Chapter 5: Food for Health
4th StandardThe World Around Us
Food for Health - Chapter Summary
# Food for Health
## Overview
In the chapter “Food for Health,” students explore the importance of eating a balanced diet and how different types of food contribute to a healthy life. Through the lens of a food festival, learners are introduced to regional foods, food groups, traditional cooking methods, mindful eating, and practices that support health and well-being.
## Key Topics Covered
### 1. The School Food Festival
- Students and parents participated in a school food festival with a variety of regional and traditional dishes like dhokla, litti-chokha, bajra khichdi, and ragi laddu.
- The activity introduced children to India’s diverse food culture.
### 2. The Mystery of Tastes — Ugadi Pachadi
- A food item called **Ugadi Pachadi** introduced students to the six tastes (Shad Rasa) from Ayurveda:
- Sweet (meetha), Sour (khatta), Salty (namkeen), Pungent (teekha), Bitter (karva), Astringent (kasaila)
- Each taste has a health role, and the right combination makes food enjoyable and nutritious.
### 3. Understanding Food Groups
- **Energy-giving foods**: rice, wheat, maize, potato, banana, honey, oil, ghee.
- **Body-building foods**: pulses, milk, eggs, meat, cheese, nuts.
- **Protective foods**: fruits and vegetables like spinach, lemon, papaya, guava.
### 4. Junk Food Awareness
- Foods high in oil, salt, and sugar (e.g., chips, burgers, soft drinks) are labeled as **junk food**.
- Students are encouraged to avoid over-processed foods and prefer fresh home-cooked meals.
### 5. Food Diary and Balanced Plate
- Students maintain a **food diary** for a week to track their eating habits.
- A **balanced plate** includes a mix of protective, body-building, and energy-giving foods in the right proportions.
### 6. Water and Health
- Drinking sufficient clean water is essential for:
- Digestion
- Body temperature control
- Removing waste (urine, sweat, faeces)
- Water-rich fruits like watermelon and cucumber are also beneficial.
### 7. Cooking Methods
- Different ways of preparing food: steaming, boiling, frying, roasting, baking, and grilling.
- Some foods like fruit salads and vegetable chaat don’t require cooking.
### 8. Label Checking and Packaging
- Students are taught to read labels on packaged food — checking **expiry date**, **ingredients**, and avoiding harmful additives.
### 9. Fun and Creative Activities
- **Food Collage**: Sorting food into groups (energy-giving, body-building, protective).
- **Word Search**: Identifying food-related words.
- **Cooking Participation**: Encouraging students to assist in kitchen activities at home.
---
## New Terms and Simple Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|----------------|------------|
| Balanced food | Food that includes all important nutrients in the right proportion |
| Shad Rasa | The six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent) as per Ayurveda |
| Junk food | Food that is unhealthy if eaten often, usually high in fat, sugar, and salt |
| Protective food| Foods like fruits and vegetables that help protect us from diseases |
| Energy-giving food | Foods like cereals and fats that provide energy |
| Body-building food | Foods rich in protein like pulses, milk, and eggs that help build the body |
| Water-rich fruits | Fruits that contain a lot of water, e.g., watermelon, cucumber |
| Label | Information printed on food packets like ingredients and expiry date |
| Solar cooker | A device that uses sunlight to cook food |
| Chef | A professional cook who manages the kitchen |
---
## Practice Questions
### Easy (3)
1. **What are energy-giving foods?**
Foods like rice, wheat, potato, and oil that give us energy.
2. **Name two protective foods.**
Spinach and papaya.
3. **What is junk food?**
Food that is unhealthy if eaten regularly, like chips or soft drinks.
### Medium (2)
4. **Why should we drink clean water daily?**
To help in digestion, keep our skin healthy, and remove waste from the body.
5. **List any three body-building foods.**
Milk, eggs, and pulses.
### Difficult (3)
6. **What are the six tastes in Ugadi Pachadi?**
Sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent.
7. **Why should we eat a balanced plate?**
To ensure we get all nutrients needed to stay healthy, active, and strong.
8. **Name three cooking methods and one food example for each.**
- Steaming – idli
- Boiling – rice
- Frying – samosa
### Very Difficult (2)
9. **Explain how different food groups help our body.**
- Energy-giving foods provide fuel for activities.
- Body-building foods help in growth and repair.
- Protective foods protect us from diseases.
