Health Food

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/diet/?ar_a=1


A, diet, is, the, combination, of foods, typically, eaten, by a specific, group, of people, or, other, organisms. Human, diets, are, determined, by nutritional, needs, the types, of, food, available, in, a, particular, region, and, cultural, beliefs.
Nutritional, Needs,
A balanced, diet is one, that, provides, all of the nutrients, needed, for good, health, and proper, growth, growth.
No single, food, can, provide, all the nutrients, people, require. As a result, people, combine, many, different, kinds, of foods, in many, ways, to meet, their, nutritional, needs.
The nutrients, we, need, include, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Carbohydrates, mostly, come, from plants, and include, starches, and sugars. Fats, come, from both, plants and animals, and, include, vegetable, oils, such, as, corn, oil, and, olive oil, and, animal, fats, from meat, fish, dairy, products, and eggs.
Proteins, are, found, in, nearly, all, foods, in, varying, amounts. Animal, products, legumes, whole, grains, and, nuts, are, particularly, rich, in, proteins.
Vitamins, and, minerals, are, also, found, in, most, foods, in, varying, amounts. Different, foods, are, rich, in, different, vitamins, and, minerals. Orange, vegetables, such, as, carrots, sweet, potatoes, and pumpkins, are, all, high, in, vitamin A. Citrus, fruits, contain, lots, of, vitamin C. Meat, legumes, and spinach, provide, iron. Dairy, products, are, high, in, calcium.
Most, animals, have, the, same, dietary, requirements, as people: vitamins, and, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Herbivores, are, organisms, that, consume, only, plants. They, digest, the, tough, fibers, in, plants, and, do, not, need, meat, for, nutrition. Herbivores, are, often, called, primary, consumers, because, they are, the, first, (primary), eaters, of, autotrophs, or, organisms, that, produce, their, own, food.

Some, herbivores, such, as, pandas, and, koalas, have, such, specialized, diets, that, they, need, to, eat, all, day. Pandas, mostly, eat, bamboo, while, koalas, mostly, eat, leaves, from, eucalyptus, trees. Both, bamboo, and, eucalyptus, have, very, low, nutritional, value. Pandas, and, koalas, must, eat, tons, of, the, plants, to, fulfill, their, dietary, requirements, for, nutrition.
Animals, that, eat, meat, are, secondary, consumers. Carnivores, which, mostly, eat, meat, and, omnivores, which, eat, both, plants, and, meats, are, secondary, consumers. The diets, of, secondary, consumers, are, often, more, varied, than, primary, consumers. Because, meat, usually, has, more, energy, and, calories, than, plants, secondary, consumers, often, eat, less, often, than, primary, consumers. While, koalas, and, pandas, eat, for, hours, every, day, a, lion, may, only, eat, once, a, week.

