FOOD 1001:
Food Categories and
Composition
Food Categories:
 Categories in the industry
 Fruits and vegetables
 Cereals, grains, baked products
 Milk and dairy products
 Meat, poultry, eggs, fish and seafood
 Legumes and nuts
 Beverages
 Chocolate and confectionery
Food Categories:
 Categories in Canada’s Food Guide
 Fruits and vegetables
 Grain products
 Milk and alternatives
 Meat and alternatives
Food Categories:
Catgories
 These categories overlap!
Industry
Canada’s Food Guide
Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables
Cereals, grains, baked products
Grains products
Milk and dairy products
Milk and alternatives
Meat, poultry, eggs, fish and seafood
Meat and alternatives
Legumes and nuts
?
Beverages
?
Chocolate and confectionery
?
Food Categories:
Industry
Legumes and nuts
(Add appropriate arrows and comments)
Canada’s Food Guide
Fruits and vegetables
Grains products
Beverages
Milk and alternatives
Chocolate and confectionery
Meat and alternatives
FOOD 1001:
Food Composition
Food Composition:
 Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and Vegetables:
A few simplified definitions:
 Fruits (in Botanical Terms):
 A plant part that contains seeds
 Fruits (in Food Industry Terms):
 A ‘fleshy’ plant part commonly eaten for
its sweetness (often as a ‘dessert’)
Fruits and Vegetables:
A few simplified definitions:
 Vegetables (in Botanical Terms):
 No botanical equivalent
 Botanical sciences use the terms :
shoot/stem, leaves, root, tuber, bulb, etc.
 Vegetables (in Food Industry Terms):
 A ‘herbaceous’ plant part commonly eaten
as part of a main meal
Fruits and Vegetables:
(Fill in the blanks)
A few examples:
Product
Orange
Pepper
Celery
Lettuce
Broccoli
Potato
Mushroom
Food Industry
Botany
Fruits and Vegetables:
 Composition:
Fresh fruits and vegetables are generally:
- High in water content (about 70-95% water)
- Low in protein (less than 4%)
- Low in fat (less than 1%)
- Contain variable amounts of carbohydrates
(sugar, starch and fiber)
- Contain various minerals and vitamins!
Fruits and Vegetables:
 Vitamin composition examples:
Particular fruits and veggies contain specific vitamins:
• Some dark green vegetables (spinach,
broccoli)
• Some orange fruits & vegetables (carrot,
sweet potato, cantaloupe, apricot)
Vitamin A
• Citrus fruit (oranges, grapefruit)
• Some green vegetables (broccoli)
• Most berries (strawberry, cranberry)
Vitamin C
Food Composition:
 Cereals, Grains and Baked
Products
Cereals, grains and baked products:
A few facts:
 Cereals are among the major crops on the planet
 They are used as the major sustenance food for a
large segment of the worldwide population (wheat,
rice, corn, oats, barley, rye, sorghum, millet)
 Cereals can be consumed directly, turned into flour
or processed into breads, pastas, crackers, etc.
Cereals, grains and baked products:
 Composition:
Cereals and grains are generally:
- Low in water content
- Low in protein: often deficient in high-quality
or ‘complete’ proteins
- Low in fat
- High in carbohydrates (especially starch and fiber)
Cereals, grains and baked products:
 Two divisions in baked products:
Low in low fat:
Breads (including most flat breads), crackers, bagels
High in fat:
Cakes, cookies, doughnuts, pastries, croissants
Many high fat baked products also contain high
sugar content
Food Composition:
 Milk and dairy products
Milk and dairy products :
Milk composition:
 Milk (from cows, goats, sheep) contains:
- High water content (around 85%)
- Some protein (around 3-4%): these are
high-quality proteins!
