The word food comes from the Latin words, ‘haeculum’, which means seed or the edible part of a plant, and’sepra’ meaning bread. Food is any material consumed to supply nutrition to an organisms. Food is generally of animal, plant or fungi origin, and usually includes essential nutrients, like proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, or even minerals. Most people need around 400 calories of energy daily, in order to live. Many foods provide only a fraction of this amount, making them slimming foods.
The main food groups are protein-rich foods such as meat, milk and eggs; carbohydrates including bread, cereals and pasta; vitamins and minerals including iron, zinc and vitamins C and E; and dietary fibre which provides a variety of dietary benefits including lowering cholesterol and boosting the immune system. These nutrients can be combined in special food combinations to create slimming foods. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of almost all nutrients; however, when it comes to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, they are often over looked. However, fresh fruit and vegetables must be eaten regularly to keep your body healthy and get all the recommended daily dosages. Fruit juices are a good source of fruit vitamins but they are also very high in calories. Vegetables are much lower in calories and provide all the vitamins and minerals that you need minus the fat.
The most important food groups are protein-rich foods, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and dietary fibre. You should include some variety in your diet and make sure you eat a wide variety of foods from all the different food groups. For example, if you eat lots of beef, you may want to add some poultry, fish, cheese and yoghurt to your diet; if you eat lots of vegetables, you may want to include some fruits, berries, vegetables and some dairy products; and for those that find carbohydrates somewhat tricky to swallow, add some lentils, brown rice, bread and pasta to the list.