It’s important in English to use the correct preposition when we want to convey our meaning of a word. In this article, we’ll look at the difference between using “need of” and “need for” and when either of them is appropriate.
Is It “Need Of” Or “Need For”?
“Need of” should be used when someone is “in need” and is desperate to have something. It may also be used formally to mean “have need of,” though usually just “need” will suffice. “Need for” should be used when saying there is a “need” for something in particular to happen.
According to The Cambridge Dictionary, “need” means “to have to have something, or to want something very much.” We can use it to talk about possessions or something less tangible (like a “need for silence”).
Is “Need Of” Or “Need For” Used The Most?
Let’s go over which of the two phrases and prepositions is more commonly seen in English. With this information, you should start being able to figure out which is more common and why we say it.
According to this graph, “need for” is the most popular choice. That’s because there are more situations where “need for” is used in writing./ Generally, “need of” is only used in more specific situations (like being “in need of something”).
Whenever we come across two similar phrases, we can always look at the most popular written choice as the one that appears in more contexts. That usually means you’ll come across it yourself more often when you’re learning the language.
While we encourage you to learn both variations and what they mean, “need for” is clearer going to come up more frequently, so it’s more important to emphasize your learning of that to really get to understand it.
7 Examples Of How To Use “Need Of” In A Sentence
We find that examples are some of the most useful ways for us to teach you about new words and phrases. We’ll include some examples for both forms with the prepositions, and we’ll start with “need of.”
- I’m in need of some food if you have any spare.
- I’m in desperate need of money!
- I’m in need of new clothes but don’t have any money to buy them.
- We had need of shelter, and we were lucky to find it when we did.
- I’m in need of things that I’ve never had access to.
- Why is everyone in need of my time? I’m fully booked!
- I’m in need of a break. I hear there’s a nice spa not too far from here.
Usually, “need of” is followed by either “in” or “have.” When we use “in need of,” it means we don’t have something that we would really like to have (or we must have, depending on the urgency).
We use “have need of” in a more formal sense. It’s easier to replace it with just “need” as the verb in a more informal sense, but “have need of” means that there was a need for a particular thing to happen.
7 Examples Of How To Use “Need For” In A Sentence
Now let’s find out what makes “need for” so much more popular. It’s definitely going to come up more frequently, so pay close attention to these examples and what sets them apart from “need of.”
- There’s a need for balancing in these books before we end up bankrupt.
- We have a desperate need for equality.
- There’s a need for a change before the climate crisis spirals out of control.
- There is an urgent need for discipline in this school.
- I have no need for the things you’re offering me.
- I have no need for whatever it is you’re selling, so see you later!
- There’s a desperate need for more charitable donations here.
We typically use “need for” when we want to make a point that something is required of other people. Usually, it’s in reference to a place rather than a specific person, and we might be targeting a group of people when we’re talking about the “need.”
Usually, the words “a” or “an” will come before “need for” to emphasize the desperation of the word.
Need Of Or For – Synonyms
Synonyms and alternatives are a great way for you to explore your language knowledge and vocabulary. We’ll include a few examples of what you can use in place of “need of” and “need for.” Generally, these are seen as redundancies, and they can be shortened to the following:
- I (do not) need
This is the easiest way to shorten the phrase. It’s also the perfect synonym that means exactly the same as the two phrases. We can simply say “I need something” when we want to talk about having to have something.
- I require
“Require” is a verb that’s synonymous with “need.” That makes it another perfect example of a synonym that works to replace the waffle that is “in need of” or “a need for.”
What Is The Difference Between Needs And Wants?
Generally, we can group the words “needs” and “wants” together to roughly equate to things that people desire. However, there is an important distinction between the two.
“Needs” means that we desire something to the greatest extent or that we can’t possibly live without it. “Wants” means that we desire something without necessarily stating the extent. It shows a more general desire rather than an outright need.
Is It Ever Correct To Use “Needs Of” Or “Needs For”?
Whenever we use either of the phrases “needs of” or “needs for,” it’s important to look at situations where they might show up.
“Needs of” is correct when you want to use “the” before it to be more specific about the “needs.” “Needs for” is grammatically incorrect and is never used.
