Food

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The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica
Alternative Title: nourishment

Food, material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy.

  • Variety of fruits and vegetables.
    Variety of fruits and vegetables.
    Keith Weller/U. S. Department of Agriculture (Image Number: K3839-3)

Food is treated in a number of articles. For a description of the processes of absorption and utilization of food, see nutrition; nutrition, human; digestion; and digestive system, human. For information on the methods used to prepare raw foods for cooking, consumption, or storage, see food preservation.

Learn More in these related articles:

food preservation
any of a number of methods by which food is kept from spoilage after harvest or slaughter. Such practices date to prehistoric times. Among the oldest methods of preservation are drying, refrigeration, and fermentation. Modern methods include canning, pasteurization, freezing, irradiation, and the...
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MyPlate, a revised set of dietary guidelines introduced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2011, divides the four basic food groups (fruits, grains, protein, and vegetables) into sections on a plate, with the size of each section representing the relative dietary proportions of each food group. The small blue circle shown at the upper right illustrates the inclusion and recommended proportion of dairy products in the diet.
human nutrition: Food groups
process by which substances in food are transformed into body tissues and provide energy for the full range of physical and mental activities that make up human life.
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protein
highly complex substance that is present in all living organisms. Proteins are of great nutritional value and are directly involved in the chemical processes essential for life. The importance of proteins was recognized by chemists in the early 19th century, including Swedish chemist Jöns...
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The chemistry of cotton candy making.
A freegan searches through supermarket bins for food in London. By foraging, freegans both avoid being wasteful and challenge consumerism.
An overview of food preservation.
Applying the freezing process to the problem of food preservation, especially as part of the industrial method designed by American businessman and inventor Clarence Birdseye.
Learn about scientific research into smart tags, small gel-like tags on food packaging that change colour to indicate spoilage occurring inside the containers.

More about food

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