A Simple Guide to Food Types and Nutrients

For ages people have been aware of the fact that healthy food is food that provides complete nutrition and increases the body’s immunity system. What about food? How important is it? Do you know what your body needs in order to maintain good health? Well, the answer is both “yes” and “no”. The importance of food depends on the diet and lifestyle that you have.

Basically food is any substance eaten to provide nutrition to an organism. Generally food is of animal, plant or fungi origin, and consists of necessary nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals or some combination thereof. The human diet is diverse and complex, and food can be categorized into several broad categories. These categories are carbohydrate, protein, vegetable, legumes (that is, beans), fruits, nuts and vegetables.

Carbohydrate is a simple substance that provides energy. This type of food is available in food sources such as cereals, breads and pasta, and in the form of fruit, starch, sugar and oil. Typically this is unprocessed food, and the carbohydrates found in fruits and vegetables provide a large quantity of energy for the average person. A well-balanced diet should contain at least some carbohydrates. A healthy amount of carbohydrates is found in the variety of grain products that you will eat, for example rice and pasta, and in whole-grain breads, pastas and snacks.

Protein is the primary component of most diets, especially those aimed at weight loss or maintenance. The body uses protein for energy production and most of the food that you consume is protein. Fish, meat and poultry, for example, are considered to be high sources of protein, because fish and meat are rich in protein sources. Beans are another good source of protein; however, they are not a complete source of protein, as they lack essential fatty acids.

Fats and oils are used as additives and sometimes as components of food, because these can add flavour and nutritional value to your meals. Unrefined fats and oils are found in foods such as nuts, seeds, olives and avocados, while hydrogenated oils are used as preservatives and as additives. Unrefined vegetable oils, for example, contain high quality fats and nutrients that are necessary for the human body to function properly. These oils are not only nutritious but also full of natural vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

It may seem difficult to choose what food to eat from a given food group. However, it is often possible to match a food type to a food group. For example, a balanced diet must include vegetables, grains, fruits, dairy, meats, fish and nuts. By doing so, a wide range of foods will be available to you. It is important to balance each of the food groups, because if you do not, your body will become unhealthy and your health will suffer.