Food is anything that is consumed or eaten and which provides nutrition to the body. Food is the fuel that runs the body. Food provides all the nutrition the human body needs. It is generally of either plant or animal origin. Food is a rich source of essentials such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. Different types of food provide different nutrients, which is the reason why doctors advice eating varied food type to keep the body in optimum condition and keep diseases at bay.

Many food types can be had raw such as fruits and salads. Fruits are a great source of vitamins while salads are a great source of minerals, in general. Greens and meat is generally considered to be the best source of proteins while poultry products too provide proteins and carbohydrates. Seafood is again rich in all kinds of nutrients and is a staple along the coastal regions of the world.

While raw food can be consumed, cooking is also a technique that brings out nutrients, flavours and taste in the food. Meat, poultry, greens, & seafood can all be cooked and are better served after cooking. Hundreds of recipes available for each food type make cooking a simpler task than many can imagine. Cooking helps raw food to stay edible for a longer duration. In cooking, one adds preservatives such as salt and spices to enhance the flavours and the aromas.

Cooking also, helps retain nutrients for a longer duration and the preservatives help in avoiding the food from turning stale and rotten. Cooking helps us eat food in a healthy manner and eat those kinds of food which are otherwise inedible especially seafood and meat.

With fast food pervading our lives, cooking food has now become an essential part of everyday life. Cooking food is now important as home cooked food is generally more nutritious than food available in restaurants.