Food and cooking

Food is one our most basic needs. We cannot live without it. Food gives us the energy for everything we do – walking, talking, working, playing, reading and even thinking and breathing. Food also provides the energy our nerves, muscles, heart, and glands need to work. In addition, food supplies the nourishing substances our bodies require to build and repair tissues and to regulate body organs and systems.

All living things must have food to live. Green plants use the energy of sunlight to make food out of carbon dioxide(a gas in the air) and water and other substances from the soil. Other living things depend on the food made by green plants. The food that people and other animals eat comes chiefly from plants or from animals that eat plants.

Food does more than help keep us alive, strong and healthy. It also adds pleasure to living. We enjoy the flavors, odors, and textures of foods. We celebrate special occasions with favorite meals and feasts.

Although most of the food we eat comes from plants or animals, the variety of foods as grains, fruits and vegetables. Animals provide meat, eggs and milk. These basic foods may require little or no preparation before they are eaten. Or they may be greatly changed by processing. For example, milk may be made into such foods as butter, cheese, ice cream, and yogurt.

The chief foods that people eat differ widely throughout the world. Millions of people in the Orient eat rice as their main food. People of the Pacific Islands depend heavily on fish. Most people of Turkey eat mainly cracked-wheat bread and yogurt. The people of Argentina and Uruguay eat much beef. What people eat depends chiefly on where they live and how much money they have. It also depends on their customs, health, life style, and religious beliefs. Children learn many eating habits from their parents. But each person develops individual food preferences and prejudices. Eating habits are also influenced by how much time people have to buy, prepare, and eat food.

In developing countries, many families must produce all their food themselves. In the United States, Canada, and other developed countries, however, most people rely on the food industry for their food. The food industry includes farmers, food-processing companies, researchers, shipping companies, and food stores. The growth of the food industry has greatly increased the amount and kinds of foods available in developed countries.