A food is any substance that a living being takes or receives for its nutrition; It is the essential component of life from birth to death, because it provides a mixture of chemicals that enables the body to build and maintain its organs and supplies it with energy to carry out its activities. Our body is made up of chemical substances, the replacement of which is essential for the continuous process of tissue and organ regeneration. It is worth mentioning that the substances found in food and that provide the energy necessary for normal body functions are known as nutrients.
What is Food
Table of Contents
In general terms, food is a substance used for the correct nutrition of a living being, in addition, it has a social and psychological impact on humanity. It is nutritional because it can provide energy and matter in the anabolism of living beings, managing to maintain all physiological functions, a clear example of this is body heat (or anatomical heating of living beings). In human beings, it has a social impact because it encourages communication, the creation of emotional ties or ties, as well as the transmission of cultures and connections in social relationships.
The psychological impact has to do with the boost in emotional health. As long as there is good mental health, then there are gratifying feelings and feelings of happiness. A good diet represents the physical health of the individual and expands mental health. It is important to note that the food does not have to enforce the aforementioned factors, an example of this is alcoholic beverages. These are considered as a food substance due to their fruitive interests, not precisely because they add a nutritional value to the human being.
Although it has been explained that food is a substance taken or received by living beings, there are certain conditions that these substances must possess to be considered as food. For example, materials that tend to alter the functions of metabolic origin of the organism of the living being are not considered as food. These substances are drugs, tobacco (in any of its forms), medications (even vitamins) and chewing gums. Food provides the body with nutrients, but also not nutrients that, although they do not provide energy, promote digestion.
Food classification
Although food is capable of providing us with both nutrients and non-nutrients, only one of them cannot provide all those essential or fundamental nutrients for the correct functioning of the organism of living beings, therefore, it is essential to use a totally balanced, rich diet in proteins, vitamins and minerals. For this to be fulfilled, it was necessary to create a classification of foods, thus, not only their composition is known, but also what each of them contributes.
According to its origin
1. Organic
Organic foods are those that do not involve chemical substances such as pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers in their production process. These foods are grown, raised and processed, using natural methods, in order to obtain food products that do not include any chemical compound or synthetic additives. For the cultivation of this type of food, fertilization systems are used, through the use of compost that return the nutrients that are wasted to the soil.
To combat pests in crops, natural products are used that neutralize and attack organisms that can damage crops and animal husbandry. Plant-based foods are organic and, in turn, contain nutrients. Foods with plant protein are nuts and seeds. In this category there are also foods with carbohydrates and foods with iron, for example, vegetables.
It is important to note that some people may experience an allergy to organic food, but it is not a large percentage.
Importantly, animal foods are also organic, for example beef, fish, cheese, eggs, and milk.
2. Inorganic
Inorganic foods are those that have a mineral origin, for example, water and mineral salts.
According to its chemical composition
1. Fat and lipids
Foods are also classified according to their chemical composition and the first classification is based on lipids or better known as fatty foods. These are made up of saturated, unsaturated and trans fats.
- The saturated ones are found in animal-type foods, that is, meat, milk, butter, etc. But it is also possible that they are found in vegetables.
- Regarding unsaturated fats, they are considered healthy fats, since they raise good cholesterol and reduce bad cholesterol and are found in fish, sunflower seeds and omega 3.
- The trans fats are unsaturated but industrially processed, for example, cookies, frozen foods, cakes, fast food, substitute nondairy creamers, etc.
2. Carbohydrates or carbohydrates
These facilitate proportionally the increase in glucose levels in the body, for example, white rice, white sugar (also merano), white bread, cookies, barley, nuts, etc.
3. proteins
These are responsible for providing between 12 and 15% of energy to the body. They are found in legumes and animal-type foods.
4. Vitamins
These prevent living things from contracting diseases. Humans and animals need a regulated dose of vitamins to avoid certain conditions and the best way to provide them is by consuming a diet rich in them. The food with vitamin C are varied, for example, citrus flavors such as orange and lemon, plum, etc. Foods with vitamin D are eggs, fatty fish, mushrooms, and cow's liver.
According to its function in the body
In this category are energy, regulating and restorative foods.
1. Energy foods
They are those that provide vitality and energy to living beings. It is these characteristics that make them the most important foods in the human diet, made up of carbohydrates and fats.
2. Regulatory foods
They have a fundamental role in the body, since they intervene in its proper functioning. They are made up of minerals, for example iron-rich foods like nuts and beef. Also included are foods with fiber (grains and legumes) and foods with potassium (bananas).
3. Repair foods
They are responsible for regenerating the tissues of the body of living beings, increase the strength, growth and vitality of the anatomy and allow different chemical reactions to occur in order to maintain life. These foods are fish, red meat, nuts, legumes, vegetables, vegetables, general fruits, cereals, grains and derivatives of foods of animal origin.
According to the taste
This classification is made up of bitter, sweet, salty, acidic and umamis foods.
