Food

What is food?

Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support and health. Food can
be vegetarian or non-vegetarian in nature. Food is rich in carbohydrates, fat, proteins, vitamins,
and minerals. The eating mannerism of different kinds of animals is different!. Food mainly
comprises water, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, etc!.

History

Food plays an integral part in man's evolution!. Right from the beginning of man's evolution,
water and food have played a very important role!. Man's existence is solely based on water and
food! Without that, there is no existence for the human race!. Foods come in two types:
vegetarian and non-vegetarian!. Most of the world's food is non-vegetarian, and some is
vegetarian!. Foods prepared from the meat of birds and animals are non-vegetarian foods, and
foods prepared from plants are known as vegetarian foods!. Humans first started eating
non-vegetarian foods, and then slowly afterwards, they started eating vegetarian foods!. When it
comes to taste, non-vegetarian foods are tastier!. People who are vegan only eat vegetarian
foods!. Humans have made food into a selling commodity!.

Food in the Business Industry

The business involving the selling and buying of food falls under the hospitality industry!. Food
is mainly of two types: organic foods and junk foods. Organic foods are rich with ingredients that
are good for health!. Whereas junk foods are foods that do not have any health benefits but are
served as snacks, etc. The food industry involving restaurants is known as the hospitality
industry! There is a restaurant industry and a bakery industry!. The bakery industry refers to
shops that sell snacks!. These shops that sell snacks are called bakeries!. Restaurants serve
heavy foods, which are not snacks!. Snacks are light foods!. Restaurants serve food as itself!.
Heavy foods are food itself!. Restaurants serve foods, and bakeries provide snacks!. Some of
the snacks are junk foods.
Kind of Nutrients

Scientists have classified nutrients into six types: carbohydrates, water, proteins, minerals,
vitamins, and fats. Foods contain these nutrients in different amounts. Sugars found in fruits,
vegetables, and milk are carbohydrates. Starch found in cereal grains, potatoes, and yams is
also a carbohydrate. Many of the edible starches and sugars have been processed into flour
and corn syrup. These processed carbohydrates are used in cookies, breads, cakes, pastas,
and pies.

Importance of Fat

Fats provide twice as much energy as carbohydrates. They are present in milk, eggs, butter,
cheese, poultry, and fish. These fats help protect and insulate the internal organs of the body.
Proteins are the body's chief tissue builder. They help keep the body's skin, bones, muscles,
and blood healthy. Minerals and vitamins are called micronutrients. Carbohydrates, fats, and
proteins are called macronutrients. Vitamins help the body utilise nutrients by assisting chemical
reactions that help those nutrients work. For example, vitamin B1, or thiamine, helps aid the
functioning of the nervous system.

Essentials for body health

Other essentials for the body's health include water, oxygen, and fiber. More than half of human
body weight is water. Water has key functions in the human body!. It helps regulate body
temperature. It helps transport nutrients into cells. Water helps in the elimination of waste
materials from cells. Oxygen is not a nutrient!. Oxygen helps in the release of energy from food
inside the body.

Food, diet, and malnutrition

Fibre-rich foods include whole grains, dried beans, and fresh fruits and vegetables!. A balanced
diet contains a mix of essential foods that, together, provide essential nutrients. If the essential
components in a food diet are more or less equal, it can lead to malnutrition!. For example: In a
diet, there are vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates, and if the quantity of carbohydrates is
greater than required, this can lead to malnutrition. Undernutrition is a form of malnutrition in
which there is a lack of food. Starvation is also a type of malnutrition. In undernutrition, the body
does not get the required food, and because of this, several diseases or even death can occur.
Foods come in different types. They are: fruits, vegetables, legumes, meat, poultry, fish, and
milk.

Grain agriculture statistics

Cereal grains are edible seeds of certain grasses. Today, the most commonly grown grains are
wheat, rice, and corn. Other important grains are sorghum, millet, barley,oats and rye. Wheat is
an important grain because it is consumed as food in many countries around the world. Wheat
is consumed as bread, cake, cookies, pasta, and breakfast cereal!. More than 90% of the
world's population consumes rice. Rice grows in a warm and humid climate. Rice requires wet,
flooded grounds to grow; these grounds are known as rice paddies!. Corn is a grain grown in
mostly all parts of the world!. Corn grows on mostly every soil in the world. In America, the grain
is called corn; in other countries, it is called maize. 30% of the world's corn is produced in
America. Corn is used to make sweeteners such as corn syrup and corn starch. Sorghum and
millets are also used to feed livestock; these grains are also used as food in parts of Africa and
Asia. Three other grains—barley, oats, and rye—are important in many regions. Barley thrives in
many kinds of climates. One kind of barley is malt, used for making beer. Barley is used to make
vinegar and malt extract, and it is also used to make beverages similar to milk. Pearl barley, the
most popular form of this grain, is used in soups and other foods.