Regional, Foods,
Before, the, development, of, modern, transportation, and, food, storage, people’s, diets, depended, on, the, plants, and, animals, that, thrived, in, the, areas, where, they, lived. Even, today, people, who, live, by, the, ocean, tend, to, eat, a, lot, of, seafood. People, in, tropical, climates, have, access, to, a, variety, of, tropical, fruits, such, as, coconuts, bananas, or, breadfruit. People, in, temperate, lands, can, grow, wheat, easily, and, people, in, warm, wet, climates, often, grow, rice, in, waterlogged, soils.
Most, traditional, diets, rely, on, a, food, staple, —usually a grain, or, tuber, (potato, or, root, vegetable)—and, a, variety, of, other foods that are eaten in lesser amounts. For example, rice is prominent in Japanese cuisine, along with fish, noodles, soy products such as miso and tofu, vegetables, and tea.
In Mexico, corn, is, a, staple, food, often, in, the, form, of, corn, tortillas. The, traditional, Mexican, diet, also, includes, tomatoes, squash, sweet, potatoes, and, chocolate. Mexican, foods, are, often, flavored, with, chili, peppers, such, as, jalapenos, poblanos, and serranos.  
Diet, and, Culture,
Culture, plays, a, major, role, in, dietary, choices. Our, social, values, influence, what, we, eat, how, we, prepare, food, and, when, we, consume, it.
For, example, culture, dictates, which, edible, plants, and, animals, are, considered, food. In, the, United, States, most, people, consider, dogs, and ,horses, to, be, pets, not, food. However, horsemeat, is, a, common, dish, in, Central, Asian, countries, like, Kazakhstan, and, dog, meat, can, sometimes, be, found, in, restaurants, in, some, Southeast, Asian, countries, including, Vietnam. Most, westerners, also, object, to, the, thought, of, eating, insects, but, they, are, considered, delicacies, in, other, parts, of, the, world. People, native, to, Australia, and, the, island, of, New, Guinea, enjoy, grubs. In, Bali, Indonesia, dragonflies, boiled, in, coconut, milk, are, considered, a, delicacy. People, in, Ghana, enjoy, fried, or, roasted, termites.
Religion, often, plays, a, role, in, diet. For, example, Hindus, will, not, eat, beef, because, cattle, are, considered, sacred. Jewish, and, Muslim, beliefs, forbid, eating, pork, or, shellfish. Many, Hindus, Jains, and, Buddhists, avoid, eating, animals, altogether.
A, diet, that, does, not, include, meat, fish, or, poultry, is, called, a, vegetarian, diet. Religion, is, just, one, reason, people, choose, to, become, vegetarians. Other, reasons, include, personal, health, concern, for, animal, welfare, or concern, about, the, environment.

Vegans, are, vegetarians, who, avoid, all, animal, products, including, eggs, milk, cheese, and, honey.
In, addition, to, affecting, what, people, eat, culture, also, shapes, how, foods, are, prepared, and, served. For, instance, people, in, India, typically, use, a, complex, combination, of, spices, to, season, their, dishes. Japanese, cuisine, on, the, other, hand, embraces, simplicity, to, showcase, the, freshness, of, the, ingredients.

Traditional, diets, developed, around, the, foods, that, were, available, in, a, particular, location, and, the, traditions, of, each, particular, cultural, group. Today, however, we have, the, ability, to, import, foods, from, all, over, the, world, and, modern, communications, make, it, easy, for, us, to, learn, about, and, try, many, different, cuisines. No, one, is, surprised, today, to, find, Greek, food, in, Cincinnati, Ohio; fast-food, burgers, in, Tokyo, Japan; or, a, Pakistani, restaurant, in, London, England. 
In, developed, countries, many, people, have, abandoned, traditional, diets, in, favor, of, highly, processed, foods. The, high, levels, of, sugar, salt, and, refined, grains, in, these, foods, however, have, led, to, increased, levels, of, diabetes, and, heart, disease. Obesity, is, a, common, problem, in, countries, with, an, abundance, of, these, inexpensive, high-calorie, foods.
As, a, result, many, people, in, developed, countries, are, adopting, new, healthier, diets. For, example, some, people, are, choosing, to, buy, only, seasonal, locally, grown, foods. Others, are, seeking, out, organically, grown, foods. Many, people, seek, out, more, humanely, produced, animal, products, such, as, free-range, chicken, or, grass-fed, beef. A lot of, foods, today, also, contain, additives, that, increase, their, nutritional, value, such, as, orange, juice, containing, calcium, or, eggs, fortified, with, omega-3, fatty, acids.
Many, people, are, also, rediscovering, healthier, traditional, diets. For, example, Native, American, communities, have, a, high, risk, of, diabetes. Recently, some, Native, American, communities, in, California, such, as, the, Pomo, have, encouraged, the, use, of, acorns, and, acorn, flour. Acorns, were, a, staple, food, in, the, Pomo, diet, for, centuries. A, diet, with, acorns, squash, and, other, traditional, ingredients, is, full, of, nutrients, and, does, not, contribute, to, a, risk, of, heart, disease, or, diabetes.