3 Types of Food: Plant Food, Animal Food, Sea Food

The food that we consume daily comes from either plants, animals, or from the sea or water bodies. So, all food is broadly classified into 3 main groups based on their source of origin.

1) Plant Food

2) Animal Food

3) Seafood

1) Plant Food
Plant Food is classified into various sub-groups as follows

1. Cereals or grains
2. Pulses or lentils (legumes)
3. Vegetables
4. Fruits
5. Flowers
6. Roots
7. Nuts and Seeds
8. Spices and herbs

(i) Cereals and Grains

• Cereals constitute a major portion of our daily food intake. This group includes major larger grains of Rice, Wheat, Maize or, Corn, Barley, Rye and smaller grains of Millets.
• Millets are smaller grained (grass crops like wheat and rice) which are also mostly consumed as cereals and grains.
• Millets include pearl millet (Bajra), finger millet (Ragi), Sorghum, Jowar, foxtail millet (Thinai), and many other varieties found in India and Africa.
• All these grains, or cereals, are consumed either in grain form or in flour and broken granules form for preparing various dishes.

(ii) Pulses or Lentils

• Pulses and lentils are mostly used as side dishes with rice and wheat food.
• These are also known as legumes as they are found in the form of pods with the seeds attached to one side of the pod inside the pods hanging to these leguminous plants.
• Some varieties of these legumes are used as fodder for cattle like alfalfa and clover, etc.
• Peas, beans, soybeans, groundnuts, and other lentils and pulses in their dried form are grouped as these lentils and pulses.
• Peas include pigeon peas, chickpeas, cowpeas (Lobia), and other varieties of peas. They are mostly referred to as pulses or grams by Indians and Europeans.

(iii) Vegetables

• Vegetables are mostly used as side dishes with main food and they are prepared either as curries or as salads and as chutneys or soups.
• Vegetables come in different forms, colors, and shapes. There are round large pumpkins, bottle gourds, bitter gourds, small and big or long and short eggplants, tomatoes, leafy cabbages, capsicum, etc.
• Some of the vegetables can be eaten raw like cucumber, tomato, carrot, peas, etc.
• Vegetables can be classified into different types of vegetables such as:

          salad vegetables

          fruit vegetables

          podded vegetables

          bulb and stem vegetables

          bud and flower vegetables

          root and tube vegetables  

(iv) Fruits

• Fruits are mostly eaten raw either by removing skin or without removing the skin.
• Fruits are also of different shapes, sizes, and colors. For example pineapple, papaya, banana, apple, fig, cherries, guava, grapes, watermelon, pears, etc.
• Fruits are eaten either whole or by cutting into pieces. 
• They are used for making salads, desserts, or for juices and wines.
• Fruits are either sweet or sour (citrous) in taste. 
• Fruits are classified into following three types or categories -

          simple fruits like apple, banana, etc.

          aggregate fruits like strawberry, blackberry, etc.

          multiple fruits like pineapple, fig, mulberry, etc.

(v) Flowers

• Many flowers are used for food purposes through the medium of either for making oils or for honey and sweetening purposes.
• Sunflower oil is the most popular.
• Canola oil is a new edible oil and rich in Omega 3.
• Roses, violets, and other sweet petals are used for honey and sweetening purposes.
• Other vegetable flowers like cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage are treated as vegetables.

(vi) Roots

• Most roots are good for food like taproots, tubers, and bulbs or buds underground.
• taproots include radish, turnip, carrot, and beets, etc.
• potato, sweet potato, ginger, turmeric, etc. are examples of tuberous roots.
• Bulbs and buds consist of food like onions, garlic, leek, etc.

(vii) Nuts and Seeds

• Nuts and seeds are rich in nutritional values and mostly used for building body and health.
• Most of the nuts and seeds are used for extracting oils or for beverages besides consuming them as food supplements by bodybuilders. 
• Cotton seeds, rapeseeds, mustard, almond, walnut, chestnut are some of the oilseeds.
• Coffee seeds and cacao are used for beverages.
• Almonds, Cashew nuts, walnuts are consumed for bodybuilding purposes.

(viii) Spices and Herbs

• Spices and herbs are used for spicing up food or for preparing medicines and beverages.
• Tea is used for preparing the beverage known as tea which is native to Asian countries.
• Spices include pepper, mustard, cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon, green chilies, dry chilies (red or orange), asafoetida, coriander seeds, etc.
• Herbs include mint leaves, coriander leaves, garlic leaves, celery, and many other varieties used for garnishing food or for preparing medicines.

2) Animal Food
Animal food refers to all food derived from domestic as well as wild animals and poultry animals/birds like meat and dairy food products.

• Meat includes the muscles, liver, and kidney parts of these animals like the meat of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, etc.
• Poultry food refers to the meat and eggs derived from chicken, turkey, ducks, pigeons, and many other birds.
• Dairy food means the milk and all milk products like yogurt, ghee, fats, and creams made from milk.

3) Sea Food

• Seafood is also known as aquatic food. 
• Seafood includes fish, shellfish, and even dolphins and whales, etc.
• Seaweeds are also consumed as seafood.
• Some aquatic organisms or creatures are also consumed by people.