We are all individual in our needs and metabolism, therefore, nothing is 'right' for everyone. Having said that, there are some generalisations that will give you a place to start on your road to health, fitness and a balanced, healthy diet. Most people cringe when they hear the word diet as they associate it with a lesser amount of food or a reduction in calories. Yes, it can be defined this way but the word diet really refers to what a person eats and drinks every day. Hence, a healthy diet does not mean eating less and going hungry, it means eating the right balance of foods that will provide the body with the energy it needs to sustain itself.
Calories are a bit more difficult to explain.
In very basic terms, a calorie is a unit of energy and your body uses calories to fuel your daily activities. Every Food contains these energy sources, nutrients, which the body uses to feed your cells. Simply put, all of these nutrients are digested by our bodies and eventually turned into glucose which the body will either use immediately, store as glucose in the liver and muscles or store as fat throughout the body. This is, of course, a simplified generalisation but will help put the rest of this article into perspective. While all foods contain carbohydrates, fats and proteins, it's important to note that not all foods contain the same amount of these nutrients.