Class 6 Science · Chapter 3

3. Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body

Answers to in-text questions, activities and Let us enhance our learning. NCERT Curiosity, Class 6 Science (CBSE).

Activities

3.1List the food items you have consumed over the week (Table 3.1).

Day	Food items
Monday	Poha, dal-rice, chapati, sabzi
Tuesday	Upma, chapati, dal, curd
Wednesday	Idli, rice, sambhar, salad
Thursday	Paratha, khichdi, buttermilk
Friday	Bread, dal-rice, egg curry
Saturday	Thalipeeth, bhakri, pithla
Sunday	Puri-bhaji, pulao, fruits

This is a sample. Write the food you actually ate. You will find that we eat a variety of food.

3.2Find out the traditional food items and crops grown in various states. Add more states to Table 3.2.

State	Locally grown crops	Traditional food items	Beverages
Maharashtra	Jowar, bajra, rice, wheat, groundnut	Bhakri, pithla, puran poli, varan-bhat, misal	Solkadhi, taak (buttermilk), tea
Gujarat	Bajra, wheat, groundnut, cotton	Dhokla, thepla, khichdi, undhiyu	Chhach, tea
West Bengal	Rice, mustard, jute	Rice, fish curry, luchi, rasgulla	Tea, lassi
Kerala	Rice, coconut, banana	Appam, puttu, avial, sadya	Coconut water, tea

Why do we see diversity in traditional food consumed in various states of our country?

India has different types of soil and climate. So different crops are grown in different states.

The traditional food of a state is based on the crops grown there. Taste, culture and traditions also differ.

3.3Interview elderly people. What changes have taken place in cooking practices over time?

Earlier, food was cooked on a chulha. Now we use a gas stove.
Earlier, grinding was done on a sil-batta. Now we use an electrical grinder.
Earlier, grains were ground at home on a hand mill (chakki). Now we buy flour from a mill or shop.
Packaged and ready-to-eat food is used more now.

Causes: technological development, better transport and better communication.

In-text Questions

How do you feel when you miss a meal?

We feel tired, weak and less energetic.

Why do you think a marathon runner drinks glucose water during and after a race?

Glucose is a carbohydrate. It gives instant energy. So the runner drinks glucose water to get energy quickly.

Why do you think we prefer to have laddoos as a part of our traditional diet in winters?

Laddoos are rich in ghee and nuts, which contain fats. Fats give us energy and keep us warm in winters.

What do you interpret by reading Case 1? What cures scurvy?

Sailors suffered from bleeding and swollen gums due to lack of Vitamin C. This disease is scurvy.

Lemons and oranges contain Vitamin C. They cure scurvy.

What do you infer from Case 2?

Swelling at the front of the neck is a symptom of goitre. It is caused by lack of iodine in the diet. Using iodised salt reduces goitre.

What are the food sources that provide water to our body? List a few of them.

Watermelon, cucumber, orange, coconut water, milk, buttermilk, soups and dal.

3.5–3.7Test the food items for starch, fat and protein. Record your observations (Table 3.3).

Food item	Starch	Fat	Protein
Potato	Yes	No	No
Cucumber	No	No	No
Boiled rice	Yes	No	No
Boiled gram	Yes	No	Yes
Peanuts	No	Yes	Yes
Bread / Chapati	Yes	No	Yes
Butter	No	Yes	No
Coconut	No	Yes	No

Tests: Starch turns blue-black with iodine. Fat leaves an oily patch on paper. Protein turns violet with copper sulfate and caustic soda.

Peanuts show both fat and protein. So one food may contain many nutrients.

Your results may differ slightly depending on the samples used.

3.9Based on the nutritional information on the packets of potato wafers and roasted chana, which food would you choose? Why?

I would choose roasted chana.

It has much less fat (6.26 g) than potato wafers (35.0 g).
It has more protein (18.64 g) than potato wafers (7.0 g).
It has more dietary fibre (16.8 g) than potato wafers (4.8 g).

Potato wafers can be labelled as junk food.

Let us enhance our learning

1Pick the odd one out and give reasons: (i) Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Chana (ii) Kidney beans, Green gram, Soya bean, Rice

(i) Chana — Jowar, bajra and ragi are millets. Chana is a pulse.