- Varying levels of fats and cholesterol
- Important source of calcium
- Most milks are fortified with vitamins A and D
Milk and dairy products :
Diary product composition:
 Processed milk products (yogurt, cheese, ice cream) :
- Generally, have the same relative composition as milk
• Some have higher fat content (butter, cream, sour
cream, most cheeses)
• Some have higher carbohydrates (sugar in ice cream
and some yogurts)
• Some have higher protein content (cottage cheese,
yogurt)
Milk and dairy products :
 Milk Intolerance:
- Milk intolerance is due to the presence of the sugar
Lactose
- Lactose is normally digested by the body by the
enzyme lactase
- People that do not produce enough lactase are
lactose intolerant
Milk and dairy products :
 Milk Intolerance:
- Lactase in artificially added to some milk products to
degrade lactose
- When 70% lactose is degraded = lactose-reduced
- When 99.9% lactose is degraded = lactose free
Food Composition:
 Meat, poultry, eggs,
fish and seafood
Meat, poultry, eggs, fish and seafood :
‘Red Meats’:
 Meat and meat products:
- Mostly beef, pork and lamb
- Source of high-quality protein
- Contain saturated fats and cholesterol
Meat, poultry, eggs, fish and seafood :
‘White Meats’:
 Poultry and poultry products :
- Mostly chicken, turkey and duck
- Source of high-quality protein
(more than red meats)
- Contain saturated fats and cholesterol
(less than red meats)
Cereals,
Meat,
poultry,
grains eggs,
and baked
fish and
products:
seafood :
 Meat products:
Processed meat products include:
- Salt-cured meat: ham and bacon
- Smoked meat: some pork, beef, and poultry products
- Dried meat: jerky (beef, poultry or other)
Meat, poultry, eggs, fish and seafood :
 Meat products:
Most processed meats contain very high levels of salt
(sodium) and nitrates (nitrogen compounds)
Curing and smoking cause chemical changes in meats
These normally change composition for the worse!
So why do we do it?
Meat, poultry, eggs, fish and seafood :
 Meat products:
Smoking, curing, drying and canning helped preserve meat
longer so a stock of high-quality protein was available
year-round
Advances in meat conservation technology has improved
(chilling, freezing), but we like the taste of processed
meats
Meat, poultry, eggs, fish and seafood :
Fish and seafood:
 Finfish:
- With a backbone and fins (salmon, tuna, trout, cod)
 Shellfish:
- Crustaceans (shrimps, lobster, crab)
- Mollusks (scallops, oysters, clams)
Meat, poultry, eggs, fish and seafood :
Fish and seafood:
 Finfish:
- High-quality proteins
- Some contain the sought-after omega-3 fatty
acids
 Shellfish:
- High-quality proteins
- Crustaceans often contain high levels of
cholesterol
Meat, poultry, eggs, fish and seafood :
Eggs:
 One of the most nutritious food around…
… when consumed in moderation
- High-quality proteins
- The yolk contains the fat and cholesterol
Food Composition:
 Legumes and nuts
Legumes and nuts:
Legumes:
 Legumes are edible seeds or pods
- They are mostly found dried or canned including:
• Chickpeas
• Kidney beans
• Black beans
• White beans
• Pinto beans
• Lentils
• Soybean
• Peanut
Legumes and nuts:
Nuts:
 In the food industry:
Nuts are defined as oily kernels found in
shells (peanuts qualify using this definition)
 Nuts include:
Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios,
macadamias
Legumes and nuts:
Legume and nut composition:
 Most legumes are:
- A source of good-quality protein
- Low in fat
- Low in sodium
- High in fiber
- A source of vitamins and minerals
 Some legumes are high in fat
Soybean and peanut, for example, are used to
make oils
Legumes and nuts:
Legume and nut composition:
 Most nuts are:
- A source of good-quality protein
- High in fat
- High in fiber
- A source of vitamins and minerals
Legumes and nuts:
Legume and nut composition:
 Soybean are extremely versatile:
Pressed : Oil (and margarine)
Fermented: Soy sauce
Soaked, ground, cooked and filtered: Soy milk
Processed soy milk: Tofu
Food Composition:
 Beverages
Beverages:
Consumed for a variety of reasons:
1. Thirst quenching: Water!
2. Stimulant effect: Coffee and tea
3. Alcoholic content: Beer and wine
4. Health benefits: Fruit and vegetable juices, milk
5. Enjoyment: Carbonated drinks (sodas, soft drinks)
Beverages:
(Add appropriate arrows and comments)
Examples of beverages
Orange juice
Canada’s Food Guide
Fruits and vegetables
Coffee and Tea
Soya Milk (fortified!)
Beer, Wine, Alcohol
Tomato juice
Grains products
Milk and alternatives
Meat and alternatives
Water
Carbonated soft drinks
Limit intake
Food Composition:
 Chocolate and
confectionery
Chocolate and confectionery:
Quick facts:
 ‘Candies’ are not consumed for good nutrition
They are mostly consumed for pleasure!
Sugar is most often the main ingredient, so
high carbohydrates are a feature of candy
Sugar is 100% (pure) carbohydrate
Chocolate and confectionery:
Quick facts:
 ‘Candies’ are not consumed for good nutrition
Some candies are high in fat (especially if cocoa
butter or cream is present)
Adding nuts or dried fruit to candies changes
the composition