How Well Do You Know Your Food Where Does Food Come From

Food is extremely important for human survival.All of us eat food on a daily basis, but what do we know about it? Where does food come from? Does most of what we eat come from the supermarket? If so, how did the supermarket get the food?Just as there are multiple types of food, there are also multiple sources of food. Sometimes we might think about the different things we eat and wonder how we get them. For example, do pizzas grow on a plant? Of course we know that this is not the case, but where exactly do they come from? Pizza has various different ingredients like a crust (which is a type of bread), cheese (which is a dairy product), and toppings which may include vegetables like corn, tomatoes, and other vegetables. Meat products like chicken, ham, and pork are also common toppings on pizza.Enjoying this article? You may also want to read more Kidadl fun facts like where does grass seed come from and where does light come from.What are the seven types of food?It is extremely important for us to know where our food comes from. There are seven types of food and, when classified according to nutrition, these seven types of food include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and water.Carbohydrates consist of different sugars and starches that can be found in vegetables, fruits, nuts, milk products, and grains. A lot of people usually avoid carbohydrates while trying to lose weight, and this is because of the misconception that eating carbs will make you gain weight. However, the truth is that carbs are one of the most important elements when it come to having a healthy diet. Typically, anything that is eaten in moderation is good for your health.Proteins are like the Legos of your body, functioning as the building blocks of the organs, skin, and muscles. The more proteins one consumes, the better the body will get at repairing itself and building muscles. This is why sports people and growing children are encouraged to have more protein. Some good examples of protein are dairy products, like cheese and yogurt, and meat products, like fish, beef, and many others. It’s good for children to consume at least 13 to 34 grams of protein per day, depending on their age.Fats are foods that help with the regulation of temperature, absorption of vitamins, and are also an important source of energy. At least 20 to 35 percent of our daily calories should come from fat. Not all food containing fat will immediately make you gain weight, but, if eaten in excess, it can lead to obesity. Olive oil is a good source of fat and it’s very healthy for your skin. It has also been stated that fats provide us insulation, especially in colder climates. Some other good sources of fats are nuts, meat, dairy products, and vegetables.Fibers help to keep our digestive system in a healthy condition and help in the prevention of multiple diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, and others. Some important examples of fibrous foods are pulses, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.Minerals are one of the most important of these seven types of foods. They provide a variety of functions like building teeth and bones, transporting oxygen in the body, balancing fluids, and helping to build muscles. Foods containing minerals include nuts and seeds, yogurt and cheese, starchy vegetables, and organ meat among others.Vitamins are very important and help in the regulation and maintenance of our immune systems. Fruits and vegetables provide a very good source of vitamins.Water is another element we cannot survive without. It plays a very important role in the digestion process. It helps in maintaining the body’s pH levels while also helping sustain bodily fluids.Where does iron come from in food?Iron is one of the most important elements present in our food and contributes to good health. It helps prevent anemia and boosts the body’s resistance to infections.There are different ways the body can get iron and one of the best ways is through eating iron-rich food. To have good health it is important to eat foods that are high in iron content like fish, red meat, and poultry. Nuts, dried fruits, tofu, lentils, vegetables, beans, cereals, milk and milk products, are also good sources of iron that you should include in your diet.Where does America’s food come from?Although most food that is required by a family can be found in a supermarket, it has traveled from places all over the country and the world to get to the shelves. All the food comes from either plants or animals. In the case of plants, food either comes from wild plants (which bear fruits and vegetables) or from the plants that farmers grow themselves. This process is called agriculture. The crops produced are eaten by humans and animals. Next are the food which come from animals. We can divide them into two parts: food that comes from them directly (meat) and food that comes from them indirectly (products such as eggs, milk, honey, and more). It is very important to understand where foods come from. Farmers grow different crops year after year for everyone’s consumption.There are various sources from which Americans get their food. Luckily for them, their food supply is one of the world’s safest, most affordable, and abundant. A large part of this is attributed to the productivity and efficiency of America’s ranch and farm families. Its top three farm products include corn, soybeans, and calves and cattle. About 86% of the agricultural products are produced on family farms or ranches. A cow that can produce milk at a high capacity may help to produce around 8.7 gal (32.9 l) of ice cream, 4.8 lb (2.2 kg) of butter, or 10.5 lb (4.8 kg) of cheese. A farm is also where animals are bred for human consumption in foods such as burgers or chicken nuggets.A large part of the food that America receives is from imports. The use of imports means that, if America lacks a particular type of food, it gets anything it needs from another country. For example, Mediterranean food is imported from the country of Italy. There are also other sources of Mediterranean food like the food from Greece, Spain, and others. However, Italy is one of the top four sources of food imports in America. The different Mediterranean foods include fish, meat, legumes, pasta, eggs, and also foods like pizza and cheeses. In fact, the American diet consists of food from all over the world.Where does the energy in food come from?The energy that we use up each day to perform all of our daily tasks is energy that we receive from the food we consume. But how does the food we eat give us energy? The food we eat gains its energy from the sun. Let’s take a closer look at this.All food that is consumed is either directly or indirectly from plants. The vegetables and fruits that we eat are directly taken from plants, and the food which we get from animals is either directly from their meat or from their products like milk and eggs, which also get their energy from plants. This happens because the animals that eat the plants (herbivores) get their energy from the plants, and the animals that eat other animals (carnivores) get their energy indirectly from the plants. This is because energy which the herbivore got from its food is passed on to the next animal when it is eaten.Now that it is clear that everything always comes back to plants, how do plants get their energy from the sun? The process through which plants make their own energy is called photosynthesis. One of the main components of photosynthesis, without which the process would not be able to take place, is sunlight. The plants use the help of water, carbon dioxide, sunlight, and chlorophyll (present in the leaves of the plant) to make their food and energy. This comes in the form of simple carbohydrates like glucose. Along with sunlight, nutrients from the soil also play a crucial role for the plants that grow in it.Plants convert some of this energy in the form of starch and store the micro nutrients in other forms like lipids and proteins. When the animals eat plants, they consume this energy directly, which was originally obtained by the plant from the sun. Humans also obtain this same energy through the fruits and vegetables produced by plants.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for How Well Do You Know Your Food: Where Does Food Come From? then why not take a look at What Is Feta Cheese? Where Does Feta Cheese Come From?, or Where Does Curly Hair Come From? Curious Human Hair Facts For Kids?

Food is extremely important for human survival.