Energy from food and drink provides fuel for your body. It also carries nutrients to your cells and gets rid of waste. Choose foods and drinks low in fat, sugar, salt, and calories.
Choose hydrating foods to help you meet your fluid intake goals. Water is best, but a variety of soft drinks in cooling, fruit flavours can help maintain hydration.
Definition
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for an organism. It is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
Drinking primarily refers to liquids that can be consumed for hydration or pleasure. It excludes urination (which would be considered a drink if you put it in a glass), though soup and smoothies straddle the line between drink and food by being both liquid and semi-solid.
The right choices of food and drink help you thrive. They give your body the fuel it needs to work properly and protect you from disease. Food and drink also play important roles in social life. They can enhance the flavors of a meal, or contrast with it, and they often complement each other in cultural ways.
Pairings
Food and drink pairings can elevate the flavors of a dish and offer a whole new experience to your guests. This can be anything from a cold beer with your pizza to an old-fashioned milk and cookies pairing. The pairing process can be as simple or complex as you like but it’s important to remember that the beverage should complement the food rather than overpowering it.
A good pairing should also take mouthfeel into account. Bubbles work well with crunchy, fried foods while creamy cocktails are a great companion to dishes that are rich in texture.
In general, pairings can be broken down into two categories: mirroring and contrasting. Mirroring means selecting drinks that match a food’s characteristics through similar flavor profiles. For example, the savory spice in Bloody Mary is perfectly complemented by the boldness of a cooked fried egg. Conversely, a crisp glass of Champagne pairs well with seafood and fish dishes because of its naturally light taste.
Acidity
Acidic foods and drinks can cause enamel erosion, which is when the outer layer of your teeth starts to wear away. Eating more alkaline foods like bananas, cold milk, and aniseeds can help neutralize acids in your mouth before they start damaging your teeth. To test a drink or food for its acidity, you can use pH strips purchased from drugstores. These paper strips have different color scales, and you can dip one end into your drink and then read the resulting color to determine how acidic it is.
Acidity can also be treated with a variety of home remedies. Avoiding acidic foods, not eating 3 hours before sleeping, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, and exercising regularly can all reduce the effects of Acidity. In more severe cases, over-the-counter antacids can provide relief from Acidity symptoms. Other treatment options include consuming bananas, cold milk, apricots, melon, carrots, ginger, fennel seeds, and cinnamon. Taking more water and avoiding fatty foods can also help.
