Foods are any material taken from a living being to give nutrition to an organism for sustenance. There are two categories of foods: vegetal and animal. Vegetable food is generally of animal, plant or both type, and has all the essential nutrients, including vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, or minerals, required by the organism to function normally. Animal food is food made by animals, including milk, eggs, meat, fish, milk, and vegetables.
The first step to develop a nutritious and balanced diet is to choose a food that contains the required amounts of the desired number of macronutrients. Examples of macronutrients are: carbohydrates, protein, fat, fibre, minerals, and vitamins. These elements cannot be taken from plants alone, because plants contain only a small amount of all the necessary nutrients; they are always combined with some other macro-nutrients. However, if you eat mainly meat, you need to take more food that contains carbohydrates and protein.
Carbohydrates are those foods that can be converted into energy. Protein is the most important macronutrient because it provides the body with the building blocks of muscular tissues. Fat is used for energy and in the case of animal products, this is partly used as a source of oil. Fibre, the most important macronutrient, comes from plant products and can be found in whole grains, beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and some grains. To get all the food groups, you should eat a variety of different food types.