All living things need food so survive. Food provides us
with energy to play, work and study. We get food from plant and animal sources.
Food is also necessary for us to grow, to stay alive and to fight against
diseases. We eat different substances (food), which are useful to us for doing different
things. Theses useful substances are called nutrients. Different foods have
different nutrients.
Body building food
Protein is a
body building food. This food is helpful in proper growth and repairing of body
parts. Cheese, fish, milk, pulses, eggs, meat, etc. are some protein consisting
of nutrients.
Energy giving food
Carbohydrates and fats are energy-giving
foods. These nutrients provide us with energy to play, study and work. Rice,
maize, wheat, potatoes, sugar, etc. are the main sources of carbohydrates, and
ghee, oil, nuts, animal, fats, vegetable fats, etc. are the main sources of
fat. Fats also keep our body.
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Protective food
Vitamins and
mineral salts are protective food. These nutrients keep our body healthy,
protect from diseases and help us to work properly. Fruits, vegetables, meat,
fish, peas, beans, liver, milk, etc. consist of several vitamins and minerals. Calcium,
iodine, iron, etc. are some common minerals. Calcium makes our bones teeth strong.
Water
What do you do when you
are thirsty? You drink water, don’t you? Besides all nutrients, our body needs
sufficient amount of water every day. We must drink plenty of clean boiled
water every day. Water is essential for proper functioning of all the organs of
our body. To stay healthy, we need to drink 6-8 glasses of water every day.
Balanced diet
Our daily food which we eat is called diet. Our body needs a
right amount of nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals,
water) in our diet. Such a proportionate diet is known as a balanced diet. We must
eat different types of food every day in order to fulfill the requirements of
all nutrients. Can you say why we eat some foods raw?
We should eat food after we cook it properly. Overcooking may destroy vitamins
and even the taste of food. We should wash vegetables and fruits before we eat or
cook. Food can be preserved by keeping inside a refrigerator, drying or
canning. Foods can be spoilt if it consists
of water and if bacteria or fungi from
in them.
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