Nutrition, food, and its health perspective

"Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food" is quoted by Hippocrates around 400 bc, which means let our food be a medicine for all ailments. Food is an integral part of nutrition, providing all the required nutrients and reducing hunger. The green revolution evolved to reduce hunger across the globe with increased production of cereals. As a result, rice and wheat were produced more and regarded as staple food crops among the diverse food crops. As per the requirement during that phase, Green Revolution positively responded by reducing the number of hungry people in developing countries. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that although during Green Revolution, there was a decline in the number of hungry people in the developing nations, on the other side, it also increased substantially for the malnourished children, especially in the sub-Saharan region. This may be due to the higher dependence on a few food crops while neglecting several food crops (millets, maize, indigenous foods, etc.) rich in macro- and micro-nutrients. Nutrition influences human health through the choices of food that are being consumed by influencing the quality and well-being. Only during the late eighteenth century, scientists could evaluate the consumption of certain foods and their influence on health through proper functioning of the body and protection against specific diseases. Nutrition as a whole is broadly divided into categories of optimum nutrition, undernutrition, malnutrition, and overnutrition, which state the physiological status of a person depending on food consumption for nutrients. Other than nutrition, many factors influence person's proper well-being, such as lifestyle, environment, and availability. Among the factors, nutrition plays an important role in preventing and managing diseases, thereby improving the quality and promoting health status.1 Food as a whole is considered as substance that provides nutrients categorized as macro- and micronutrients. Macronutrients include components of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins required in large quantities, whereas, micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are required in small quantities. Apart from providing nutrients, many foods contain several bioactive compounds that impart health-beneficial effects, commonly known as nutraceuticals. Due to the beneficial properties, worldwide demand for novel functional foods with nutraceutical properties has been researched in recent years. A food is considered to be healthy and provides all the required or maximum nutrients according to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) to the person. The food composition provides the required information about a particular food, which is required to attain a conclusion regarding the quantity of food to be consumed. Even though the food database includes nutritional information about various types of commonly consumed foods, there is a need for constant evaluation of food components in many indigenous foods, food composition data is lacking and varies region-wise. In recent decades, nutritional and hygienic food has been attributed largely to the general improvement of the health status of people worldwide. However, the challenge relies upon providing adequate and safe food to mankind which is free from toxins, harmful microorganisms, and hazardous compounds. To meet the nutritional requirements as per RDA, dietary diversity is the need of the hour to combat various nutritional problems. Many of the nutritional-related diseases in the twentieth century were largely eradicated by providing the required nutrients through food approaches across the world, including pellagra, scurvy, and rickets.2 Worldwide only a few organizations play a vital role in regulating food and nutrition from a health perspective, such as the FAO, World Health Organization (WHO), and Codex Alimentarius. The main objectives of these organizations are providing food security, harmonizing food standards, and ensurement of health to society. On the verge of recent developments in society, it has been recommended to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables by the WHO and FAO, especially in developing countries, ensuring dietary diversification. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.