Food is anything edible (including all foods and drinks) as defined based on the culture and religion of a particular society. What we eat and drink to help keep us alive and well, to help us grow, develop, work and play is called food. Eating the right food is not just about looking good; it's about staying healthy, providing your body with the fuel it needs to function at its best, and preventing certain diseases like, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. When you eat well, you feel better because food gives us a feeling of comfort and satisfaction. What we eat and how we eat makes up our food habit. Most of our food habits are learned in the home from our parents. The food we eat has nutrients (active chemical substances / active ingredients in food that our body absorbs and utilizes for structural and functional roles) in different proportion.

Nutrition is the science of food and its relation to human or it is the study of how food is digested, absorbed and utilized by the body. Food contains different types of nutrients / components or elements. These components include:

  • Proteins
  • Carbohydrates (CHO)
  • Fats and lipids
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Water

Based on the major proportion of nutrients they contain food can be sometimes named as body building, energy giving and protective foods. Foods that contain a lot of protein are called body building foods or growing foods and foods that contain a lot of fat or carbohydrate are cold energy giving foods while foods that contain more vitamins and minerals are protective foods.

Last modified: Sunday, 26 February 2017, 5:04 PM