You can see what we mean about including “the” before “needs of” by looking at this famous saying:
- The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
This is a great example of when “needs of” is used, though it’s much rarer to come across than “need of” in the singular sense.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
The use of prepositions after need seems to have changed greatly over the last 200 years. Consider the following Google Ngram. Before 1800, the noun need took the preposition of, over half of its uses occurred in the expression in need of, and it did not take an article. When it then started being more widely used as a noun in the mid-1800s, it started taking an article, but at first it still took the preposition of. In the early 1900s, for started replacing of. Nowadays, need usually takes for except in the expression in need of.
So I would say that, except for in need of, current usage is to use the preposition for with need. I don’t think I can call need of incorrect when used in the need of, since this was the usage 100 years ago, though. The construction «We have need of …» still sounds better than «We have need for …», but these are both becoming obsolete; current usage would be «We have a need for …».
We believe that people need food, not weapons.
All of them need food, clothing, schools and a home.
The majority thinks as follows:»to live, I need food, water, clothing, shelter.
Большинство мыслит следующим образом:« Чтобы жить, мне нужны пища, вода, одежда, жилье.
We need food, batteries, water, in that order.
Нам нужна еда, батарейки, вода- в таком порядке.
They need food, basic necessities, places to sleep and medicine.
Им нужны еда, предметы первой необходимости, спальные места и лекарства».
He knows the world will need food long after his oil resources are depleted.
Миру будет нужна еда и после того, как нефтяные источники иссякнут.
Zaira and her daughter acutely need food products, medicines and firewood.
We’re the ones that need food, medicine, fuel.
Мне нужно еда и этот драндулет, что стоит сзади.
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Food and Health Vocabulary
with word definitions, example sentences and quiz
The food we eat can affect our health in many ways. If we eat food that’s contaminated with bacteria, we’ll be sick and go to the toilet more often. We can also get sick if we eat dangerous foods like poisonous mushrooms or certain kinds of fish. These foods have short-term effects on our health, but food can also have long-term effects on our health.
These long-term effects vary depending on where we live and how much we eat. In a country with food shortages due to war or lack of rain, people might suffer from malnutrition. People with malnutrition lose a lot of weight and become very thin and weak. They can also develop long-term illnesses due to the lack of essential nutrients like vitamin C and iron. People in rich, developed countries can also develop food-related illnesses, but they’re usually related to eating too much, or overeating, rather than eating too little.
The term malnutrition is made from the combining form mal- (bad) + the noun nutrition (food, nourishment, eating). It therefore means «bad eating», and covers «wrong» eating, under-eating and over-eating. Other words formed with mal- include: malpractice, malfunction, malodorous
Overweight and obesity
People who overeat can become overweight, especially if they don’t exercise. Being a little overweight isn’t usually related to serious health problems, but putting on more weight and becoming obese definitely is. This is because obesity is a major risk factor for many serious illnesses that can be fatal and shorten our lives by many years.
People who are suffering from malnutrition can usually recover by simply eating nutritious food, but people who are obese face a far more difficult situation. To recover they must lose a lot of weight by eating less and changing to a healthy diet¹. This can be very difficult to do, especially if they live in a place full of Western-style fast foods and processed foods. And even if they lose weight by going on a diet², most people soon return to their usual diet and put the weight back on. So learning about food and health and how to prevent obesity in the first place is one of the most important things we can learn.
All the energy our bodies need comes from the food we eat, and it’s measured in calories. If we balance the calories we get from food with the number we «burn» each day as energy, our body weight stays the same. But if we eat more food than we need, the extra energy is stored as body fat and we put on weight. You can check to see if your body weight is healthy or not by measuring your height and weight and then calculating your body mass index (or BMI) with a special formula. If your BMI is between 18.5 and 25, your weight is healthy. If it’s between 25 and 30, you’re overweight, and if it’s over 30, you’re obese and need to change your diet.
The obesity epidemic
Before the 1970s obesity wasn’t a serious problem, but in the mid-70s obesity rates began rising in Western countries like the USA, UK and Australia. These were the first countries in which major food companies began increasing their profits by selling more snack foods, fast foods and processed junk food than ever before. Fast food companies opened hamburger, pizza and fried chicken outlets in every big town and city and spent huge amounts of money marketing them. Major food companies filled supermarkets with frozen «TV dinners» and convinced families they were as healthy as home-cooked meals. They marketed more and more sweets, snack foods and sugary drinks to children even though they knew they were damaging their health and ruining their teeth. They spent millions of dollars lobbying governments in order to stop them from regulating their industry and reducing their profits.
