This paper will discuss the essence of maintaining a healthy diet by demonstrating the effects of deficiencies and excesses of certain nutrients. Nutrient Deficiencies and Excesses Lisa is obese with a BMI of 39.6. The nutrients that will be of concern based on her diagnosis and weight are the macro nutrients, calcium, magnesium, fluoride, phosphorus and vitamin D. She has failed to commit to an exercise regime that could help her shed off some of her weight, yet her total calorie consumption exceeds her estimated energy requirement in relation to her age, weight and activity level. The estimated energy requirement for Lisa is 9883 kilojoules, yet upon analysis of her dietary intake, she consumes 14087.9 kilojoules. According to Savica, Belllingheri & Kopple (2010), physical activity, reduced intake of energy-dense foods and high fiber are protective factors against obesity. Obesity predisposes one to diabetes type II: insulin sensitive diabetes, hence poor regulation of sugar. Osteoporosis is a disease marked by weak and brittle bones; hence, the reason for focusing on calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus. Calcium makes bones and teeth hard and supports their structures since it is deposited here. According to Lisa’s diet, the amount of calcium consumed is adequate because she consumes 922.2 mg per day in comparison to the estimated average requirement of 840 mg/day (foodzone 2013). But, according to the recommended dietary intake, it falls below 1000mg. This means that her intake is commensurate with her needs but inadequate in relation to the RDIs. Alternatively, there may be an issue with the absorption of calcium due to low amounts of vitamin D. Vitamin D is very important for the absorption of calcium and it recently has been linked to diabetes (National Institute of Health n. d.). This could be due to the fact that vitamin D is important in the transmission of messages between the brain and the body. Therefore, low amounts of vitamin D could mean poor transmission of messages; hence, poor regulation of blood sugar. An analysis of Lisa’s diet shows that she consumes more proteins, less carbohydrates and upper limit amount of fat. Sodium is in excess and exceeds the upper limit requirement of 2300mg/day. Vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin E and linolenic polyunsaturated fatty acids are inadequate. The high blood pressure is a result of excessive consumption of sodium (National Library of Medicine 2013; Frisoli, et al. 2012). According to Zhu, Kaneshiro & Kaunitz (2010), premenopausal women are at risk of iron deficiency due to menstrual