Every food in its place and its usefulness. For the nutritional balance as well as for the pleasure of eating, it would be necessary to be able to draw every day in each of the main families of food:
– Milk and dairy products,
-Meat, fish and eggs,
-Fruits and vegetables,
– Starchy foods (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, pulses and other cereals),
– Vegetable fats (oils or margarines) and animals (butter, cream …),
– Sugar and sweet products,
– Drinks (only water is essential, others are to be consumed for pleasure, in moderation).
Milk and dairy products are rich in protein, calcium and certain B vitamins. They also contain lipids and vitamins A. These are our best sources of calcium, excellent and indispensable for making strong bones.
Meats, fish and eggs are characterized by their richness in protein and iron.
Vegetables and fruits are rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals. Their consumption should be encouraged. These are the only foods to contain vitamin C. They also contain simple carbohydrates and lots of water. Vitamins and minerals do not provide calories but are essential to the body that does not know how to make them. They must therefore be supplied by the power supply. These vitamins and minerals are present in varying amounts in food, hence the interest of having a varied and sufficient food to cover all the needs of our organism.
Starchy foods are rich in carbohydrate, protein, B group vitamins, minerals and fiber. Carbohydrates are our main source of energy. They must be part of our diet, mostly in the form of starch, hence the advice to eat bread with each meal and at least one dish of starchy food per day. Carbohydrates are also found in fruits but in lesser amounts.
Carbohydrates brought by sugar and sweetened products are fast sugars, quickly stored in the body, unlike slow sugars. Rapid sugars are not fundamentally necessary to our dietary balance, and are consumed however in moderation.
The fatty substances are rich in energy, they are essential to the functioning of our cells. The role and function of lipids depend on the nature of the fatty acids they contain. They are also sources of vitamins A and D, vitamin E and essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are the guardians of our neurons.