Food provides our bodies with the energy they need to grow, repair, and clear out toxins. It also provides the nutrients that help us to think clearly, feel alert, and maintain healthy skin and teeth.
Food can be found everywhere, and the choices we make about what to eat are important. It is important to eat a balanced diet that includes foods from all the major groups. Each group provides different types and amounts of nutrients, so we need a variety of foods from each group to get all the essentials.
The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating groups the foods we need to eat daily into 5 major food groups: milk, yoghurt and cheese or alternatives, breads and cereals, vegetables, meat and fish, and fruit. Foods are grouped together because they contain similar types and amounts of key nutrients. For example, the milk, yoghurt and cheese group provides calcium and protein. The breads and cereals group provides carbohydrate. The vegetables group provides vitamin A, C and K, and the meat and fish group provides protein and iron.
People around the world are using new technologies to produce and store more food, and to feed more people. These advances are also improving the quality of the food being produced. Some of these innovations include improved varieties of seeds that can withstand drought and flood, new methods of farming, better ways to transport food, and techniques for drying and preserving fresh food.
Many people in developed countries have access to enough food and are living a healthy life. However, for some of the world’s population, food is not a choice but a necessity. These people eat less healthy diets than those in the developed world. Their diets may be high in salt, fat and sugar, and low in fruits, vegetables and fibre. These unhealthy diets are sometimes called junk food.
For the average person, it can be hard to make changes to your eating habits. It is important to take small steps at a time to improve your diet. For example, switching from fried chicken to baked salmon is a good start. This can reduce your risk of heart disease and high blood cholesterol, and give you more energy.
There are many recipes for healthy meals on the internet, and some supermarkets stock cookbooks with ideas for preparing food in a healthier way. It is worth investing in some cookbooks to learn how to cook your favorite foods, and to find recipes for dishes that are easy to prepare. Try adding herbs to food, reducing the amount of salt you use, or replacing oil with applesauce when frying. This can make a big difference to the flavour of your meal and it is often cheaper than buying pre-packaged meals or fast foods. The best meals are made with local ingredients that are fresh and in season. This will save money and you will know that your food is fresh and nutritious.