Food is any material taken from the living things to give nutrition to organisms. Food is generally of animal, plant or even bacterial source, and often contains vital nutrients, like proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, or even minerals. The major types of food are carbohydrate, protein, vegetable, fruit, legumes and grain. The type of food that an individual eats and the amount depend on his/her diet, which depends largely on the type of life being lived and the availability of the food. Food is categorized into three categories: animal food, plant food and mineral food.

Animal food includes meat, milk, eggs and other dairy products, which are consumed in large quantities by most people. Grains such as wheat, barley and cereals are also categorized under the category of animal food. Plant food consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, legumes and nuts, with small amounts of grains used to add variety in everyday meals. Although people need all these different foods, they sometimes have more than they need, resulting in obesity, diet deficiency or in deficiency of some other essential nutrient.

It is important to eat a varied amount of foods that are rich in nutrients, because each food contains different nutrients, and not all of them may be useful to an individual at every time. Some foods can be combined to make foods that are better for you than the complete food. The complete food consists of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins. Most carbohydrates are found in vegetables, fruits, whole grain products and legumes.

Certain foods like grains, potatoes, pasta and cereals contain carbohydrates. Carbohydrates can provide energy and are necessary for the body, but some carbohydrates can also be converted to sugar, which is stored as fat by the body. This conversion of carbohydrates to sugar can result in weight gain, resulting in a negative impact on diet. This is the reason why some people resort to low carbohydrate diets in order to lose weight.

However, some carbohydrates that are good for you also have a negative impact on your diet, like fats. Fats are essential for maintaining health, but excessive fats can clog the arteries and increase your cholesterol. Therefore, it is best to balance the use of fats and proteins in order to control your weight. The foods that are rich in essential fats are fish and nuts. Other good sources of fats include avocado, olive oil and flax seed oils.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which is a necessary staple food for the body. Eggs, beans, green vegetables, beans, nuts and fish are good sources of amino acids. Although people do not usually think of amino acids when they hear about a balanced diet, they are actually important for our health. A balanced diet consisting of meats, eggs, fruits and vegetables, along with fish and seeds provides enough amino acids for the everyday requirements of the body.