Food Types and their Powers

Food Types and Nutrients

Food can be classified according to their functions:

• Energy giving foods
• Body building foods
• Protective and regulatory foods

Food groups comprise Basic Four, Basic Five, Basic Seven, Basic Nine and Basic Eleven Food Group Plans. The nine-group plan is listed below.

1. Cereal and Millet

Some examples are rice, wheat, ragi, bajra, jowar, corn and all products made from these such as cereal flakes, puffed cereals, noodles, macaroni, bread, pizza bread and cakes.

2. Pulse, Lentil and Legume

Some examples are black, red and green gram, bengal gram, cowpea, peas and rajma.

3. Milk and Milk Products

Some examples are cow's milk, buffalo milk, goat's milk, butter, ghee, paneer, cheese, kheer, payasam, rabdi, basundi and similar foods.

4. Nut and Oilseed

Some examples are groundnut, cashew nut, walnut, pistachio and badam.

5. Fat and Oil

Some examples are groundnut oil, coconut oil, sesame (gingelly) oil, sunflower, safflower oil, butter and ghee. Fat can be visible fat, like oil. There is also invisible fat that cannot be seen but is consumed. For example, nuts and oil seeds also contain fat. Fat could be vegetable fat or animal fat.

6. Vegetables

There are four different groups of vegetables:

• Green leafy vegetables - such as spinach, lettuce, coriander and mint.
• Roots - such as beetroot, carrot and radish.
• Tubers - such as potatoes, yams, onions and colocasia.
• Other vegetables - such as cucumber, tomato, ladies finger and brinjal.

There are four different groups of fruits:

• Yellow and orange fruits - such as papaya and mango.
• Citrus fruits - such as oranges, lemons.
• Dry fruits - such as figs, dates, raisins.
• Other fruits - such as banana, pineapple, grapes.

Some examples are fenugreek, turmeric, tamarind, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and pepper.

9. Meat, Poultry and Seafood

Some examples are mutton, chicken, eggs and all edible birds, fish, crab, lobsters and shrimp.

The food that you consume provides essential chemical compounds called nutrients. Some of these are:

• Carbohydrates - energy giving
• Protein - body building
• Fats - energy storing
• Minerals - protective and regulatory
• Vitamins - protective and regulatory
• Water

Nutrients and Food Powers Chart

Food Type	Nutrients Present	Powers
cereal and millet	major carbohydrate source; also provides fat	energy giving
pulse, lentil and legume	major protein source; also provides fat and carbohydrate	body building
milk and its products	major protein source; also provides fat and carbohydrate	body building, energy giving
nut and oilseed	major fat source; also provides protein	energy storing, body building
fat and oil	major fat source	energy storing
vegetables	major source of vitamins and minerals	protective & regulatory
fruits	major source of vitamins and minerals	protective & regulatory
herbs, condiments and spices	Phytochemicals
meat, poultry and seafood	major protein source; also provides a significant amount of fat	body building, energy storing