Food is what living beings eat and drink for their subsistence. The term comes from the Latin alimentary and allows us to name each of the solid or liquid substances that nourish humans, plants or animals.
In addition to all this, it is important to know that foods can be classified into several types. However, if we take into account what their composition is, we would find ourselves with two large groups:
• The organic ones, which are the ones that provide us with vitamins, fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
• Inorganics, which give us trace elements, water and minerals. That is, they provide us with energy.
However, in the same way, we can classify foods based on what their function would be within nutrition. In this way, we would come across three different types:
• The forming foods, which are rich in calcium and protein.
• Energy foods, which differ because they are very valuable in terms of fats and carbohydrates.
• Regulatory foods, which are identified because they have important levels of minerals, vitamins and trace elements.
However, the most common and used classification of foods is the one that groups them into:
• Cereals, potatoes and legumes.
• Milk and derivatives, which provide a significant number of nutrients.
• Fish.
• Eggs.
• Meat. This, together with the two previous groups, is in charge of providing the human body with the necessary proteins.
• Fats and oils, where, for example, nuts are found.
• Fruits and vegetables, which are identified by their great wealth in terms of minerals and vitamins.
• Sugars.
This classification is the one used when making a healthy and balanced diet that provides the needs of each organism. Thus, for example, for children to grow, it is recommended that their diet includes meat, fish, eggs and legumes.
Food allows the regulation and maintenance of metabolic functions. Without food, living things cannot be healthy and even have a chance of dying. Food, on the other hand, acts on a psychological level to provide satisfaction. In these cases, the food does not fulfill so much a nutritional function, but it provides pleasure (as in the case of a hamburger or a chocolate).
The nutrients are food substances that are essential for maintaining living organisms through their biochemical actions. These nutrients provide energy and allow other vital substances to be metabolized. Vitamins, proteins, and carbohydrates are examples of organic nutrients, while water and minerals are inorganic nutrients.
Most of the food comes from animals (beef, pork, fish, etc.) and from vegetables (fruits, vegetables). However, there are foods from other sources, such as certain fungi (mushrooms, oyster mushrooms).
It is known as food taboo for those who are not considered acceptable for consumption, whether for cultural or religious reasons. Beef is taboo by Hindus, while pork is taboo food for Jews.
Food, it is a symbolic sense, it can be anything that allows the existence of something to be maintained: “Coal is the food of fire”, “I think I subsist thanks to faith, which is the food that sustains me every day”.
