Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body
Food diversity, culinary practices, food components, tests for nutrients, deficiency diseases, balanced diet, millets, junk food and food miles.
Key Terms & Definitions
16 Every term you need to know
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Nutrients | Useful components in food that the body needs to function properly β carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals. |
| Food components | All the parts of food β the five nutrients plus roughage and water. |
| Carbohydrates | The primary source of energy in our diet (cereals, potato, banana). Energy-giving. |
| Fats | Stored energy; give more energy than carbohydrates (nuts, oils, ghee, butter). Energy-giving. |
| Proteins | Needed for growth and repair of the body (pulses, milk, paneer, egg). Body-building. |
| Vitamins & minerals | Needed in small amounts to protect the body from diseases. Protective. |
| Roughage | Dietary fibre from plant foods; gives no nutrients but helps remove undigested food. |
| Balanced diet | A diet with all essential nutrients, roughage and water in the right amounts for proper growth and development. |
| Deficiency diseases | Diseases caused by lack of a particular nutrient in the diet for a long time. |
| Culinary practices | Methods and traditions of cooking food. |
| Millets | Small-grained native Indian cereals β jowar, bajra, ragi, sanwa β also called nutri-cereals. |
| Junk food | Food high in sugar and fat but low in proteins, vitamins, minerals and fibre. |
| Fortification | Adding nutrients to food during processing to improve its nutritional quality (e.g. iodised salt). |
| Iodised salt | Common salt mixed with iodine salts β prevents goitre. |
| FSSAI | Food Safety and Standards Authority of India β regulates food quality and safety. |
| Food miles | The total distance a food item travels from the producer (farmer) to the consumer. |
Core Concepts
1 3.1 What do we eat? β food diversity and culinary practices
People across India eat a great variety of food. What a region eats depends on the crops grown locally, taste preferences, and culture and traditions.
Cooking practices are called culinary practices. They have changed over time:
| Traditional | Modern |
|---|---|
| Chulha (earthen stove) | Gas stove / electric stove |
| Sil-batta (stone grinder) | Electric grinder / mixer |
Reasons: technological development, better transport and better communication.
2 3.2 Components of food β carbohydrates and fats
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy. Glucose gives instant energy; sugar is also a carbohydrate. Sources: cereals (wheat, rice, maize), potato, sweet potato, banana, pineapple, mango.
Fats are stored energy and give more energy than carbohydrates. Plant sources: groundnuts, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, coconut, oils. Animal sources: curd, butter, ghee.
3 Proteins β body-building foods
Proteins are needed for growth and repair of the body. Sportspersons need more protein to build and repair muscles.
- Plant sources: pulses (moong, tuar dal), kidney beans, gram, soya bean, peas, nuts; mushrooms too.
- Animal sources: milk, paneer, egg, fish, meat, chicken.
4 Vitamins and minerals β protective foods
Needed in small amounts, they protect the body from diseases.
| Nutrient | Function | Sources | Deficiency | Symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | Healthy eyes and skin | Papaya, carrot, mango, milk | Loss of vision (night blindness) | Poor vision in dim light |
| Vitamin Bβ | Healthy heart; body functions | Legumes, nuts, whole grains, seeds, milk products | Beriberi | Swelling, tingling/burning in hands and feet, trouble breathing |
| Vitamin C | Helps fight diseases | Amla, guava, green chilli, orange, lemon | Scurvy | Bleeding gums, slow healing of wounds |
| Vitamin D | Helps absorb calcium for bones and teeth | Sunlight, milk, butter, fish, eggs | Rickets | Soft and bent bones |
| Calcium | Healthy bones and teeth | Milk / soya milk, curd, cheese, paneer | Bone and tooth decay | Weak bones, tooth decay |
| Iodine | Physical and mental activities | Seaweed, water chestnut (singhada), iodised salt | Goitre | Swelling at the front of the neck |
| Iron | Component of blood | Green leafy vegetables, beetroot, pomegranate | Anaemia | Weakness, shortness of breath |
- Vitamin D is made by the body when skin is exposed to sunlight.
- Some vitamins (especially Vitamin C) are lost with high heat in cooking.
- Wash vegetables before cutting or peeling β washing after cutting washes vitamins away.
5 Roughage and water
Roughage (dietary fibre) gives no nutrients but helps the body get rid of undigested food and ensures smooth passage of stools (prevents constipation). Sources: green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, pulses, nuts β mainly plant products.
Water helps the body absorb nutrients and removes wastes through sweat and urine.
