diet (food)

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Range of foods eaten by an animal each day; it is also a particular selection of food, or the total amount and choice of food for a specific person or group of people. Most animals require seven kinds of food in their diet: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, water, and roughage. A diet that contains all of these things in the correct amounts and proportions is termed a balanced diet. The amounts and proportions required varies with different animals, according to their size, age, and lifestyle. The digestive systems of animals have evolved to meet particular needs; they have also adapted to cope with the foods available in the surroundings in which they live. The necessity of finding and processing an appropriate diet is a very basic drive in animal evolution. Dietetics is the science of feeding individuals or groups; a dietician is a specialist in this science.

Dietary requirements may vary over the lifespan of an animal, according to whether it is growing, reproducing, highly active, or approaching death. For instance, increased carbohydrate for additional energy, or increased minerals, may be necessary during periods of growth.

An adequate diet for humans is one that supplies the body's daily nutritional needs (see nutrition), and provides sufficient energy to meet individual levels of activity. The average daily requirement for men is 2,500 calories, but this will vary with age, occupation, and weight; in general, women need fewer calories than men. The energy requirements of active children increase steadily with age, reaching a peak in the late teens. At present, about 450 million people in the world – mainly living in famine or poverty-stricken areas, especially in countries of the developing world – subsist on fewer than 1,500 calories per day. The average daily intake in developed countries is 3,300 calories.

Red, white, and blue recall the French tricolour. Red, yellow, and green are the pan-African colours. Red represents the common blood of mankind which links African and European nations. Effective date: 1 December 1958. >>