1. Bitter foods
they have the ability to stimulate digestive juices and help better digestion of food. This is because they are able to stimulate taste receptors, which are found on the tongue, and then stimulate greater enzyme production and the flow of bile. Better digestion of them also promotes greater absorption of nutrients, since it does not matter how much food you eat, but how much nutrients are absorbed.
Bitter- tasting foods are especially vegetables (artichokes, squash, chard, asparagus, tomatoes, cucumbers…). There are also drinks with this flavor: coffee, beer or lemon juice. It is a flavor that is not accepted by a part of the population and the proof of this is that it is often mixed with sugar. The reason is that the taste buds of the tongue have a certain rejection towards certain plant substances in these foods and it is believed to be an evolutionary mechanism to detect the bitter taste of poisons. This would explain why children are not very fond of eating vegetables.
Bitter vegetables like chicory, dandelion, rapini, endive, kale, daikon, and arugula have phytonutrients that promote better liver function, control cholesterol, help balance hormones, detoxify the blood, and improve fat metabolism. In general, bitter greens are rich in nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K, and minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. They are also rich in folic acid, fiber, and low in fat and sodium.
2. Sweet Food
They are those that provide energy to the body and increase the vitality of the living being. These are made up of simple and complex carbohydrates.
- The simple ones are absorbed by the body with great ease, increasing the levels of glucose in the blood. For this reason, they should be consumed prudently, without excess, as they are capable of causing chronic diseases. These carbohydrates are white, brown sugar, and honey.
- Complex carbohydrates are also absorbed quickly in the intestine, but, contrary to simple carbohydrates, they increase blood glucose in a slower way. These carbohydrates are bread, beets, beans, rice, and potatoes.
3. Salty foods
are those that contain certain percentages of sodium. Salt is widely used in world cuisine, however, using it in excess can cause hypertension and other diseases that decrease and deteriorate the quality of life of people. Sausages, fats, ham and even some legumes are rich in salt, therefore, they should be consumed moderately.
4. Acidic foods
They are those that increase the acidity levels of the blood, this is negative because, having broad acid standards, the body makes more effort to keep the Ph in balance, weakening the immune system and running the risk of contracting some disease. These are coffee, chocolate, red and white meat, cereals, seafood, soft drinks… Excessive consumption of these foods is harmful to the human body.
5. Umami
This term is of Japanese origin and means "pleasant" and basically encompasses all those foods or foods whose flavor is exotic and pleasant to the palate. Ripe and dried tomatoes, mushrooms, soy sauce, Chinese cabbage, green tea, anchovies, and Parmesan cheese are some of the foods that belong to the umami category. Transgenic foods (those that are produced through modifications in organisms through genetic engineering) may also be included here.
Food preservation
It is a set of procedures and resources to prepare and package food products in order to store and consume them long afterwards. The substances that make up food change fairly quickly. This alteration is caused by microbes that use their nutritional elements for their development, which causes their decomposition. The alteration of food is also due to the action of enzymes, chemical compounds that accelerate the speed of reactions.
The main objective of food preservation is to prevent or delay the damage caused by microbes, and therefore their harmful effect on food. For this, it is necessary to apply an adequate treatment; the foods subjected to this treatment are called canned food. Below are the conservation techniques most used today:
Freezing
It is an effective way to eliminate microorganisms found in different types of food, in addition, it seeks to preserve their state and extend their useful life by solidifying the water that may exist in them. Taking this into account, it is important that substances have water. It consists of subjecting the food to temperatures between 0ºC and -4ºC, in order to eliminate the heat; This method makes it possible to temporarily stop the growth of microorganisms and slows down the rate at which enzymes act.
Refrigeration
This is another simple way of preserving the substances that are going to be ingested, in addition, it is the most used way of preservation throughout the world, because by using it, the risk of physical modification of the food is reduced, although, of course, not all foods can be refrigerated for too long. For example, fish.
Refrigeration is characterized by storing food at a temperature of 5 ºC or less, in this way, they are preserved for a certain time.
Drying or dehydration
It can be natural or artificial. With this method, microorganisms do not develop nor do enzymes exert their action in dry foods. In the natural drying the Sun intervenes, it can be used in fruits (raisins), grains and legumes. Today they can be dried using ovens, tunnels or driers.
Similarly, there are other methods of preserving food. These are:
- Salting and smoking: this preservation method is ideal for foods to have a longer shelf life and can be consumed for a longer period of time. Partial dehydration of the food and the inhibition of bacteria also intervene in salting. By adding salt to food, it gives up its water, and bacterial and enzymatic activity slows down. When foodstuffs are subjected to wood smoke (beech, oak, birch), a series of chemical substances with great sterilizing power are originated and that, in addition, give a typical aroma and flavor to food.
- Canning: consists of sterilizing the food and the container. The containers can be made of glass, tin, aluminum and cardboard. Before being packaged, the food is cooked and cleaned, cooking uses different temperatures and times depending on whether it is meat, fish or fruit. There is a risk in this method and that is that a Clostridium botulinum is generated, which causes botulism, for that reason, the safe and legal method to package or can food is under high temperatures established pressure conditions, these are 116-121 ° C.
