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Introduction
The topics of Food and Cooking in IELTS Speaking are very common. In this lesson, you will learn how to talk about different kinds of food and the food you like, as well as cooking and healthy food.
Keith O'Hare
Trinity Dip TESOL, MSc Digital Education (U.K.) A lover of languages, teaching and lasagna!
What you will Learn
IELTS Vocabulary: Food
Here are some essential words, collocations and idioms that you can use to talk about food in IELTS Speaking.
This dish is delicious,…..
- tasty,
- luscious,
- mouthwatering,
- tempting,
- appetizing,
- scrummy
- succulent (for meat)
This is dish is spot on (=perfect)
Yummy? – Don’t use this in IELTS, it is a word normally used by children!
The following word families are useful to talk about healthy and unhealthy food
- Nutritious (adj.)
- Nutrition (n.) (uncountable)
- Nutrient (n.) (countable)
- Obese (adj.) = medically over-weight
- Obesity (n.)
IELTS Debates and Discussions about Food
What are the main macronutrients?
Carbs (Carbohydrates)
We can talk bout good carbs (also known as ‘unrefined’ / ‘unprocessed’)
These include: whole grains, veggies/veg, fruits
We can talk bout bad carbs (also known as ‘refined’ / ‘processed’)
These include: white rice / bread / pasta
Carbs also include….
Sugars – Glucose (essential for energy)
Fibre, such as beans, legumes, pulses
Good sources of protein are fish, legumes, meat, nuts
Also, know as ‘oils’ (saturated and unsaturated)
Micronutrients:
Vitamins
Minerals
Eating Healthy Food
Yes, but not always, I like to have a cheat day once a week, where I can pig out on anything I like.
To pig out (informal) = to eat a lot of something
To eat the rainbow = eat the food of all different colours
Eat your five a day (5 portions of fruit and veg).
This was a government campaign in the U.K. to raise awareness of the importance of healthy eating
- To go on a diet
- Have you ever been on a diet?
- I have been on a low-carb diet for a few months.
- I follow the Keto diet / the Mediterranean diet
- I strive (=try) to eat everything in moderation
- I think I eat a balanced diet
- I am a vegetarian
- I have been a vegan for years now.
- A fruitarian (only eats fruit)
- A flexitarian (mostly vegetarian, but may eat some meat)
Find out more about the UK Eat 5 A Day campaign for healthy eating in the video below.
Food you like
I love / adore __fish and chips___
I am rather partial to ____
I am fond of ____
I tend to eat _____
Pronounced “I tend to_(w) eat _____”
I tend to avoid ______
Pronounced “I tend to_ (w) avoid ______”
I veer_away from ______
I like Chinese cuisine
I love Indian dishes
I like Italian food
My favourite dish is _________
My child is a fussy eater or a picky eater
This means the only eat the food they like and won’t try new foods
I am a binge eater
I am guilty of binge-eating
This means I eat lots of food in one go, and often I cannot stop. In extreme cases, this is a medical condition.
Cooking
Do you ____? is a very common type of IELTS Speaking Part 1 question. Here are some ideas and phrases you can use in your answers when talking about cooking.
I am fond of cooking
I love to cook, my signature dish is _______
I dabble in cooking every now and again (=try to do it, but not too seriously)
I like to rustle something up in the kitchen (= to make quickly)
I like to whip something up in the kitchen (= to make quickly)
I usually follow recipes
The following all mean to improvise without a plan
- I love to improvise when it comes to cooking
- I prefer to play it by ear
- When cooking, I like to wing it
- I often make it up as I go along
Recommended books about Food and Cooking
5 Ingredients
Jamie Oliver (Penguin)
The China Study
T. Colin Campbell (BenBella Books)
Salt Fat Acid Heat
Samin Nosrat (Canongate Books)
In Defense of Food
Michael Pollan (Penguin)
More Free IELTS Speaking Lessons
If you liked this lesson, leave a comment below!
There are more lessons you can follow in the links below too.
FEELINGS in IELTS Speaking. Vocabulary you need to describe a range of different feelings, as well as talking about topical issues such as mental health
HABIT in IELTS Speaking. Vocabulary and idioms you need to describe your habits easily.
PRIZES in IELTS Speaking. How to talk about prizes and rewards at school and in the workplace.