In the 1990s Western food companies began targeting people in developing countries as well, and many are now eating hamburgers, pizzas and other Western foods instead of traditional local foods. As a result, obesity rates have increased greatly in those countries as well. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 1% of the world’s children were obese in 1975, but the number is now 10 times higher. The number of overweight and obese adults has also increased greatly since 1975 and is now over 2 billion people. The situation has become so serious that it’s being called an obesity epidemic.
An epidemic usually involves just one disease, but the obesity epidemic is related to several diseases. It’s a major risk factor for heart disease and heart attacks, high blood pressure and strokes, diabetes and kidney disease, and many kinds of cancer, all of which can be fatal. And our risk of developing one of these diseases increases every time we eat certain dangerous or fattening foods.
Dangerous foods
Most nutritionists now agree that a diet of Western-style processed food and fast food is one of the unhealthiest diets of all. This is because it’s so high in saturated fats, trans fats, sugar and salt, all of which can be a danger to health.
Saturated fats and trans fats
Saturated fats and trans fats are dangerous because they increase our blood levels of cholesterol, a substance that can form fatty lumps that block blood flow and cause heart attacks and stroke. The worst foods for saturated fats include bacon, sausages, hamburgers, fatty steaks, ham and salami pizzas, high-fat cream, etc.
Trans fats are even more dangerous and harder to avoid because food companies use them so often. They can be found in potato crisps, donuts, pastries, cookies and other processed foods as well as in margarine and oils used to make French fries, onion rings and other deep-fried foods. They’re banned in New York City and certain other places, but still used elsewhere even though the WHO has said they cause over half a million deaths every year. (Source: WHO News Release, 14 May 2018)
Featured Reading: Trans Fats
(with vocabulary list and quiz questions)
Trans fats make cookies, donuts, French fries and many other foods taste better and last longer, but the World Health Organization (WHO) says they cause over 500,000 deaths EVERY YEAR!! To find out more, check out our Featured Reading!
Sugar
Sugar is a natural carbohydrate found in fruits and vegetables, but it’s also added to thousands of products to make them taste sweeter. It’s added to soft drinks and energy drinks, flavoured yoghurt, cereals, cookies, cakes, sweets and candy, and most other processed foods. Too much sugar can cause obesity and diabetes as well as heart disease. Just one soft drink or energy drink contains nearly half the sugar we should consume in one day, so anyone on a diet of Western-style processed foods is sure to consume too much. In 2014 Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at Harvard University, wrote, «The effects of added sugar intake — higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease — are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.»
Salt
We all need a little salt in our diets, but consuming more than 5 or 6 grams per day can lead to high blood pressure which is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. A high-salt diet is also a probable risk factor for stomach cancer. Salt is added to so many products (often listed as sodium or sodium chloride on the packet) that it’s become yet another reason to avoid processed foods.
Healthy diets and foods
To learn more about food and health, nutritionists have studied diets in places where people are healthier and live longer than usual. They’ve found that in Japan and Mediterranean countries in southern Europe, rates of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer are among the lowest in the world. Even though their traditional cuisines look and taste very different, Japanese and Mediterranean people eat many of the same foods. They eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts, and they cook in vegetable oils rather than animal fats. Their traditional diets also include plenty of fish and seafood, but not many dairy foods or eggs, and little or no red meat.
Mediterranean Diet
Mediterranean and Japanese diets are similar and both are linked to low rates of diet-related illness like heart disease. Should we use them as a guide to healthy eating? Many experts now think so.
- fresh vegetables
- fish and seafood
- grains (esp. wholewheat bread and pasta)
- beans, legumes and nuts
- fresh and dried fruits
- eggs and dairy foods in moderation
- olive oil
Many nutritionists now recommend low-fat diets like this, or the similar pescatarian/pescetarian diet that includes dairy products, fish and seafood, but no poultry or red meat like pork or beef. Some are even recommending a totally meat-free vegetarian or vegan diet, especially for people with heart disease or other diet-related illnesses. But if you become vegetarian or vegan, they say you must make sure you get all the essential amino acids from protein-rich plant foods like soybeans.