6 3.3 Testing food for starch, fat and protein
| Test | Method | Positive result |
|---|---|---|
| Starch (Activity 3.5) | Add 2β3 drops of dilute iodine solution | Blue-black colour |
| Fat (Activity 3.6) | Wrap and press food in paper; let it dry; hold against light | Oily patch that light shines through |
| Protein (Activity 3.7 β teacher demo) | Food paste + water + 2 drops copper sulphate + 10 drops caustic soda; shake, leave | Violet colour |
Most foods contain more than one nutrient β e.g. peanuts contain both fat and protein.
7 Case studies β scurvy and goitre
Scurvy (1746): Scottish physician James Lind found that sailors on long voyages with bleeding, swollen gums recovered when they ate lemons and oranges β scurvy is caused by Vitamin C deficiency.
Goitre (1960s): Indian scientists found neck swelling common in the Himalayan region and northern plains, where soil (and so crops) lacked iodine. The Government added iodine to common salt β iodised salt.
The Agariyas of the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, traditionally extract salt from seawater, living in desert heat for about 8 months a year.
8 3.4 Balanced diet
Nutritional needs differ with age, gender, physical activity, health status and lifestyle.
A balanced diet has all the essential nutrients, roughage and water in the right amounts for proper growth and development. It gives enough energy-giving, body-building and protective foods.
Lack of one or more nutrients over a long time leads to deficiency diseases.
9 3.5 Millets, packaged food and junk food
Millets β jowar, bajra, ragi, sanwa β are native Indian small-grained cereals. They grow easily in different climatic conditions, have been eaten for centuries, and are rich in vitamins, minerals (iron, calcium) and dietary fibre β hence nutri-cereals.
Packaged food must show nutritional information per serving or per 100 g. Fortification adds nutrients during processing (e.g. iodised salt). FSSAI ensures food quality and safety.
Junk food (wafers, candy bars, fizzy drinks) is high in sugar and fat, low in protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre; eating it often can lead to obesity.
| Per 100 g | Potato wafers | Roasted chana |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 536 kcal | 355 kcal |
| Fats | 35.0 g | 6.26 g |
| Carbohydrates | 53.0 g | 58.58 g |
| Proteins | 7.0 g | 18.64 g |
| Dietary fibre | 4.8 g | 16.8 g |
10 3.6 Food miles β from farm to plate
Food miles = the total distance food travels from the farmer to the consumer. Reducing them cuts transport cost and pollution, supports local farmers and keeps food fresher.
Farmer grows wheat β Threshing & winnowing β Storage of grains β Grinding & packing β Transport to shop β Food on our plate
Many people waste food. Remember the effort of farmers β take only as much as you can eat. Eating local, plant-based food is good for our bodies and our planet.
"Eat healthy, share, and respect food. Support local producers!"
11 Know a scientist β Coluthur Gopalan (1918β2019)
Pioneer of nutrition research in India. He analysed more than 500 Indian foods, recommended a diet suited to India, and led surveys that found widespread protein and energy deficiencies. His work led to the Mid Day Meal Programme (2002), now PM POSHAN, which gives balanced meals in government and government-aided schools.
Important Rules & Facts
- Energy-giving: carbohydrates, fats. Body-building: proteins. Protective: vitamins, minerals.
- Starch + iodine β blue-black. Fat β oily patch on paper. Protein + CuSOβ + caustic soda β violet.
- Vit A β night blindness Β· Bβ β beriberi Β· C β scurvy Β· D β rickets Β· Iodine β goitre Β· Iron β anaemia.
- Vitamin D is made in the skin in sunlight; it helps absorb calcium.
- Wash before cutting vegetables to save vitamins.
- Balanced diet = all nutrients + roughage + water, in the right amounts.
Activities in the chapter
3.1 Activity 3.1 β food diary
Record all the food you eat over one week (Table 3.1).
3.2 Activity 3.2 β food across India
Find the traditional foods and crops of different states (e.g. Punjab, Karnataka, Manipur) and fill Table 3.2.
3.3 Activity 3.3 β interview elders
Ask elderly people how food habits and cooking practices have changed over the years.
3.5 Activity 3.5 β test for starch
Add dilute iodine to potato, cucumber, bread, boiled rice, boiled gram, peanuts, oil, butter, coconut. Blue-black = starch.
3.6 Activity 3.6 β test for fat
Press each food in paper, let dry, hold to light. Oily patch = fat.
3.7 Activity 3.7 β test for protein (teacher demo)
Food paste + water + copper sulphate + caustic soda. Violet = protein. Record all results in Table 3.3.
3.8 Activity 3.8 β check your diet
Look at your Activity 3.1 food list: are all nutrients, roughage and water present? Which are missing?
3.9 Activity 3.9 β compare labels
Compare the nutrition labels of potato wafers and roasted chana (per 100 g) β roasted chana has less fat, more protein and about 3.5Γ the fibre.
