Types of food

In order to understand how we can enjoy greater health and wellbeing, we need to understand something about food. There are four essential groups of food. For health and wellbeing we require food from all the groups. The purpose of this page is to stress that ALL four groups of food are essential to health and wellbeing. Even though we may be encouraged to eat less fat, this page stresses that the body requires at least some food from each of the groups every day.
Many foods contain more than one group of food, and milk contains all groups of food.
Food is often classified as:

1. Carbohydrate, including Fibre
2. Protein
3. Fat
4. Vitamins and Minerals

-Carbohydrates are substances that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They are used in the body to      

  produce energy.

 
-Proteins are used by the body to:

• enable growth, development and repair.
• build structures such as muscles, tissues and organs, including the heart, lungs, digestive organs.
• enzymes, such as those required for digestion.
• hormones, such as those for the endocrine glands.

-Vitamins are substances that are required in the diet for health and wellbeing. They are often grouped as fat-soluble or water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E and K. Water-soluble vitamins include vitamins C and B.

-Sources of fat include animal meat, fish, and vegetable oils. Fats are used by the body:

• In every cell structure.
• Especially to build nerves and brain. The brain is 40% fat.
• To insulate the body.
• To produce sex hormones and adrenal cortex hormone
• To produce cholesterol (essential for cell membranes and bile salts, for example).
• To absorb certain vitamins (A, D, E, and K).

Carbohydrates

                                                                  Protein

                                                                     Vitamins          

Fats