Components of Food
Overview
The food we eat provides the fuel our body needs to function. This fuel is called nutrients — carbohydrates (energy), proteins (growth), fats (energy store), vitamins and minerals (protection). Eating all of them in the right amounts = balanced diet, otherwise deficiency diseases occur.
Typed Notes
Energy Providers — Carbohydrates and Fats
Carbohydrates are our main fuel — rice, roti, potato, sweets. They provide energy as soon as we eat them — for playing, studying, and walking. Fats — oil, ghee, butter, nuts — provide double the energy and keep getting stored in the body. When the body is under heavy demand (hunger, cold, illness) — it burns that stored fat. So cutting out fat completely is also wrong — it just needs to be consumed in the right amount.
Body Builders — Proteins
Proteins are the body's builders — a child grows taller, wounds heal, hair and nails grow — all of this happens because of protein. Lentils, milk, curd, eggs, meat, soya, chickpeas — these are rich sources of protein. Children and athletes need more protein because their bodies are still developing. Lack of protein causes a child's growth to stop — this condition is called Kwashiorkor.
Protectors — Vitamins and Minerals
These are small but act as the body's guardians: Vitamin A — for eyes and skin (carrots, papaya, green vegetables); deficiency causes poor vision at night (night blindness). Vitamin C — for gums and wound healing (lemon, amla, orange); deficiency causes Scurvy. Vitamin D — helps calcium strengthen bones (sunlight + milk); deficiency causes Rickets. Iodine — regulates the thyroid gland; deficiency causes Goitre; that is why we use iodised salt. Iron — for blood (haemoglobin); deficiency causes Anaemia. Calcium — for bones and teeth (milk, leafy vegetables).
Balanced Diet and Deficiency Diseases
A balanced diet is food that contains all nutrients in the right amounts + roughage (fiber from vegetables and fruits — keeps digestion clean) + water (8–10 glasses). If any nutrient remains low for a long time — a deficiency disease occurs: Kwashiorkor (protein deficiency — swollen belly, whitish hair), Marasmus (protein + energy deficiency — enlarged belly, very thin limbs), Scurvy (Vitamin C — bleeding gums), Rickets (Vitamin D — bent legs), Goitre (Iodine — swollen neck), Anaemia (Iron — low blood count, pale skin). The cure: eating the right food — not medicine.
Key Concepts
Revision ke liye ek nazar — exam se pehle yahi padhna hai.
- 01Carbohydrates (rice, roti, potato) and fats (oil, ghee, butter) give us energy. Fats contain more energy per unit.
- 02Proteins (lentils, milk, eggs, meat) are needed for body growth and repair — essential for both children and adults.
- 03Vitamins and minerals: Vitamin A — eyes; Vitamin C — gums; Vitamin D — bones; Iron — blood; Iodine — thyroid; Calcium — bones and teeth.
- 04Deficiency diseases: protein — Kwashiorkor; energy + protein — Marasmus; Vitamin C — Scurvy; Vitamin D — Rickets; Iodine — Goitre; Iron — Anaemia.
- 05Roughage (fiber) and water are also part of our diet — roughage keeps the digestive system clean, and water is needed for every function of the body.
Questions & Solutions
Pehle khud try karo — phir solution kholo. Yahi tariqa topper banata hai.
Which deficiency causes Kwashiorkor and Marasmus?
Which vitamin deficiency causes Scurvy? What are its symptoms?
What should one do to get Vitamin D?
Why does Goitre occur?
What is roughage and why is it important?
Is it right or wrong for a person to completely stop eating fat? Why?
Balanced diet = carbohydrates + fats (energy) + protein (growth) + vitamins and minerals (protection) + roughage + water. Deficiency leads to deficiency diseases: protein — Kwashiorkor, Vitamin C — Scurvy, Vitamin D — Rickets, Iodine — Goitre, Iron — Anaemia.
Chapter-end quiz
4 MCQsOption tap karo — turant pata chalega sahi ya galat, explanation ke saath.
Q1.What is the main function of protein?
Q2.Which deficiency causes Scurvy?
Q3.Which part of the body does Rickets affect?
Q4.Which substance decreases in the blood during Anaemia?
Mark karo — dashboard par progress dikhega.