We explain what foods are and the types of foods that exist according to their origin. Also, what are the nutrients in food.
What is food?
A food is any substance (solid or liquid) that is ingested by living things to replace what has been lost due to the activity of the body, to be the source and motor of production of the different substances that are needed for the formation of some tissues, promoting growth and transforming the energy attached in food into work, locomotion and heat.
We also consume food to satisfy a psychological demand. As we feed ourselves, we will feel a sense of satisfaction and gratification. It is usual that if a person does not consume any food in a certain period of time, they are angry and in a bad mood.
Vegetarian food
Plant-based foods include vegetables, fruits, and grains. Much of the food we humans eat is seeds. These seeds generally include legumes (lentils, peas, and beans), cereals (wheat, rice, corn, oats), and nuts.
Fruits are very important to maintain a healthy diet, doctors recommend eating three to four fruits daily. They have a striking appearance for animals, such that when they eat them, they spread their seeds in the form of feces along long paths.
Vegetables include leaves, trunks, and plant roots, being a important source of minerals and vitamins that cereals cannot provide us, especially vitamin C and vitamin A.
Foods of animal origin
Foods of animal origin include all species of livestock (sheep, pig, goat, bovine), all poultry (turkey, chicken, goose, among others), shellfish and different species of fish. Products derived from animals include: milk, cheese, butter, eggs, honey, sausages.
Foods of mineral origin
Sodium chloride (NaCl) is the most important mineral that can be extracted from food. More commonly called table salt, sodium chloride is what gives food flavor, used excessively by some people can lead to diseases, such as high blood pressure and obesity.
Mineral salts maintain the balance of metabolism together with sugars, preventing dehydration of the body and helping to retain water.
Nutrients in food
The absence or decrease of nutrients in the body after a certain time has elapsed, causes diseases linked to their loss. Some of the essential nutrients that we must consume in our daily diet are: vitamin A, iron, calcium, carbohydrates, fats, and certain amino acids.
There are two types of nutrients, simple or micronutrients (the body needs them in small doses) and macronutrients (they are required in large quantities).
Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals are the five groups in which the essential nutrients of any diet are classified. In total, these groups comprise between 45 and 50 substances which are considered essential for proper growth and maintenance of health.
The type of food most abundant in the world are carbohydrates, being the fats the easiest to accumulate. If our body depletes its reserves of fats and hydrates, it will directly use the proteins from the diet or the glycogen stored in the muscles, breaking it down to form its own fuel.