Components of Food: Nutrients, Balanced Diet and Deficiency Diseases PDF

## Components of Food ### 1.1 What do Different Food Items Contain? Our meals usually have at least one item made of some kind of grain. Other items could be a dal or a dish of meat and vegetables. It may also include items like curd, butter milk and pickles. Some examples of meals from different...

## Components of Food ### 1.1 What do Different Food Items Contain? Our meals usually have at least one item made of some kind of grain. Other items could be a dal or a dish of meat and vegetables. It may also include items like curd, butter milk and pickles. Some examples of meals from different regions are given in Table 1.1. **Table 1.1 Some common meals of different regions/states** | Region/State | Item of grain | Item of dal/meat | Vegetables | Others | | :------------ | :----------------- | :--------------------- | :------------------- | :------------------------ | | Punjab | Makki (corn) roti | Rajma (Kidney beans) | Sarson saag (Mustard leaf curry) | Curd, ghee | | Andhra Pradesh| Rice | Tuar dal and rasam (charu) | Kunduru (dondakai) | Buttermilk, ghee, pickle (aavakai) | The major components of food are called **nutrients**, which our body needs, are named carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Food also contains dietary fibres and water. ### 1.2 What do Various Nutrients do for our Body? * Carbohydrates and fats mainly provide energy to our body. * Proteins are needed for the growth and repair of our body. * Vitamins help in protecting our body against diseases. * Minerals are needed by our body in small amounts for proper growth of body and to maintain good health. * Dietary fibres and water are also needed by the body ## Activities ### Activity 1 Our meals usually have at least one item made of some kind of grain. Other items could be a dal or a dish of meat and vegetables. It may also include items like curd, butter milk and pickles. Some examples of meals from different regions are given in Table 1.1. Select food items and enter these in Table 1.1. ### Activity 2: Test for Starch 1. Take a small quantity of a food item. 2. Put 2-3 drops of dilute iodine solution on it. 3. Observe if there is any change in the color of the food item. 4. A blue-black color indicates that it contains starch. ### Test for Protein 1. Take a small quantity of a food item for testing. 2. If it is solid, make paste or powder of it. 3. Put some of this in a clean test tube; add 10 drops of water and shake it. 4. Add two drops of copper sulphate solution and ten drops of caustic soda solution. 5. Shake well and let the test tube stand for a few minutes. 6. A violet color indicates presence of proteins in the food item. **Table 1.2 Nutrients present in some food items** | Food item | Starch (present) | Protein (present) | Fat (present) | | :-------------------- | :--------------- | :---------------- | :------------ | | Raw potato | Yes | | | | Milk | | Yes | | | Groundnut | | | Yes | | Uncooked powdered rice| | | | | Cooked rice | | | | | Dry coconut | | | | | Uncooked tuar dal (powdered) | | | | Cooked dal | | | | | A slice of any vegetable | | | | | A slice of any fruit | | | | | Boiled egg (white portion) | | | | ### Test for Fats 1. Take a small quantity of a food item. 2. Wrap it in a piece of paper and crush it. 3. Straighten the paper and observe it carefully. An oily patch on paper shows that the food item contains fat. ### Activity 3 1. Take a tomato or a fruit like lemon. 2. Cut it into small pieces. *Do hands get wet while doing so?* ### 1.3 Balanced Diet The food we normally eat in a day is our diet. For growth and maintenance of good health, our diet should have all the nutrients that our body needs, in right quantities. * A balanced diet should also contain a good amount of roughage and water. ### 1.4 Deficiency Diseases * Diseases that occur due to lack of nutrients over a long period are called deficiency diseases. * All deficiency diseases can be prevented by taking a balanced diet. **Table 1.3 Some diseases/disorders caused by deficiency of vitamins and minerals** | Vitamin/Mineral | Deficiency disease/disorder | Symptoms | | :-------------- | :-------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Vitamin A | Loss of vision | Poor vision, loss of vision in darkness (night), sometimes complete loss of vision | | Vitamin B1 | Beriberi | Weak muscles and very little energy to work | | Vitamin C | Scurvy | Bleeding gums, wounds take longer time to heal | | Vitamin D | Rickets | Bones become soft and bent | | Calcium | Bone and tooth decay | Weak bones, tooth decay | | Iodine | Goiter | Glands in the neck appear swollen, mental disability in children | | Iron | Anaemia | Weakness | **Key Words** * Balanced diet * Beriberi * Carbohydrates * Energy * Fats * Minerals * Nutrients * Proteins * Roughage * Scurvy * Starch * Vitamins **Summary** * The major nutrients in our food are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. In addition, food also contains dietary fibers and water. * Carbohydrates and fats mainly provide energy to our body. * Proteins and minerals are needed for the growth and the maintenance of our body. * Vitamins help in protecting our body against diseases. * Balanced diet provides all the nutrients that our body needs, in right quantities, along with adequate amount of roughage and water. * Deficiency of one or more nutrients in our food for a long time may cause certain diseases or disorders. ## Exercises 1. Name the major nutrients in our food. 2. Name the following: (a) The nutrients which mainly give energy to our body. (b) The nutrients that are needed for the growth and maintenance of our body. (c) A vitamin required for maintaining good eyesight. (d) A mineral that is required for keeping our bones healthy. 3. Name two foods each rich in: (a) Fats (b) Starch (c) Dietary fibre (d) Protein 4. Tick $(\checkmark)$ the statements that are correct. (a) By eating rice alone, we can fulfill nutritional requirement of our body. ( ) (b) Deficiency diseases can be prevented by eating a balanced diet. ( ) (c) Balanced diet for the body should contain a variety of food items. ( ) (d) Meat alone is sufficient to provide all nutrients to the body. ( ) 5. Fill in the blanks. (a) __________ is caused by deficiency of Vitamin D. (b) Deficiency of __________ causes a disease known as beri-beri. (c) Deficiency of Vitamin C causes a disease known as __________. (d) Night blindness is caused due to deficiency of __________ in our food.