1. Cereals and Millets
Cereals: The cereals are the most important sources of plant food for man. They constitute the most important group in the food plants of India. There six true cereals they are rice, wheat, maize, barley, oat and rye. They have high content of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and some fats.
Millets: Commonly known as small grains. From pre historic period cultivated in India. They grown in low rain fall regions of India. e.g., Sorghum, Pearl millet and finger millet.
2. Legumes and Nuts
Legumes: The legumes or Pulses are next in importance to cereals as source of human food. They contain more protein than any other vegetables products. Carbohydrates, fats are present in legumes. Majority of Indians are vegetarian so legumes are the source of protein intake. Important Indian pulses are-red gram, black gram, green gram, pigeon pea, lentil, etc.
Nuts: A nut is a one celled, one seeded dry fruit with a hard pericarp e.g. chestnut. The other nuts may be peanuts, almonds, coconut, cashew nuts, walnut etc. The food value is due to high protein and fat content.
3. Vegetables
The term vegetable is usually applied to edible plants which store reserve food material in root, stems, leaves, fruits and which are eaten cooked, or raw salad. The nutritional value is more due to the presence of mineral, salt and vitamins.
4. Fruits
Fruit is a seed bearing portion of the plant, and consist of the ripened ovary and its contents. In economic botany only those fruits are considered which are usually eaten without cooking. Examples- mango, citrus, litchi, banana, guava, sugar apple, fig, papaya, pine apple, apple, pear, plum, peach, strawberries, grape etc.