# Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body

## Overview

This chapter helps students understand the importance of food in our lives. It explores the diversity in food habits, the components of food, how to test them, and the idea of a balanced diet. It also discusses traditional and modern cooking practices, millets as nutri-cereals, food miles, and the significance of eating local, nutritious food.

## Key Topics Covered

### 1. What Do We Eat?

* **Food Variety**: Students list foods consumed over a week and observe differences.
* **Regional Foods**: Traditional food depends on crops grown locally, climate, and culture.
* **Table Activity**: Identify common and unique dishes across Indian states.

### 2. Food in Different Regions

* **Crops and Cuisine**: Regions grow specific crops which define their traditional foods.
* **Examples**:

* Punjab: Makki di roti, sarson da saag; drinks like lassi.
* Karnataka: Idli, dosa; coffee, buttermilk.
* Manipur: Rice, singju, eromba; black tea.

### 3. Changing Culinary Practices

* **Interviews with Elders**: Cooking has changed from chulha and sil-batta to gas stoves and mixers.
* **Reasons for Change**: Technological advancement, easier tools, and improved lifestyle.

### 4. Components of Food

Food provides nutrients needed for energy, growth, and protection.

#### a. Carbohydrates

* **Function**: Provide instant energy.
* **Sources**: Wheat, rice, potatoes, bananas, sugar.

#### b. Fats

* **Function**: Provide stored energy and warmth.
* **Sources**: Ghee, oil, butter, nuts, seeds.

#### c. Proteins

* **Function**: Help in body-building and repairing tissues.
* **Sources**:

* Plant: Pulses, beans, peas, nuts.
* Animal: Milk, eggs, fish, meat.

#### d. Vitamins and Minerals (Protective Nutrients)

* **Vitamin A**: Keeps eyes and skin healthy (Carrot, Papaya).
* **Vitamin B1**: Keeps the heart healthy (Nuts, grains).
* **Vitamin C**: Helps fight diseases (Lemon, orange).
* **Vitamin D**: For bones (Sunlight, fish).
* **Calcium**: For teeth and bones (Milk, paneer).
* **Iodine**: For brain and physical development (Iodised salt).
* **Iron**: For healthy blood (Green leafy vegetables).

#### e. Roughage and Water

* **Roughage (Dietary Fibre)**: Helps in digestion (Vegetables, wholegrains).
* **Water**: Transports nutrients and removes waste from the body.

### 5. Testing Food Components

#### a. Test for Starch

* **Method**: Add iodine to a food item. If it turns blue-black, starch is present.
* **Examples**: Potato, rice, bread.

#### b. Test for Fats

* **Method**: Press food on paper. An oily patch indicates fat.
* **Examples**: Butter, coconut, peanuts.

#### c. Test for Proteins

* **Method**: Add copper sulfate and caustic soda to food paste in a test tube. Violet color shows protein.
* **Examples**: Soya bean, gram, peanuts.

### 6. Balanced Diet

* **Definition**: A diet containing all essential nutrients, water, and roughage in right amounts.
* **Variation**: Needs differ by age, gender, health, and physical activity.
* **Activity**: Compare packaged food (e.g., potato wafers vs. roasted chana) to understand junk food vs. healthy food.

### 7. Millets – Nutri-Cereals

* **Examples**: Bajra, Jowar, Ragi, Sanwa.
* **Benefits**: Rich in iron, calcium, vitamins, and fibre. Can grow in various climates. Good for health and the environment.
* **FSSAI**: Ensures food safety and quality in India.

### 8. Food Miles – From Farm to Plate

* **Definition**: Distance food travels from farm to consumer.
* **Stages**: Farming → Harvesting → Storage → Grinding → Packaging → Transport → Cooking.
* **Benefits of Reducing Food Miles**: Fresher food, lower pollution, and support for local farmers.

## New Terms

| Term | Definition |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Nutrients | Useful parts in food that help the body grow, get energy, and stay healthy. |
| Carbohydrates | Energy-giving nutrients found in foods like rice, wheat, sugar. |
| Fats | Stored energy nutrients found in oils, nuts, butter. |
| Proteins | Body-building nutrients that help in growth and repair. |
| Vitamins | Protective nutrients that keep the body safe from diseases. |
| Minerals | Help the body work properly (e.g., calcium, iron). |
| Roughage | Fibre in food that helps digestion. |
| Balanced diet | A diet with all needed nutrients in correct amounts. |
| Junk food | Tasty but unhealthy food with too much sugar and fat. |
| Food miles | The distance food travels from farm to our plate. |
| Iodised salt | Salt mixed with iodine to prevent diseases. |
| Culinary practices | Methods of cooking food. |

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**Practice Questions**

### Easy (3)

1. What are the main energy-giving nutrients?
**Answer**: Carbohydrates and fats.
**Explanation**: They give energy to do work and keep us warm.

2. Name two sources of proteins.
**Answer**: Pulses and milk.
**Explanation**: They help build and repair body tissues.

3. What is roughage and why is it useful?
**Answer**: Fibre in food; helps in digestion.
**Explanation**: Helps pass waste smoothly from our body.

### Medium (2)

4. Why are vitamins and minerals called protective nutrients?
**Answer**: They protect our body from diseases.
**Explanation**: They strengthen the immune system and support body functions.

5. Why is a balanced diet important?
**Answer**: It provides all necessary nutrients.
**Explanation**: It keeps the body healthy and supports growth.

### Difficult (3)

6. How do we test for the presence of starch in a food item?
**Answer**: Add iodine; blue-black color shows starch.
**Explanation**: Iodine reacts with starch to change its color.

7. Why are millets called nutri-cereals?
**Answer**: They are rich in nutrients.
**Explanation**: Millets provide iron, calcium, vitamins, and fibre.

8. What is meant by ‘food miles’ and why should they be reduced?
**Answer**: Distance food travels from farm to plate.
**Explanation**: Reducing food miles cuts pollution and supports local farmers.

### Very Difficult (2)

9. Reshma has night blindness. Which vitamin is she lacking and what foods should she eat?
**Answer**: Vitamin A; she should eat papaya, carrots, and mangoes.
**Explanation**: Vitamin A helps maintain good eyesight.

10. Gourav got calcium tablets and Vitamin D syrup after a bone fracture. Why?
**Answer**: Calcium builds bones, Vitamin D helps absorb calcium.
**Explanation**: Both work together to repair bones properly.

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