Summary
If we eat healthy foods in a balanced diet, there’s a good chance we’ll live long and healthy lives. A balanced diet should provide around the same number of calories as the body uses each day. This allows us to maintain a healthy BMI by ensuring we don’t lose or gain too much weight. Our diet should include a wide variety of fresh, natural foods with a good balance of nutrients plus all the essential vitamins and minerals. We should try to avoid fatty foods and processed foods that contain substances that can be dangerous like sugar and salt, and additives such as preservatives, colourings and artificial flavourings that might not have been tested for long enough. And we should definitely avoid Western-style fast foods that contain saturated fats and trans fats.
body mass index (or BMI) (noun): a weight-to-height ratio that shows if you’re overweight, underweight or at a healthy weight- Jason’s body mass index is 27, so he’s a bit overweight.
calorie (noun): a unit for measuring the amount of energy we get from food — How many calories are there in a can of soft drink?
carbohydrate (noun): a substance in foods such as bread and potatoes that is a major source of energy or calories — Is limiting carbohydrates a good way to lose weight?
cancer (noun): a serious illness that is usually difficult to cure and often leads to death — My cousin died of lung cancer when he was fifty.
cholesterol (noun): a substance in body cells that can cause heart disease if levels in the blood are too high — The test shows you have too much bad cholesterol in your blood.
consume (verb): to eat or drink something — How many calories should we consume every day?
contaminate (verb): to make something a carrier of disease — Food that isn’t stored properly can become contaminated with dangerous bacteria.
diabetes (noun): a serious illness in which your body cannot regulate the amount of sugar in the blood — Being obese is the most common cause of type 2 diabetes.
diet¹ (noun): all the foods a person normally eats — My doctor said a vegetarian diet rich in plant protein is best.
diet² (noun): a limited amount or range of food that someone eats to lose weight or become healthier — I’ve been on lots of diets but I’m still overweight.
epidemic (noun): the sudden spread of a disease or medical condition — Processed foods are causing a global obesity epidemic.
fast food (noun): food served quickly, esp. Western foods like hamburgers, pizzas, fried chicken and French fries — Fast food joints are everywhere around here.
fatal (adjective): causing someone to die — The heart attack wasn’t fatal. He survived!
heart disease (noun): a medical condition in which the heart fails to work properly — Eating healthy food prevents heart disease.
high blood pressure (or hypertension) (noun): a condition in which the blood pressure is higher than it should be — High blood pressure can cause strokes, can’t it?
junk food (noun): unhealthy food, esp. fatty fast foods and processed snack foods — Kids eat far too much junk food these days.
lobby (verb): to contact people with power like politicians and try to influence them for your benefit — The food industry spends millions of dollars lobbying politicians.
malnutrition (noun): a condition of weakness or illness caused by eating too much food, not enough food or unhealthy food — There are still many poor people who suffer from malnutrition.
market (verb): to use advertising and other persuasive methods to make people want a product — Shouldn’t people who produce and market dangerous foods be punished?
nutrient (noun): a substance in food that is necessary for good health — A healthy diet gives us all the nutrients we need.
nutritious (adjective): (of food or drinks) containing substances we need in order to be healthy — Japanese food is both nutritious and delicious.
obese (adjective): very fat; far above a healthy weight (BMI >30) — Why are so many people in Australia obese these days?
obesity (noun): the state of being very overweight, or the medical condition related to this — If marketing junk food to kids causes obesity, why isn’t it banned?
overeat (verb): to eat more food than the body needs — If I didn’t overeat, I wouldn’t be overweight.
overweight (adjective): above a normal or healthy weight (BMI 25-30) — How can I stop my kids from becoming overweight?
pescatarian/pescetarian (adjective): (of a diet) including vegetarian food and fish, but no other meat — My cousin thinks farming animals and chickens is cruel and bad for the planet, so he’s pescetarian.
preservative (noun): a chemical substance used for preventing food from spoiling or wood from decaying — Many processed foods have added preservatives and artificial colourings and flavourings.
process (verb): to add chemicals or other substances to food to make it last longer or look or taste better — The processed food industry makes a huge amount of money.
profit (noun): money made by selling a product or service — Companies will do whatever’s necessary to increase their profits.
regulate (verb): to use official powers or laws to control an activity, process or industry — The only way to prevent obesity is to regulate the food industry.
risk factor (noun): something that increases your chances of developing a disease or being injured — Smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer.
saturated fat (noun): a type of fat that’s found in butter, cheese, red meat, etc. — Reducing the amount of saturated fat in your diet can help you live longer.
stroke (noun): the sudden bursting of a blood vessel in the brain that can cause serious illness or death — After he had a stroke, Harry couldn’t walk or talk normally.
trans fat (or trans fatty acid) (noun): an artificial fat that makes food last longer and taste better but is very bad for health — Trans fats are banned in many places because they’re so bad for our health.
vegan (adjective): (of a diet) with plant foods only; without animal products, including meat, fish, seafood, eggs, milk, cheese, etc — Let’s try sticking to a vegan diet.
vegetarian (adjective): (of a diet) with plant foods and sometimes dairy products, but without meat, fish, or seafood — Most people I met in India were vegetarian.
