food

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Anything eaten by human beings and other animals, or absorbed by plants, to sustain life and health. The building blocks of food are nutrients, and humans can utilize the following nutrients: carbohydrates as starches found in bread, potatoes, and pasta; as simple sugars in sucrose and honey; and as fibres in cereals, fruit, and vegetables; proteins from nuts, fish, meat, eggs, milk, and some vegetables; fats as found in most animal products (meat, lard, dairy products, fish), also in margarine, nuts and seeds, olives, and edible oils; vitamins, found in a wide variety of foods, except for vitamin B₁₂ which is found mainly in foods of animal origin; and minerals, found in a wide variety of foods (for example, calcium from milk and broccoli, iodine from seafood, and iron from liver and green vegetables).

The cross represents the Greek Orthodox faith. Blue stands for the sea and sky. The shade has varied over the years. White symbolizes purity. Effective date: 22 December 1978. >>