Power is what? The meaning of the word "food"

Many words in Russian have several meanings. The term "food", used in various spheres of public life in accordance with its connotations, is no exception. So, what is food?

A synonym for the word "food"

Although the grammatical structure of the term initially assumes a process or action (nutrition as the absorption of food), the explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language state that food is primarily food, food. Most often the term is used in this sense in texts on medical subjects with such adjectives as "strengthened", "healthy", "correct". Here you can also include the phrase "baby food", which denotes a set of specialized products suitable for feeding children from infancy to three years. As a rule, children's milk mixes, granulated teas, meat and vegetable purees, as well as sour-milk products cooked according to special technologies, are not eaten by adults.

Systems approach

In a broader sense, nutrition is a system of absorbing foods with certain rules, restrictions, and order. An excellent example is the diet, which implies the presence of structured principles for the selection, preparation and consumption of food. Some diets are based on a simple system of rules: to limit the amount of sweet in the diet, less often to drink spirits, cook mainly on steam and in the oven. Other diets describe scheduled meals for a week, a month or even for an indefinite period (an excellent example of temporary uncertainty - the famous Ducane diet). There are also such systems that require unconditional submission to the rules throughout life or the maximum possible period. These include vegetarianism of all varieties, veganism and raw diet.

Organizational issue

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question about what is food, since, in addition to the above values, the term can denote the organization of food supply. An elementary example is the phrase "catering", by which one understands the complex structure of networks of restaurants, cafes, canteens, pizzerias and other institutions that assume the absorption of food on their territory. An interesting neologism in Russian is the term "fast food" - it's almost a literal translation of the English term "fast food". Within the logical categories, social and fast food are correlated as general and private. It is noteworthy that fast food eventually turns into a separate school of cooking: there are dishes that are prepared only in cafes and fast food restaurants.

When it's not about food

The meaning of the word under consideration is not only direct, but also portable. In specialized vocabulary, food is energy or fuel, on which the equipment operates. The parallel between the meanings is obvious: how a person can not live and act normally without food, and the cable, engine or any technically complex device can not function without power.

Different points of view

Not all scientists understand the meaning of the word "food" in the same way. Some linguists and philologists say that this word can denote any edible products, while others are sure that only ready-to-eat meals can feed the person, and not raw ingredients, theoretically too, are food. Moreover, real food should give the consumer the maximum of useful substances necessary to keep his body in good shape and to ensure the normal functioning of all organs and systems. Of course, any viewpoints have a right to exist; It is quite possible that an innovative approach to the meaning of the term will soon enter into the texts of the explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language.