Food Vocabulary for English Learners
Updated on February 14, 2020
Eating and enjoying a meal together provides the opportunity to speak English and enjoy yourself. The relaxing atmosphere of sharing a meal together helps the conversation flow. Cooking and shopping for the food to prepare the meal is English is almost as much fun. There are many words you need to learn in order to speak about food, purchase food, cook food, and more. This guide to food vocabulary will help you express not only different types of food, but also how you prepare and cook them, and what sort of food containers there are when you go shopping.
A good way to learn food vocabulary is to create a vocabulary tree or vocabulary chart. Start at the center or the top of a page with a category such as «types of food» and link to different categories of food. Under these categories, write down the individual types of food. Once you understand the different types of food, increase your vocabulary moving on to related subjects. Here are some suggestions:
- Types of food
- Adjectives for describing food
- Verbs for cooking
- Vocabulary for supermarket
In order to help you begin, food vocabulary lists have been provided below. These lists are just the beginning. Copy the words onto a sheet of paper and continue to add to the list. Give yourself lots of room so you can continue to add to the food vocabulary lists as you learn new words. Soon you’ll be able to speak about food and join in the conversation about cooking, eating and shopping with ease.
Teachers can also feel free to take these charts and print them out for use in class as a food vocabulary exercise to help students begin conversations about food. Combine these with exercises and activities such as restaurant role-plays, recipe writing activities, etc.
Types of Food
| Beverages / Drinks | soda | coffee | water | tea | wine | beer | juice |
| Dairy | milk | cheese | butter | cream | yogurt | quark | half and half |
| Dessert | cake | cookies | chocolate | ice-cream | brownies | pie | creams |
| Fruit | apple | orange | banana | grapes | pineapple | kiwi | lemon |
| Grains / Starches | wheat | rye | cereal | toast | bread | roll | potato |
| Meat / Fish | beef | chicken | pork | salmon | trout | lamb | buffalo |
| Vegetables | beans | lettuce | carrots | broccoli | cauliflower | peas | egg plan |
Adjectives used to Describe Food
- acidic
- bland
- creamy
- fatty
- fruity
- healthy
- nutty
- oily
- raw
- salty
- sharp
- sour
- spicy
- sweet
- tender
- tough
Cooking Food
Vocabulary for the Supermarket
| Preparing Food | Cooking Food | Utensils |
| chop | bake | blender |
| peel | fry | frying pan |
| mix | steam | colander |
| slice | boil | kettle |
| measure | simmer | pot |
| Departments | Staff | Nouns | Verbs |
| dairy | stock clerk | aisle | push a cart |
| produce | manager | counter | reach for something |
| dairy | butcher | cart | compare products |
| frozen food | fishmonger | display | scan items |
Containers for Food
| bag | sugar | flour |
| box | cereal | crackers |
| carton | eggs | milk |
| can | soup | beans |
| jar | jam | mustard |
| package | hamburgers | noodles |
| piece | toast | fish |
| bottle | wine | beer |
| bar | soap | chocolate |
Suggestions for Exercises
Once you have written out your vocabulary lists, start practicing using the vocabulary in conversation and writing. Here are some suggestions on how to practice food vocabulary:
- Make a shopping list and compare products
- Write a recipe in English, be sure to include ingredients, measurements, containers and instructions
- Describe a delicious meal you’ve had in writing
- Discuss your food likes and dislikes with a partner
Practicing your food vocabulary will help you become fluent in the one subject that everyone loves to discuss: food and eating. No matter which culture or country, food is a safe subject that will help lead to conversations about other topics. Try asking someone about their favorite meal and you’ll find that you are in a discussion about cooking your favorite foods. Recommend a restaurant and tell someone about a special meal you’ve had, and the conversation will flow.
