One of the saddest features of the modern world is that millions of
people do not have enough to eat and many more do not have the right
kinds of food required for good health.
In order to be healthy, man needs a balanced diet, i.e. a diet that
contains the right amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins and
minerals. The carbohydrate in bread, rice, potatoes and sugary foods
provides energy for the body. Too much carbohydrate, however, can
make people obese and obesity can endanger health. These people
usually have serious health problems since they are extremely fat. The
oils and fats in milk, cream, butter, cheese and meat provide the body's
main stored food and contain much more energy than carbohydrates.
The protein in cheese, eggs, meat, fish and milk quickens growth and
repair damage to the body's tissues. The body also needs small
variety of foods, the required amounts of vitamins and minerals are
taken in.
Historically, the diets of different societies depend on such factors as
climate, soil and the ease or difficulty of transporting foods from one
place to another. The simple diet of the Bedouin Arabs consists of
dates, grains and sometimes meat and vegetables. This is because the
land is very dry and, as a result, very few foods can be grown there.
On the other hand, a country such as France, with a good climate and
rich soil, has always had plentiful and a great variety of foods.
When people move to another country and culture, they usually take
their eating habits with them. They feel psychologically comfortable
when they eat the foods they have known all their lives.
When discussing food and diet, it is possible to divide the world's
population into two sections: those who have lots of food and those
who suffer shortages of even the most basic foods. Developed
countries have the financial means and the technology to provide all
kinds of foods for their people. Refrigeration, food preservation and
modern transport systems allow these people to enjoy foods from all
parts of the world. For instance, the British are not able to grow
sufficient food for their needs, but they import a wide variety of foods,
from potatoes to exotic tropical fruits. Food processing has meant that
the seasons are no longer important: vegetables such as peas and beans
are canned or frozen and are available the whole year round; soft fruits
such as strawberries, which are only produced locally for a short
season, can be imported from other parts of the world.
Although some developed nations have been experiencing financial
difficulties recently, the result has not been damaging. The effects of
economic problems on developing countries, however, have been very
serious. One disastrous result is famine. Millions of people in Africa,
particularly babies and small children, have lost their lives because there
is no food. Droughts, or long periods of dry weather, are a major cause
of this famine. There is also the economic pressure to produce industrial
crops, such as cotton, for export. Thus, these countries are unable to
produce sufficient amounts of food crops for their own people. Many
developing countries do not have the money to buy the food they need
from abroad. Fortunately, the developed countries have reacted to the
famine crisis and are providing food from their high food surpluses.
Meanwhile, over large parts of the world, hungry people are worried
about not what to eat, but if they will eat.
