Food is any material consumed to supply nutrition to the organisms. Food is generally of animal, plant or fungi origin, and usually contains various nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, or minerals, which are needed for the growth and maintenance of an organism’s cells. The diet of humans usually consists of all the food they eat plus a small amount of supplements that are added to certain foods to add extra nutritional value. Most people have a diet of mostly meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits, breads and cereals. Some other foods that are considered good for the human body are eggs, milk, cheese, and butter. Meats, fish, poultry and dairy produce additional dietary protein.
Oils are fatty substances obtained from plants by means of decomposition or biological process. There are two categories of fats: solid and liquid. Solid fats are easily digested and have greater ability to carry nutrients for the body; whereas liquid fats are more difficult to digest and generally contain only a small amount of nutrients. Oils are commonly saturated, trans-fats, hydrogenated oils, polyunsaturated oils, monounsaturated oils and naturally occurring saturated fats. Saturated fats and trans-fats cause health problems, whereas naturally occurring fats are beneficial to our health.
Fruits and vegetables, together with nuts, seeds, grains and legumes are the best sources of healthy fats. Some of the food sources of these nutrients are nuts, whole grains, seeds, nuts, eggs, fruits, vegetables, legumes and wholemeal breads. A variety of fresh vegetable is the best choice for a healthy diet. The food industry is constantly striving to improve the quality and quantity of healthy fats, thus it is not very difficult to find a wide range of such foods in the supermarkets.