- Pickled: used in cabbage, cucumber, cauliflower, grains, olives, etc. The edibles are salted and then preserved in vinegar, with or without spices. This technique includes curing, it includes smoking, salting and marinade in brine or vinegar, the first two are used in red meat. With this method, the Ph level of the food is reduced and its acidity increases, since when preserved in salt or vinegar, they ferment.
- Sugar concentrate: this is a natural additive that seeks to preserve the nutritional properties of foods, generally fruits, in order to continue providing the body with energy. consists of adding sugar to fruit and / or plant preparations. High concentrations prevent the proliferation of microorganisms with the exception of some fungi. To stop their growth, oxygen is removed from the containers by covering the surface with paraffin or by sealing the containers under vacuum. This is generally done for syrups, jams, and jellies.
- Chemical additives: These are non-nutritive substances intentionally added to foodstuffs in small amounts, to improve appearance, taste, consistency, or keeping properties. The most used for food preservation are sodium benzoate, acetic acid, sodium citrate, sulfur and sodium nitrite. But, there is also a tendency to use coloring additives (to change the color and, on some occasions, the taste of food) saccharin and lecithin. All these in minimal quantities so that the edibles do not lose all their main nutrients.
- Other modern methods: some radiation, such as X-rays, ultraviolet light, etc., are forms of energy that affect living matter, and seriously affect it, leaving food free of microorganisms, and being preserved for long periods.
Healthy nutrition
To understand what a healthy diet is, you must first talk about what food really is. This is the action and effect of feeding, as defined by the Royal Spanish Academy. This is a word that comes from the Latin "alimentum" which means food. Food is the action by which vitamins are provided or supplied to the body, this includes the selection of foods, preparation or cooking and their ingestion; foods that provide substances we call nutrients and vitamins, which are needed to maintain good health and prevent disease.
All this depends on the needs of each individual, availability of said foods, religion, culture, economic and / or social situation, among others. Feeding is a voluntary act or event, which is learned throughout life and one of the most fundamental in the world of living beings, due to its relationship to their daily survival.
Living beings need a balanced diet, in addition to water that is vital, they need an adequate diet which must contain a series of proteins, carbohydrate lipids, vitamins and minerals essential for good health and life. At present, the diet is extremely unbalanced, adding to this a sedentary life, is the cause of many diseases.
To have a good and healthy diet, the food pyramid was created, which were created since the early 1970s, and have been modified or updated over the years, it is made up of groups; where in the first one it is made up of cereals, rice, then fresh vegetables and legumes follow; then fresh fruits, then oils and fats, the next group for dairy products and the last group for meats, fish and dried legumes. This is the version that was introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture and was updated in 2011.
Once this point is clarified, you can talk directly about what is a good way to eat. Healthy eating has been one that provides human beings with sufficient nutrients for their development, satisfying the needs of the individual.
A healthy diet must be according to the age of the person, for example, children and adolescents in full growth must eat foods that contribute to their growth, in the case of adults they must eat healthy to avoid conditions that end in cardiovascular diseases, this being the most common and is due to excessive fat intake. Therefore, the consumption of alkaline foods is imperative.
Proteins play a fundamental role for a good diet, it is essential that they are consumed in the three meals of the day, since it contributes to the mental capacity and intellectual performance of the individual. One of the most complex functions of the human brain is learning and therefore a good diet is necessary before putting it into practice.
Physical activity coupled with good nutrition is the perfect combination for the human body to be in balance. Likewise, it is important to note that you should eat a wide variety of foods, including vegetables, greens and fruits. Avoid eating excess saturated fat, as well as excess sugar.
Food pyramid
This is a fairly straightforward way to represent the foods that should be eaten in order to preserve health and have a long life. The food pyramid has 6 types of food that everyone should consume on a daily basis, as a routine that encourages a practical and healthy lifestyle.
This is only a graphic reference, since the ideal amounts of consumption depend on the age, weight, height, texture and physical activity exercised by each individual. The Spanish Nutrition Society is responsible for changing the list every time the benefits of new foods are discovered. In recent years, wine or beer have been added as in moderate amounts they have many health benefits.
Normally, within the food pyramid, foods are represented with colors.
- The orange color includes cereals and pasta, but it is recommended to consume 180 grams of one of them daily.
- The green color is the representation of vegetables and it is recommended to consume a cup and a half of these foods daily.
- The red color is allusive to fruits in general levels and nutritionists urge to consume between 3 and 4 servings daily.
- The yellow color refers to sweets and fats and although they should be eaten frequently, it is not advisable to do it daily in large portions, so it is better to consume them with caution and responsibility.
- The blue color represents dairy products, these are those that contain calcium that strengthen bones.
- Finally, the purple color, which refers to meats, both white and red and legumes.
The distribution of foods in the food pyramid was adopted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1992 after finding this type of presentation easier to understand and accept.
The main goals of the food pyramid are a more varied intake of food, a lower intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, eating more fruits, vegetables and grains, as well as a moderate intake of sugar, salt and alcohol. Physical exercise is recommended for the purpose of losing or maintaining weight, as well as the prevention of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, or cardiovascular problems.
