Food provides essential nutrition and energy. However, it can also serve other functions, such as satisfying cravings or providing comfort.
Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables (3 or more servings daily). Incorporate whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products and lean proteins such as eggs, poultry without skin, beans and nuts in your daily meal planning.
Origin
Humans were once hunters-gatherers who relied on what was readily available in their immediate environment for sustenance. Over time, people domesticated plants and animals to allow year-round farming of crops and raising of livestock. This led to new food cultures around the globe as well as increased availability of foods from distant regions.
Food has an intriguing past; for instance, the invention of ketchup was due to an extraordinary series of events.
Early 18th-century Western Europe laborers fed on bread and gruel made of vegetables, lentils and beans; beer or milk was typically drunk alongside occasional small pieces of meat or cheese. Nobility used food as an expression of their status and entertainment – during this period was where cookbooks first emerged! After the Industrial Revolution came along specialized factories began producing large amounts of processed foods that could be stored and shipped across long distances.
Function
Food provides energy in the form of calories and essential nutrients (carbohydrates, fats and proteins) necessary for human health. Food also contains nonnutrients like fiber, antioxidants and plant chemicals known as phytochemicals which contribute to overall wellbeing.
Food processing techniques such as pasteurization, cooking and drying help protect consumers from illness caused by harmful bacteria. Other benefits of processed foods include delaying spoilage, maintaining sensory qualities of texture, flavor and aroma that enhance enjoyment while making meal prep simpler.
Food serves multiple functions in our bodies beyond nourishment: pleasure, gratification and stress relief are just a few examples of these psychological functions. People’s likes and dislikes of individual foods often have little to do with nutritional value – for instance a person may dislike something that triggers painful memories for him, and food itself can also be an enjoyable social activity and source of fun and entertainment; accessing ample quantities is one indicator of economic status for some families.
Preparation
Food preparation refers to a series of techniques used to transform raw ingredients into consumable, delicious dishes. This may involve processes such as cutting, peeling, marinating, chopping, sanitizing surfaces and cooking.
Food is one of the cornerstones of survival and wellbeing; it provides us with energy needed to carry out daily tasks while also providing essential vitamins and nutrients that strengthen our systems.
Food preparation requires strict hygiene protocols in order to protect customers from germs and viruses that could potentially cause spoilage or poisoning, including frequent handwashing and keeping surfaces, chopping boards, knives and any other culinary equipment clean. In particular, keeping raw and ready-to-eat food separate and prevent cross-contamination is key. FoodDocs’ Food Safety Management System automatically generates digital tools to help your team monitor these major food safety guidelines during preparation; this way you can guarantee customers receive dishes which meet safety regulations.
Consumption
Food consumption by an organism is affected by various factors, including availability, affordability and nutritional value of foods as well as social, cultural, economic and environmental considerations. Trends can often be observed at both global and regional levels.
Over four decades, industrialized nations saw consumption of major food commodities significantly increase (electronic supplementary material, table S1). By contrast, developing countries experienced a decrease in pulses and roots/tubers calories available to them.
Functional food and drinks have seen steady increases across most industrialized nations due to consumers’ belief that they help maintain or improve health and are considered an easy and convenient way to meet nutritional requirements. With consumers leading increasingly hectic lives, this trend could increase even further as time-pressed people opt for quick solutions like functional foods. World Food Programme conducted an in-depth assessment of household surveys with food consumption modules; producing both a form for survey designers as well as an extensive database with data.
