CBSE Class 6 Science Chapter 2 Notes Components of Food
Components of Food Class 6 Notes Understanding the Lesson
1. Our meals usually consist of a variety of food items.
2. Each dish is usually made up of different ingredients which contain some substances needed by our body. These substances are called nutrients.
3. Our food has five major nutrients: Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, Vitamins and Minerals.
4. Water and roughage (dietary fibres) are also important part of our food.
5. Carbohydrates provide energy to our body.
6. Some common sources of carbohydrates in our food are sweet potatoes, sugar, wheat, honey, rice, maize, millet, etc.
7. Fats also provide energy to our body. In fact, fats provide us twice as much energy as that provided by the same amount of carbohydrates.
8. Some common sources of fats in our food are: butter, ghee, milk, cheese, egg yolk, sunflower oil, mustard oil, etc.
9. Both fats and carbohydrates are called ‘energy-giving foods’.
10. Proteins supply the materials that are needed to make new cells by the body.
11. The various foods which are rich in proteins are milk, cheese, pulses, peas, beans, soybeans, fish, meat, chicken, eggs, etc.
12. Foods containing proteins are known as ‘bodybuilding foods’.
13. Vitamins are important for the normal growth and development of the body.
14. Vitamins are represented by the capital letters of the English alphabet such as A, B, C, D, E and K.
15. Some of the important vitamins are: Vitamin A, Vitamin B-complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Vitamin K.
16. The main sources of vitamins are milk, butter, carrot, eggs, green leafy vegetables, mango, orange, etc.
17. Our body needs minerals for its proper functioning, normal growth and good health.
18. Some of the important minerals needed by our body are calcium, phosphorus, iron, iodine, sodium and potassium.
19. The sources of minerals in our food are cheese, milk, fish, leafy vegetables, pulses, lobsters, iodised salts, etc.
20. Water is needed by our body:
- to transport digested food to the body.
- to transport important chemicals such as hormones around the body.
- to get rid of waste products from the body.
21. Many food materials themselves contain some water. Fresh fruits and vegetables also provide us a lot of water.
22. Fruits and vegetables which provide water are tomatoes, melons, cabbages, etc.
23. The loss of water from the body causes dehydration.
24. Roughage is the fibrous matter in food which cannot be digested.
25. Roughage is also called ‘dietary fibre’.
26. Roughage provides bulk to the food, keeps the food and waste materials moving through the intestines and helps to prevent constipation.
27. The diet which contains adequate amounts of all the nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals sufficient for the normal growth and development of the body is called a balanced diet.
28. Balanced diet includes a number of different food items in our daily meals, which when taken together, provide us all the nutrients in adequate amount.
29. Some nutrients presents in food materials are lost during the pre-cooking and cooking practices, which should be avoided.
30. Repeated washing of rice and pulses removes the water soluble vitamins and some minerals.
31. Cooking improves the taste of food and makes food easier to digest.
32. Vitamin C gets destroyed easily by heat during cooking.
33. If any of the nutrients is either less than the required amount from our diet over a long period of time, it can cause a disease or disorder in our body. These diseases are called deficiency diseases.
34. The deficiency of proteins in the diet of small children causes a disease known as
35. The deficiency of proteins, as well as carbohydrates in the diet of very small children, causes a disease known as
36. Deficiency of various vitamins in the human diet gives rise to a number of diseases such as night-blindness, beriberi, scurvy, rickets, etc.
37. Deficiency of minerals in the human diet also gives rise to a number of diseases such anaemia, rickets, cretinism, goitre, etc.
Class 6 Science Chapter 2 Notes Important Terms
Nutrients: The components of food that are necessary for growth and development of our body are called nutrients.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates provide energy to our body. The main carbohydrate that we eat in our food is starch and it comes from cereals.
Proteins: The nutrients which repair the damaged body cells during the healing of wounds and are needed to make new cells are called proteins. The main sources of protein in our food are fish, meat, chicken, peas, eggs, etc.
Fats: The nutrients which provide us twice as much energy as that provided by the same amount of carbohydrates are called fats. The main sources of fats in our food are meat, egg, yolk, groundnut, soybean, etc.
Vitamins: The nutrients which help in protecting our body against diseases and are important for the normal growth and development are called vitamin. The main sources of vitamins are milk, butter, carrot, papaya, etc.
Minerals: The nutrients which are needed to build bones and teeth; formation of haemoglobin in blood; coagulation of blood; and functioning of muscles, nerves and thyroid glands are called minerals. The important minerals are calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium and iodine.
Dietary fibre: Dietary fibre or roughage is the indigestible portion of food derived from plants. The main sources of roughage are pulses, fresh fruits, potatoes, whole grains, etc.
Balanced diet: A diet that contains adequate amount of all the nutrients sufficient for the normal growth and development of the body is called balanced diet.
Obesity: The state of being grossly fat or overweight by eating too much fat rich foods is called obesity.
Deficiency disease: A disease that is caused by the lack of nutrients in our diet over a long period of tima is called deficiency disease.
Energy: The capacity to do work is called energy. We need energy for our various activities.
Starch: An odourless, tasteless white substance occurring widely in plant tissue and obtained chiefly from cereals and potatoes is called starch.
Scurvy: Scurvy is a disease caused due to deficiency of vitamin C. Bleeding gums are its main symptoms.