Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for an organism. Food is usually of plant origin, and contains essential nutrient, such as carbohydrate, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism’s cell to provide energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.
Many plants and plant parts are eaten as food and around thousands plant species are cultivated for food. Many of these plant species have several distinct cultivars.
Seeds of plants are a good source of food for living beings, because they contain the nutrients necessary for the plant’s initial growth, including many healthful fats, such as omega fats.
In fact, the majority of food consumed by human beings is seed-based foods. Edible seeds include cereals (corn, wheat, rice, beans, pea and nuts. Oilseeds are often pressed to produce rich oils – sunflower, flaxseed, rapeseed (including canola oil), sesame, etc
Seeds are generally high in unsaturated fats and, in moderation, are considered a health food. However, not all seeds are edible for humans. Large seeds, such as those from a lemon, pose a choking hazard, while seeds from cherries and apples contain cyanide which could be poisonous only if consumed in large volumes. Birds are also well-known for feeding on seeds.
Fruits are the ripened ovaries of plants, including the seeds within. Some botanical fruits, such as tomatoes and pumpkins are eaten as vegetables.
Vegetables are a second type of plant matter that is commonly eaten as food. These include root vegetables (potatoes and carrots), bulbs (onions family), leaf vegetables (spinach and lettuce), stem vegetables (bamboo shoots and asparagus), and inflorescence vegetables (globe artichoke and broccoli and other vegetables such as cabbage or cauliflower.
