Food is the intake of food by living beings to obtain the nutrients and energy necessary to livethereby achieving balanced development.
Feeding is the action and effect of feeding or feeding. It is a process by which living beings consume different types of food to obtain the necessary nutrients to survive and carry out all the necessary daily activities.
To differentiate between food and nutrition, food refers to the process of consuming foods that will later provide nutrients to the body. Nutrition, on the other hand, is the process after eating in which the body seeks nutrients from the food consumed, and transforms them into energy to survive and subsist.
Types of feeding
The types of food vary in relation to the living being and the types of food it ingests. Have:
Human nutrition. Human beings are heterotrophic organisms, since we depend on other species to feed us and obtain the necessary nutrients. People follow different eating regimens or diets depending on their beliefs or nutritional needs. The most common diets are:
Omnivorous feeding: People who follow this regime eat everything, whether of plant or animal origin.
vegetarian diet: They eat mainly foods of plant origin, in addition to some products derived from animal origin. Although they do not eat meat, there are variants of this regime depending on whether the person consumes fish and shellfish (pescetarian), eggs (ovovegetarian), milk (lactovegetarian), or milk and eggs (ovolactovegetarian).
vegan food: They eat foods strictly of plant origin.
Raw food: People on this diet focus on eating organic, uncooked and unprocessed foods.
Animal feeding. Animals are heterotrophic organisms, as they also depend on one or more different species for food and survival. According to the feeding regime that the animals have, they are divided into:
Herbivores: They are animals that feed only on plants and algae. They are located in the lowest links of the food chain, as they are prey for carnivorous and omnivorous animals.
Omnivores: They are animals that feed on all types of organic compounds, whether plants or animals. For food chain purposes, omnivores can be predators or prey.
Carnivores: They are animals that feed on others. Due to this, carnivores are positioned at the highest links of the food chain, being mainly predators, but also prey of other carnivores.
Plant nutrition. Plants and algae are autotrophic organisms. On the one hand, they can synthesize organic compounds from water and mineral salts, and on the other, thanks to the photosynthesis process, they are capable of transforming sunlight into energy.
balanced diet
balanced diet It is one that contains foods from various food groups and is ingested in appropriate portions according to the weight, height and nutritional needs of the person. It is also known as healthy or complete eating.
In the face of a balanced diet, the food groups that make up the food pyramid are of great importance. These groups are:
Group 1: bread, cereals and pasta.
Group 2: legumes, tubers and nuts.
Group 3: fruits, vegetables and greens.
Group 4: dairy products.
Team 5: meats, eggs, fish and seafood.
Group 6: fats, oil and butter.
Group 7: sugars.
Each food group provides different nutrients. For example, breads, cereals and pastas provide fiber and carbohydrates, while fruits and vegetables provide vitamins. Therefore, eating foods from different groups is essential in order to have a balanced diet.
Eating disorders
Food is a fundamental process in the growth, balance and development of living beings. However, there are eating disorders that affect these aspects, which causes health problems.
The best known eating disorders are:
The obesity, in which the person accumulates large amounts of fat in the body. Foods high in saturated fat are difficult to digest. Additionally, these fats are burned through physical activity, so lack of exercise contributes to their accumulation.
The bulimiaan eating disorder in which the person consumes a lot of high-calorie foods in a very short period of time, but then vomits them up.
The anorexia, a disorder in which the person barely consumes food, which contributes to a loss of weight and muscle mass. By not eating enough foods from the different food groups, there is a lack in the amount of daily nutrients that the person receives.
A balanced and healthy diet allows our body to function correctly and not have excesses or deficiencies of any kind.
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