Oats and rye are domesticated much later than other grains. They are given as food to
livestock. But they also serve as oatmeal and other breakfast cereals. After wheat, rye is the
second most used grain as a food grain. Europeans consume bread containing rye, known as
black bread.

Fruits and vegetables

The term fruit can be different for different people!. To a botanist, a fruit is a part of a plant
containing seeds. Fresh fruits are rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fiber! Fruits grow
in different climates. Based on the climate in which they grow, they can be classified as
temperate fruits, subtropical foods, or tropical foods. Temperate fruits grow where it is cold.
Temperate fruits are apples, grapes, plums, peaches, and berries. Subtropical foods grow
where there is a little warmth!. Subtropical fruits are grapes, oranges, lemon fruits, and a variety
of avocados. Tropical fruits require a hot climate to grow. Tropical fruits such as mango, banana,
and papaya grow in hot, humid areas.

The edible part of a herbaceous plant is known as a vegetable. Herbaceous plant can also be
called a herb. A different part of a herb can be called a vegetable!. The stem of an herb, the leaf
of an herb, the root of an herb, the seeds of an herb, and the bulb of an herb can be considered
vegetables. A plant called tubor has a special type of stem that can be consumed as a
vegetable!. A potato is a temperate vegetable, which is a tuber! Potatoes used to be grown as
staple foods in South America. Now it is growing in China, Russia, and Poland!. For example,
taro is a major food crop on the islands of Polynesia and South Africa.

Milk and dairy products

Much of the world's milk, curd, cream, butter, yoghurt, and cheese come from dairy cows. Milk
not only comes from cows; it also comes from mountain goats, camels, yaks, reindeer, and
water buffalos. Traditionally, in Asia, people consume soy milk. Soy milk is made from soy
beans. Soy milk is made by soaking and grinding soy beans with water. Soy milk contains about
the same proteins as cow's milk. Milk and dairy products supply the required proteins, nutrients,
and carbohydrates.

Diet

People's diets vary from country to country. Diets can vary within a country too!. To describe the
difference in diet within a country, we can give an example. Example: People who live closer to
the ocean have a different diet compared to people who live away from the ocean. In dry lands
with cool climates, potatoes are grown. In regions where it is warm with wet land and it rains
profusely, rice is grown as a staple food. Differences in geographical factors are less important;
geographical factors were very important a century ago. Today, improved agriculture techniques,
improved trade, and tourism have made different foods available to a wide variety of people.
Today, food preservation, storage, and transport techniques have improved, and therefore, a
person living in Australia can enjoy the food of India. Indian food is expensive in other countries,
and foods from other countries are expensive in India. In developed countries, there is no
chance for those people to starve. People have just enough money to buy the food they want. In
developing countries, people won't have enough money to buy the food they want, and
starvation is common in these countries. In developing countries, malnutrition is more common.
In developing countries, there are urban and rural areas. In urban areas, people mostly eat
processed foods, while in rural areas, people eat fresh milk, vegetables, and fruits. When there
is a poor harvest, it affects the people in rural areas.

Religion and Culture

Religion has an influence on food habits!. Different religions have different beliefs. In the Jain
religion, they are strictly non-violent people. They do not harm any living things; even Jains do
not consume potatoes and other tubers because when a potato or tuber is pulled from the earth,
it harms the microorganisms living around it. Muslims and Jews have their own way of preparing
foods. During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat anything when the sun is shining. They eat one
meal before dawn and one meal after sunset. But eat nothing during Sunshine. Ramadan is
considered to be a time of a time of inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control.

The fasting and diet of foods are done based on religious and non-religious factors!. In Islam,
during Ramadan, the fasting is done based on religious and non-religious factors. Celebrations
are both religious and non-religious. Some people choose not to eat meat out of concern for the
environment. Beef meat is responsible for carbon emissions. So to reduce carbon footprints, the
consumption of beef meat is reduced.