What You Need To Know About Nutrition Facts
The word food means literally anything that is consumed to supply nutrition for the organisms. Usually food is of vegetable, animal or fungus origin, and has necessary nutrients, like proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, or minerals. In recent years the scientific community has identified millions of different types of food. One of the most important aspects of food is nutrition. Proper nutrition is a critical element of good health and can prevent serious diseases like diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and obesity.
Plants are the primary source of food, but animals are also eaten for their meat and milk products. Fruits and vegetables are the richest sources of nutrition, because they contain almost all the essential nutrients. The best way to get a variety of nutrients is to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. When it comes to animal-based protein, egg yolk is the richest source, followed by red meat. Milk provides a source of calcium.
It’s also very common to buy food in the form of dairy products. Dairy products include cheese, yoghurt, butter, ice cream, milk, yogurt and milk-based beverages, like cocoa and chocolate. Although dairy products are generally thought of as being healthy, recent studies have suggested that they can contribute to certain types of cancer. If you are buying cow’s milk, avoid buying products that say ‘white’, rather choose plain non-pasteurized milk.
Staple food groups are those foods that form a part of a daily routine and are eaten on a regular basis. Examples of staples are breads, cereals, potatoes, rice and fruits. We eat most of our food in a balanced diet, which means that most of the food we eat is provided by six food groups. Most of the food groups are represented by vegetables and fruits, which are eaten in large quantities, with meat being eaten in small amounts.
Fibre makes food different from a pure food, because it has more volume. Food that is rich in fibre has more nutrients in a smaller volume than pure food. The amount of fibre found in a product may appear small, but this is not the case. Pure food is much less nutrient-dense than fibre-rich food. This is because fibre adds bulk, making food heavier and therefore more nutritious.
Fat is the main source of calories in food. This makes it easier to gain weight than food that doesn’t contain any calories. However, the best way to eat fat is in moderation, with around one quarter of your total calories coming from fat. Some fat is good, especially in foods that are high in sugar and fat, such as cakes, biscuits and some types of deep-fried food. However, you should be careful not to eat too much fat, as it can lead to obesity and increased cholesterol levels.