Figures & Diagrams
1 Fig. 3.1 β Traditional vs modern cooking
Chulha and sil-batta beside a gas stove and an electric mixer-grinder; also a school food festival with Rajasthani, Gujarati and Assamese stalls.
2 Figs. 3.2β3.4 β Sources of nutrients
Carbohydrate sources (cereals, potato, fruits); fat sources (nuts, seeds, coconut, oils, curd, butter, ghee); protein sources from plants (dals, beans, peas) and animals (milk, paneer, egg, fish, meat).
3 Figs. 3.5 & 3.6 β Vitamins and minerals
The full table of functions, sources, deficiency diseases and symptoms, and pictures of food sources of Vitamins A, Bβ, C and D.
4 Figs. 3.7 & 3.8 β Food tests
A dropper adding iodine to food samples; a test tube with food paste, copper sulphate and caustic soda.
5 Fig. 3.9 β Sanwa
Sanwa (barnyard millet), one of India's native nutri-cereals.
6 Fig. 3.10 β Story of a chapati
A cycle diagram: farmer growing wheat β threshing and winnowing β storage β grinding and packing β transport to shop β food on our plate.
Exercise Questions
13 End-of-chapter β Let us enhance our learning
- Pick the odd one out and give reasons: (i) Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Chana (ii) Kidney beans, Green gram, Soya bean, Rice
- Discuss traditional versus modern culinary practices in India.
- A teacher says good food may act as medicine. List at least two questions Ravi can ask his teacher about this.
- Not all delicious foods are healthy, and not all nutritious foods are enjoyable. Share your thoughts with examples.
- Medu does not eat vegetables but enjoys biscuits, noodles and white bread. He often has stomach ache and constipation. What changes should he make, and why?
- Reshma has trouble seeing in dim light. (i) Which deficiency disease is it? (ii) Which food component may be lacking? (iii) Suggest four food items she should include.
- Canned fruit juice, fresh fruit juice, fresh fruit β which would you prefer and why?
- Gourav fractured his leg. The doctor gave calcium tablets, and on the second visit Vitamin D syrup as well. (i) Why calcium? (ii) Why Vitamin D with calcium? (iii) What question arises in your mind about the doctor's choices?
- Sugar is a carbohydrate, but it does not turn blue-black with iodine. What could be the reason?
- Raman says, "All starches are carbohydrates but not all carbohydrates are starches." What do you think? Design an activity to test it.
- Iodine drops on the teacher's saree turned blue-black but those on Mishti's socks did not. What could be the reason?
- Why are millets a healthy choice? Can eating only millets meet all our nutritional needs?
- How would you check whether a solution could be an iodine solution?
Worked answers to the textbook questions are in the Question Bank (section G).
7 In-text questions & "Let us think and write" prompts
- What do you eat in a week? Which nutrients does your food contain?
- Why do people in different states eat different foods?
- How have cooking practices changed over the years, and why?
- Which food items contain starch, fat and protein? How can we test them?
- Is your diet balanced? Which nutrients are missing?
- Which snack is healthier β potato wafers or roasted chana? Why?
- How would eating local food help reduce food miles?
6 Learning further β projects
- Read the nutritional information on at least three fortified food packets and analyse it.
- Find out how the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh makes the salt tapyo; make a chart.
- Read about wild foods such as ranbhajis (Maharashtra) and edible mushrooms (Himachal Pradesh); find wild foods of your region.
- List the junk foods you and friends eat; write to your principal suggesting healthy options.
- Find out how nutritional needs vary with age, activity and health.
- Prepare a low-cost balanced diet chart for a twelve-year-old.
Quick Summary
- People across India eat diverse food; choices depend on local crops, taste, culture and traditions.
- Culinary practices have changed from traditional (chulha, sil-batta) to modern methods.
- Food gives energy, supports growth, repairs the body and protects us from disease.
- Major nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals; food also contains dietary fibre and water.
- Carbohydrates and fats give energy; proteins build the body; vitamins and minerals protect us.
- A balanced diet gives all nutrients in the right amounts, with roughage and water.
- Long-term lack of a nutrient causes deficiency diseases.
- Junk food is high in sugar and fat but low in protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre.
- Millets are nutri-cereals and grow easily in different climates.
- Minimise food miles; eat local, plant-based food; never waste food.
Keywords (textbook): Carbohydrate Β· Culinary practices Β· Deficiency diseases Β· Fats Β· Food components Β· Food miles Β· Iodized salt Β· Millets Β· Minerals Β· Nutrients Β· Proteins Β· Rickets Β· Roughage Β· Scurvy Β· Vitamins