10. **Why is it important to check food labels before eating packaged food?**
To know the expiry date, ingredients, and to avoid harmful chemicals or expired food.
---
## Overview
In the chapter “Food for Health,” students explore the importance of eating a balanced diet and how different types of food contribute to a healthy life. Through the lens of a food festival, learners are introduced to regional foods, food groups, traditional cooking methods, mindful eating, and practices that support health and well-being.
## Key Topics Covered
### 1. The School Food Festival
- Students and parents participated in a school food festival with a variety of regional and traditional dishes like dhokla, litti-chokha, bajra khichdi, and ragi laddu.
- The activity introduced children to India’s diverse food culture.
### 2. The Mystery of Tastes — Ugadi Pachadi
- A food item called **Ugadi Pachadi** introduced students to the six tastes (Shad Rasa) from Ayurveda:
- Sweet (meetha), Sour (khatta), Salty (namkeen), Pungent (teekha), Bitter (karva), Astringent (kasaila)
- Each taste has a health role, and the right combination makes food enjoyable and nutritious.
### 3. Understanding Food Groups
- **Energy-giving foods**: rice, wheat, maize, potato, banana, honey, oil, ghee.
- **Body-building foods**: pulses, milk, eggs, meat, cheese, nuts.
- **Protective foods**: fruits and vegetables like spinach, lemon, papaya, guava.
### 4. Junk Food Awareness
- Foods high in oil, salt, and sugar (e.g., chips, burgers, soft drinks) are labeled as **junk food**.
- Students are encouraged to avoid over-processed foods and prefer fresh home-cooked meals.
### 5. Food Diary and Balanced Plate
- Students maintain a **food diary** for a week to track their eating habits.
- A **balanced plate** includes a mix of protective, body-building, and energy-giving foods in the right proportions.
### 6. Water and Health
- Drinking sufficient clean water is essential for:
- Digestion
- Body temperature control
- Removing waste (urine, sweat, faeces)
- Water-rich fruits like watermelon and cucumber are also beneficial.
### 7. Cooking Methods
- Different ways of preparing food: steaming, boiling, frying, roasting, baking, and grilling.
- Some foods like fruit salads and vegetable chaat don’t require cooking.
### 8. Label Checking and Packaging
- Students are taught to read labels on packaged food — checking **expiry date**, **ingredients**, and avoiding harmful additives.
### 9. Fun and Creative Activities
- **Food Collage**: Sorting food into groups (energy-giving, body-building, protective).
- **Word Search**: Identifying food-related words.
- **Cooking Participation**: Encouraging students to assist in kitchen activities at home.
---
## New Terms and Simple Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|----------------|------------|
| Balanced food | Food that includes all important nutrients in the right proportion |
| Shad Rasa | The six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent) as per Ayurveda |
| Junk food | Food that is unhealthy if eaten often, usually high in fat, sugar, and salt |
| Protective food| Foods like fruits and vegetables that help protect us from diseases |
| Energy-giving food | Foods like cereals and fats that provide energy |
| Body-building food | Foods rich in protein like pulses, milk, and eggs that help build the body |
| Water-rich fruits | Fruits that contain a lot of water, e.g., watermelon, cucumber |
| Label | Information printed on food packets like ingredients and expiry date |
| Solar cooker | A device that uses sunlight to cook food |
| Chef | A professional cook who manages the kitchen |
---
## Practice Questions
### Easy (3)
1. **What are energy-giving foods?**
Foods like rice, wheat, potato, and oil that give us energy.
2. **Name two protective foods.**
Spinach and papaya.
3. **What is junk food?**
Food that is unhealthy if eaten regularly, like chips or soft drinks.
### Medium (2)
4. **Why should we drink clean water daily?**
To help in digestion, keep our skin healthy, and remove waste from the body.
5. **List any three body-building foods.**
Milk, eggs, and pulses.
### Difficult (3)
6. **What are the six tastes in Ugadi Pachadi?**
Sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent.
7. **Why should we eat a balanced plate?**
To ensure we get all nutrients needed to stay healthy, active, and strong.
8. **Name three cooking methods and one food example for each.**
- Steaming – idli
- Boiling – rice
- Frying – samosa
### Very Difficult (2)
9. **Explain how different food groups help our body.**
- Energy-giving foods provide fuel for activities.
- Body-building foods help in growth and repair.