As the IELTS speaking test is based on what we do every day in our leisure time and what our daily life looks like, improving your vocabulary related to food can help you frame your answer better and thus improve your IELTS score significantly.
Table of Contents
Read on to learn new Vocabulary About Food and improve your language skills as part of your IELTS preparation.
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Food as a topic covers various topics ranging from cuisines, recipes and techniques etc. We have divided the vocabulary related to food into 6 segments so you can understand and associate the words better. These segments can be:
- Food condition
- Food verbs
- Food quantities
- Food taste
- Food types
- Eating and drinking
Vocabulary About Food Condition
| Word | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Overcooked | Cooked beyond the optimal cooking time | The pasta was overcooked and too soft |
| Fresh | Food materials or products that have been recently prepared | The marinara at that outlet is prepared fresh every day |
| Raw | Not cooked properly/at all | The vegetables were raw and hard to chew |
| Stale/Rotten | Spoiled and past its optimal usage time | The whole room smells like rotten eggs |
| Unripe | Immature food item – not fit for consumption | The bananas you bought yesterday were unripe |
| Off | Not tasting as it should | The food at last night’s restaurant seemed off to me |
Food Verbs
| Word | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Bake | Cook food with dry heat and without exposure to a flame Usage: She has been a fan of baking ever since she got back from France |
She has been a fan of baking ever since she got back from France |
| Poach | Cooking an egg without its outer shell in or over boiling water | I like my eggs poached and cooked well |
| Grill | Cooking food using a grill | That place serves the best-grilled chicken in the city |
| Food Preparation | Cooking food by mixing and combining ingredients | The food preparation at her house was amazing |
| Fry | Cooking food in hot oil or fat | While frying, you should always look out for oil splatter |
Vocabulary About Food Quantities
| Word | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Pint | A unit that is equal to 550 millilitres | I grabbed a pint of milk on my way home |
| Portion | A part or section of a whole | I just want a small portion of the pie |
| Spoonful | As much as a spoon can hold | I take my coffee with two spoonfuls of sugar |
| Slice | A small portion of a whole | I am on a diet and had only one slice of the cake |
Vocabulary About Food Taste
| Word | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Bland | Tasteless or having little taste | The food tasted bland without the spices |
| Spicy | Flavoured with spices | Indians have a taste for spicy food and snacks |
| Savoury | Delicious | She cooks amazing and savoury food. |
| Mild | Not hot, sharp or strong in flavour | Elderly people like to have food with mild spices and flavours |
| Delicious | Extremely good tasting | Cooking delicious food is an art |
| Tasteless | Having no taste or flavour | The food at that new restaurant is completely tasteless |
Types of Food
| Word | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Cuisine | A style or method of cooking specific to a region, state or country | Italian cuisine is my go-to at any time of the day |
| Four-course meal | A meal consists of four parts, namely a soup, appetiser, main course and dessert | Indian weddings generally have four-course meals for guests |
| Nutritious | A meal consisting of all the required nutrients | Having a healthy, nutritious diet plan is the key to a healthy life |
| Dairy | Products created from milk such as yoghurt, cream, butter, etc | Most vegans avoid dairy products and have shifted to alternatives like almond milk |
| Barbecue | A meal in which food is cooked over an open fire outdoors or in a special appliance | India doesn’t have the trend of barbecues as much as the West |
| Buffet | A meal that consists of a number of dishes that guests often have to serve for themselves | Breakfast buffets at hotels are becoming a very popular thing these days |
| Appetiser | The food is served after the soup and before the main course during a meal | For our appetisers, we’d like to have spring rolls, please, and some hors d’oeuvre |
Eating & Drinking
| Word | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Guzzle | Eat or drink something hurriedly | He guzzled his drink before getting on the train |
| Gulp | Eating or swallowing food in large mouthfuls | Rather than gulping your food, you should chew and eat it properly |
| Wining & Dining | Entertainment that includes good food and drinks | The company wined and dined their prospective investors |
| Swallow | Allowing food or drinks to pass down the throat | Her mannerism of swallowing audibly made everyone uncomfortable |
| Chew | Biting and crushing food in the mouth to make it easier to swallow | Proper chewing helps with better digestion |
| Phrases | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| A balanced diet | A diet consisting of healthy food with good nutrients | Maintaining a balanced diet is the key to a healthy life |
| A scrumptious meal | An extremely delicious meal | His mother cooked up a scrumptious meal for us |
| Calm the hunger pangs | Reducing the discomfort caused by hunger | He grabbed a quick bite to eat to calm his hunger pangs |
| Cut down on | Reducing the intake | Since diabetes is hereditary in my family, I’ve cut down on my sugar intake |
| Sweet tooth | A person fond of sweet food | She has a very sweet tooth when it comes to brownies |
| Junk food | Food with little or no nutritional value | Eating junk food every day can harm your body |
| My mouth is watering | Feeling hungry for something | My mouth watered at the thought of fried chicken |
| Fussy eater | Someone who dislikes many foods | Her baby is a fussy eater |
| Quick Snack | A small meal that you can eat on the go | She was getting late for her office, so she grabbed a quick snack instead of a proper breakfast |
| Take-away | A meal prepared in a restaurant and eaten at home | I was feeling too lazy to cook, so I ordered a takeaway from my favourite restaurant |
| A bottle of bubbly | Sparkling wine | To celebrate their anniversary, they opened up a bottle of bubbly at the restaurant |