(ii) Rice — Kidney beans, green gram and soya bean are pulses, rich in protein. Rice is a cereal, rich in carbohydrates.

2Discuss traditional versus modern culinary practices in India.

Traditional practices	Modern practices
Cooking on a chulha using wood or dung cakes	Cooking on a gas stove, induction or microwave
Grinding on a sil-batta or hand chakki	Grinding in an electrical grinder or mixer
Cooking in earthen or iron pots	Cooking in pressure cookers and non-stick pans
Fresh, locally grown food	More packaged and ready-to-eat food

Modern practices save time and effort. Traditional practices used more local and fresh food. Changes came due to technology, transport and communication.

3A teacher says that good food may act as medicine. List at least two questions that Ravi can ask.

Which food items help to cure which diseases?
How do lemons and oranges cure scurvy?
Can good food alone keep us away from all diseases?

4Not all delicious foods are necessarily healthy, while not all nutritious foods are always enjoyable. Share your thoughts along with a few examples.

Chips, burgers, pizza, noodles and soft drinks taste good. But they have too much fat and sugar and very few nutrients. So they are not healthy.

Bitter gourd (karela), green leafy vegetables and sprouts are very nutritious. But many children do not enjoy them.

We should eat healthy food. We can cook it in tasty ways.

5Medu does not eat vegetables but enjoys biscuits, noodles and white bread. He often has stomach ache and constipation. What changes should he make in his diet?

Medu’s food lacks roughage (dietary fibres). Roughage helps the body get rid of undigested food.

He should eat green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains and pulses.
He should reduce biscuits, noodles and white bread.
He should drink enough water.

6Reshma had trouble seeing things in dim light. Answer the questions.

(i) She is suffering from night blindness (loss of vision in darkness).

(ii) Vitamin A may be lacking in her diet.

(iii) She should eat carrot, papaya, mango and milk.

7You are provided the following: (i) Canned fruit juice (ii) Fresh fruit juice (iii) Fresh fruit. Which one would you prefer and why?

I would prefer fresh fruit.

Fresh fruit has all its vitamins and dietary fibres. Fresh juice loses the fibre. Canned juice may have added sugar and preservatives. Some vitamins are also lost in it.

8Gourav got a fracture in his leg. Refer to Fig. 3.5 and answer.

(i) Calcium keeps bones healthy. So the doctor gave calcium tablets to help his bone heal.

(ii) Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium. So it was given along with calcium.

(iii) Why did the doctor not give Vitamin D on the first visit? Can sitting in sunlight give enough Vitamin D?

9Sugar is tested with iodine solution but it does not change to blue-black colour. What can be a possible reason?

Iodine turns only starch blue-black. Sugar is a carbohydrate but it is not starch. So it does not turn blue-black.

10What do you think of Raman’s statement, “All starches are carbohydrates but not all carbohydrates are starches.” Describe the design of an activity to test your answer.

Raman’s statement is correct. Starch is one type of carbohydrate. Sugar and glucose are carbohydrates too, but they are not starch.

Activity:

Take a slice of potato, some boiled rice, some sugar and some glucose on separate dishes.
Put 2–3 drops of dilute iodine solution on each.
Potato and rice turn blue-black. They contain starch.
Sugar and glucose do not turn blue-black. They are carbohydrates but not starch.

11A few drops of iodine fell on Mishti’s socks and on her teacher’s saree. The drops on the saree turned blue-black while the colour on the socks did not change. What can be a possible reason?

Cotton sarees are often stiffened with starch. So iodine turned blue-black on the saree.

The socks had no starch on them. So their colour did not change.

12Why are millets considered a healthy choice of food? Can eating just millets suffice for the nutritional requirements of the body?

Millets are rich in vitamins, minerals like iron and calcium, and dietary fibres. So they are called nutri-cereals. They also grow easily in different climates.

No. Eating only millets is not enough. Our body also needs proteins, fats, vitamins from fruits and vegetables, and water. So we need a balanced diet.

13You are given a sample of a solution. How would you check the possibility of it being an iodine solution?

Put 2–3 drops of the solution on a slice of potato or some boiled rice.

If the food turns blue-black, the solution may be iodine solution.

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