- Protective foods protect us from diseases.
10. **Why is it important to check food labels before eating packaged food?**
To know the expiry date, ingredients, and to avoid harmful chemicals or expired food.
---
Food for Health
Overview
In the chapter “Food for Health,” students explore the importance of eating a balanced diet and how different types of food contribute to a healthy life. Through the lens of a food festival, learners are introduced to regional foods, food groups, traditional cooking methods, mindful eating, and practices that support health and well-being.
Key Topics Covered
1. The School Food Festival
- Students and parents participated in a school food festival with a variety of regional and traditional dishes like dhokla, litti-chokha, bajra khichdi, and ragi laddu.
- The activity introduced children to India’s diverse food culture.
2. The Mystery of Tastes — Ugadi Pachadi
- A food item called Ugadi Pachadi introduced students to the six tastes (Shad Rasa) from Ayurveda:
- Sweet (meetha), Sour (khatta), Salty (namkeen), Pungent (teekha), Bitter (karva), Astringent (kasaila)
- Each taste has a health role, and the right combination makes food enjoyable and nutritious.
3. Understanding Food Groups
- Energy-giving foods: rice, wheat, maize, potato, banana, honey, oil, ghee.
- Body-building foods: pulses, milk, eggs, meat, cheese, nuts.
- Protective foods: fruits and vegetables like spinach, lemon, papaya, guava.
4. Junk Food Awareness
- Foods high in oil, salt, and sugar (e.g., chips, burgers, soft drinks) are labeled as junk food.
- Students are encouraged to avoid over-processed foods and prefer fresh home-cooked meals.
5. Food Diary and Balanced Plate
- Students maintain a food diary for a week to track their eating habits.
- A balanced plate includes a mix of protective, body-building, and energy-giving foods in the right proportions.
6. Water and Health
- Drinking sufficient clean water is essential for:
- Digestion
- Body temperature control
- Removing waste (urine, sweat, faeces)
- Water-rich fruits like watermelon and cucumber are also beneficial.
7. Cooking Methods
- Different ways of preparing food: steaming, boiling, frying, roasting, baking, and grilling.
- Some foods like fruit salads and vegetable chaat don’t require cooking.
8. Label Checking and Packaging
- Students are taught to read labels on packaged food — checking expiry date, ingredients, and avoiding harmful additives.
9. Fun and Creative Activities
- Food Collage: Sorting food into groups (energy-giving, body-building, protective).
- Word Search: Identifying food-related words.
- Cooking Participation: Encouraging students to assist in kitchen activities at home.
New Terms and Simple Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Balanced food | Food that includes all important nutrients in the right proportion |
| Shad Rasa | The six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent) as per Ayurveda |
| Junk food | Food that is unhealthy if eaten often, usually high in fat, sugar, and salt |
| Protective food | Foods like fruits and vegetables that help protect us from diseases |
| Energy-giving food | Foods like cereals and fats that provide energy |
| Body-building food | Foods rich in protein like pulses, milk, and eggs that help build the body |
| Water-rich fruits | Fruits that contain a lot of water, e.g., watermelon, cucumber |
| Label | Information printed on food packets like ingredients and expiry date |
| Solar cooker | A device that uses sunlight to cook food |
| Chef | A professional cook who manages the kitchen |
Practice Questions
Easy (3)
-
What are energy-giving foods?
Foods like rice, wheat, potato, and oil that give us energy. -
Name two protective foods.
Spinach and papaya. -
What is junk food?
Food that is unhealthy if eaten regularly, like chips or soft drinks.
Medium (2)
-
Why should we drink clean water daily?
To help in digestion, keep our skin healthy, and remove waste from the body. -
List any three body-building foods.
Milk, eggs, and pulses.
Difficult (3)
-
What are the six tastes in Ugadi Pachadi?
Sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. -
Why should we eat a balanced plate?
To ensure we get all nutrients needed to stay healthy, active, and strong. -
Name three cooking methods and one food example for each.
- Steaming – idli
- Boiling – rice
- Frying – samosa
Very Difficult (2)
-
Explain how different food groups help our body.
- Energy-giving foods provide fuel for activities.
- Body-building foods help in growth and repair.
- Protective foods protect us from diseases.
-
Why is it important to check food labels before eating packaged food?
To know the expiry date, ingredients, and to avoid harmful chemicals or expired food.