166 Eating for Good Health
Main Foods
and Helper
Foods
➤ Good nutrition
means eating enough
food and the right
kind of food for the
body to grow, be
healthy, and fight off
disease.
Helper Foods
beans, rich in
protein
In much of the world, most people eat one main low-cost
food with almost every meal. Depending on the region, this
may be rice, maize, millet, wheat, cassava, potato, breadfruit, or
plantain. This main food usually provides most of the body’s
daily food needs.
By itself, however, the main food is not enough to keep a
person healthy. Other ‘helper’ foods are needed to provide
protein (which helps build the body), vitamins and minerals
(which help protect and repair the body), and fats and sugar
(which give energy).
The healthiest diets have a variety of foods, including some
foods with protein, and fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins
and minerals. You need only a small amount of fat and sugar.
But if you have problems getting enough food, it is better to
eat foods with sugar and fat than to eat too little food.
A woman does not need to eat all the foods listed here to
be healthy. She can eat the main foods she is accustomed to,
and add as many helper foods as are available in her area.
milk products, rich
in protein
meat, eggs, and fish,
rich in protein
while
not a
food,
clean
water is necessary
for good health
nuts, a good
source of
protein
Main Foods
fats
vegetables,
rich in
vitamins and
minerals
fruits, rich in
vitamins and
minerals
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012
sugars