Food Vocab Sample for IELTS Speaking
Part 1
1. What kind of meals do you like?
Ans. Oh, I love different kinds of meat. My mouth waters whenever I see grilled chicken or mutton chops. I don’t like to cook by myself, so I often eat ready-to-eat meals and takeaways.
2. How often do you have dinner with your friends or family?
Ans. I try to dine out with my family as much as possible. Unfortunately, I don’t get enough time for family dinners due to my extremely busy schedule.
3. When do you usually have dinner?
Ans. I usually have my dinner at about 8 p.m. I’m starving by then and sometimes overeat.
4. What fruits or vegetables do you like or don’t like? Why?
Ans. Well, I’m not a fussy eater, but I hate seafood. I try to avoid going to restaurants that serve seafood.
5. And what is your favourite cuisine?
Ans. I love French cuisine. Its versatility and flavourful ingredients make it my favourite. French cuisine has many dishes, like their famous onion soup and cheese fondue. Also, French food rarely contains artificial ingredients or flavours.
Details On IELTS Travel Vocabulary
Part 2
1. Have a look at the card and prepare a monologue.
- Describe a place you like to eat at. You should say:
- Where is it
- What kind of food does it serves
- Why do you like its food
- and how often do you eat there
Ans. I would like to talk about a pretty little restaurant within walking distance of my home called “La Pizzeria.” It is situated on an ancient street in the heart of the city. This restaurant serves Italian cuisine, which is one of my favourites. They serve Italian delicacies like pasta, pizza and tomato soup. My favourite among these is the pizza. It is an extremely versatile food and can be made with various toppings and sauces. I love Italian food because its fresh and flavourful ingredients satisfy the heart and soul. Hence, I eat frequently at that restaurant. Although it’s not cheap by any means, the quality of their food justifies the bill.
Conclusion
Food is the language of the world and is different in every nook and cranny around the globe. Thus, there are a plethora of terms and phrases related to food and drink that you can learn and improve your vocab for food for the IELTS exam. Read and understand the terms and phrases and practice them to bring them into your daily lingo. This will help you perform better in the exam and improve your language skills as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I improve my food vocabulary for IELTS?
Ans. You can improve your vocabulary for IELTS through the following methods:
A. Look up words you hear for the first time and understand their meaning.
B. Listen to audio pronunciations.
C. Read newspapers, books and magazines about food.
D. Use vocabulary building apps.
E. Learn about the grammatical nature of different terms such as noun, verb, adjective, etc.
How much food vocabulary is enough for IELTS?
Ans. According to a recent study, having a large vocabulary and knowledge about 6000 to 7000-word families will help you work well in an English-speaking environment. Hence, a basic to intermediate vocabulary can help you score well in your IELTS exam. Regarding food, you should watch cooking shows, read about various chefs and learn new words and general food lingo.
How can I improve my food vocabulary for IELTS writing task 2?
Ans. Building your vocabulary is an essential part of scoring well in the IELTS exam, as it makes up for 25% of your marks. To improve your vocabulary for writing task 2, you can use the following tips:
A. Read a lot of articles, blogs, newspapers and books.
B. Mnemonics can be a good way to memorise important words.
C. Practice your writing skills regularly and maintain a separate notebook to monitor your progress.
D. Listen to podcasts, audiobooks, radios and other audio sources that will improve your understanding of the usage of specific terms.
