Food is any substance, usually composed primarily of carbohydrates, fats, water and/or proteins, that can be eaten or drunk by an animal for nutrition or pleasure. Items considered food may be sourced from plants, animals or other categories such as fungus or fermented products like alcohol. Although many human cultures sought food items through hunting and gathering, today most cultures use farming, ranching, and fishing, with hunting, foraging and other methods of a local nature included but playing a minor role.Most traditions have a recognizable cuisine, a specific set of cooking traditions, preferences, and practices, the study of which is known as gastronomy. Many cultures have diversified their foods by means of preparation, cooking methods and manufacturing. This also includes a complex food trade which helps the cultures to economically survive by-way-of food, not just by consumption.Many cultures study the dietary analysis of food habits. While humans are omnivores, religion and social constructs such as morality often affect which foods they will consume. Food safety is also a concern with foodborne illness claiming many lives each year. In many languages, food is often used metaphorically or figuratively, as in "food for thought".

Researchers found dangerous levels of mercury and arsenic in Lake Baiyangdian, the largest lake in North China, a source of both food and drinking water. First reported by David Kagan in Sunstroke and his latest, book, Doomwatch--the Legacy.

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In an excerpt from "Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink," writer Malcolm Gladwell, who also penned the best-sellers "The Tipping Point" and "Blink," examines why America's favorite condiment, ketchup, deserves an upgrade.

We want to eat, drink and smell chocolate for one simple reason. it's good and it might just be the best food ever invented. So if you are a chocolate fanatic you have come to the right place. You will find links to a very large number of web sites devoted to chocolate, find books for cooking with chocolate.

Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a med