We need to eat food because it contains all the nutrients that are fundamental for human existence.
What we eat has a huge impact on how our body functions.
This article will help you understand the importance of eating food and how it can be directly linked to your state of physical, mental, and emotional health.
Our bodies are composed of cells which are highly active and require constant energy in order to function properly. Food provides this energy which is vital for survival.
It also regulates homeostasis in our body which allows us to maintain balance in different aspects such as blood sugar levels, body temperature etc.
We need nutrition not only to survive but also thrive!
5 Reasons why we need Food:
1. Food helps Maintain a Healthy Weight
We need food to maintain a healthy weight, so that we don’t get too skinny or weak.
Also we need to eat not more than what is good for our body because eating too much may lead to weight gain and obesity, while eating too little may lead to weight loss or malnutrition.
2. Food gives Energy
We need food to give us the energy we need to get through the day. It is the only source of energy for the body.
Food provides energy for our cells, organs, muscles and also helps with brain function. So without food we would die because our body would run out of fuel.
3. We need food for our Immune System
When we’re hungry our body goes into starvation mode and it starts breaking down muscles and organs in order to conserve energy for key functions like breathing and digestion, which means that your immune system is weakened when you don’t have food.
4. Food helps in thinking Better
We need food because it helps us think better and be more productive! Good nutrition can increase our creativity and help produce better ideas.
There is a certain amount of mental energy required to focus on anything for a period of time, and food can help provide the fuel we need to get the job done.
5. Food regulates homeostasis in our body
The word ‘homeostasis’ is a Greek word which means balance.
Homeostasis refers to the process of regulating any variable in a system so that variables stay within limits where they can do the most good.
In our body, for example, there are many things that need to be regulated such as maintaining a constant temperature or maintaining a constant pH level in the blood.
And food is an essential part of this regulation process because it provides nutrients that are necessary for growth and development of cells.
And some types of food provide us with energy while others provide us with necessary nutrients that are important for normal functioning or digestion.
What type of food is good for our health?
A healthy diet is composed of a variety of foods from all the different food groups. Vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy products are all healthy.
There are many different types of food globally, most people consume carbohydrates, fats, proteins and vitamins from plant-based foods like rice and vegetables.
However, majority of people also consume animal products like meat and dairy which provides additional nutrients like iron or calcium.
There is a wide variety in the level of nutritional value in food around the world.
The ones that should be eaten in moderation include fats and sugars. It’s important to maintain a balance between the amount of carbohydrates and proteins consumed.
Link between Food and Physical Health
There is a strong link between the food we eat and our physical health. The nutrients found in food play a vital role in maintaining the health of our cells, tissues, and organs, and in supporting various bodily functions.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help to promote good physical health.
Such a diet can help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
On the other hand, a diet high in unhealthy, processed foods that are high in added sugars, saturated and trans fats, and sodium can increase the risk of these chronic diseases and other health problems.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s nutritional needs are different, and it’s important to choose foods that meet your individual needs and support your overall health and well-being.
Consulting with a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian can help you determine the best dietary choices for your specific needs.
How is Food Linked to Emotional Health?
People often find themselves experiencing a range of emotions in response to certain foods-such as sadness when thinking about bowl of chili, or happiness when thinking about a favorite ice cream.
These types of emotional responses are called “emotional associations.”
Emotional associations can be triggered by both tangible and intangible stimuli, such as the taste, smell, texture, appearance or sound of food.
These emotional associations with food can help us better understand people’s emotional health.
Why does the body need food?
The body needs food to function properly. Food provides the nutrients that the body needs to maintain healthy cells, tissues, and organs. These nutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.
Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are macronutrients that the body needs in large amounts to function properly. They provide energy and are necessary for the body to carry out its daily activities.
Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients that the body needs in small amounts to function properly. They help to maintain the body’s tissues and organs, support the immune system, and aid in many other important bodily processes.
Water is also essential for the body to function properly. It helps to regulate body temperature, transport nutrients and waste products, and lubricate joints.
Overall, food is essential for the body to maintain good health and to perform all of its necessary functions.
Conclusion
Without food, our body’s processes will start to shut down. It gives us all the nutrients that are needed to survive.
Make healthy eating part of your everyday life and it will enable you to enjoy a healthy happy life. 🙂
Also Read:
Good Fruits to Eat Before and After Workout
Vegetables Good to Eat Before and After Workout