please explain me something about components of food
Answers
1. Food : It is the group of edible substances which provide energy to the living beings and repairs the old tissues and builds the new tissue.
2. Nutrients :The components of food that are necessary for growth, maintenance and other activities are called nutrients.
3. Nutrition :The process of taking nutrients required for growth and development of our body to obtain energy is known as nutrition.
4. Our food contains three main substances called nutrients. These are fats, proteins and carbohydrates. In addition our body requires water, salts (minerals), vitamins and fibres.
5. Diet : It is the amount of food taken by a person at a time.
6. Balanced diet :A diet containing all the nutrients and other components in proper proportion is called balanced diet.
7. Energy :Energy is capacity to do work.
8. Malnutrition :If a person does not get adequate food, or if his/her diet does not contain all the nutrients, he or she becomes weak. When the body does not get adequate nutrition, it is said to be suffering from malnutrition.
9. Various food components are grouped in three classes :
(i) Energy giving foods : Carbohydrates and Fats.
(ii) Body building foods :Proteins.
(iii) Protective foods :Vitamins and Minerals.
10. Carbohydrates
(i) Grains such as rice, wheat, sorghum, peas, beans, sago (sabudana), sugarcane, sugarbeets, many fruits like banana, mango and melons and vegetables are good sources of carbohydrates (Fig. 2.1).
(ii) Cellulose, starch, sucrose, glucose and fructose are the important carbohydrates found in our food.
(iii) Starch turns iodine solution to dark blue or black.
11. Fats
(i) Fats are obtained either from animals or from plants. Fats like butter and ghee are obtained from animals. Groundnut oil, Soyabean oil and Mustard oil are examples of fats derived from plants.
(ii) Facts act as fuels in our body but they provide more energy than carbohydrates.
(iii) Our body has some advantages of fat deposits in small quantity. It helps body organs and protects them from injury, prevents loss heat from the body surface.
(iv) Too much fat deposition is harmful for the body. This leads to the condition called obesity.
(v) Fatty substances leave greasy and transparent spot on paper.
12. Proteins
(i) Milk, fish, meat, cheese and eggs are the main sources of animal proteins. Vegetable proteins can be obtained from legumes including pulses and beans.
(ii) Proteins are required for growth and repairing in our body. They help in building new tissues. They also account for tough, fibrous nature of hair and nails and for the structure of muscles. They are a part of our blood and help in proper functioning of our body.
(iii) Large amount of protein is needed for building new tissue in short period, such as during infancy, pregnancy or when mother is nourishing a child.
13. Vitamins : Vitamins are required by our body in very small quantities. Vitamins help in keeping our eyes, bones, teeth and gums healthy. The food items rich in vitamins are called protective foods as they protect our body from diseases and keep us healthy.
14. Minerals : Minerals are needed by our body in small amounts. Each one is essential for proper growth of body and to maintain good health.
15. Different sources of vitamins and minerals are shown in Figs. 2.4 and 2.5 respectively.
16. Water
(i) Our body requires a large quantity (5-7 litre) of water daily.
(ii) Water helps our body to do many functions like digestion, throwing our dissolved waste from body as urine and impure blood.
(iii) Water also keeps our body cool through sweating.
(iv) Water helps in blood circulation.
17. Roughage
(i) Whole grains flour and cereal, potatoes, fresh fruits and raw and cooked vegetables provide roughage in our food.
(ii) It helps in proper digestion and prevents constipation.
18. Foods that are deep fried and roasted usually loose their nutritive value.
19. Energy requirement : Requirement of energy or food depends on profession, age, sex and special needs like pregnancy, infancy, lactation, etc.
20. Deficiency diseases : Diseases that occur due to the lack of nutrients are called deficiency diseases. Some of them are listed in the following table :
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are also called energy giving food. It is the main sources of energy. It is made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are three types of carbohydrates.
Sugars: It is a simple carbohydrate having sweet taste. Sources of sugar are glucose, Sugarcane, milk and fruits; such as banana, apple, grapes, etc.
Starch: It is a complex carbohydrate. It is a tasteless, colourless, white power. Sources of starch are: Wheat, maize, potato and rice.
Cellulose: It is present in plant cell wall. It is a complex carbohydrate. Humans cannot digest cellulose.
Protein: Protein helps in body growth and repairs the tissues so it is also called body building food. We get protein from milk, eggs, meat, fish and all kinds of pulse. Protein molecule is made of a large number of smaller molecules called amino acid. The daily requirement of protein for adults is 1 gram per kilogram of the body weight. When the body is building new tissue, more proteins are required, so growing children and pregnant lady need more protein.
Fat: Fats are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Butter, ghee, milk, egg-yolk, nuts and cooking oils are the major sources of fat in our food. An adult needs about 35 g fat everyday. Our body stores the excess energy in the form of fat. This stored fat is used by the body for producing energy as and when required so fat is considered as energy bank in our body. Fats are essential for the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K in the body. Fat in our body also prevents heat loss from the body surface.
Vitamins: Vitamins are complex organic compounds which are essential for the growth and maintenance of our body. It does not provide energy. Our body requires vitamins A, C, D, E, K and B-complex. Our body can make only two vitamins, Vitamins D and K so other vitamins must be present in our food. The B complex vitamin is a mixture of several water- soluble vitamins. The important vitamins of this group are the vitamin B1 B2 B3 B4 B6 B9 and B12.
Minerals: Minerals are required by our body in very small quantities. Iron, Iodine, calcium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium are common minerals. The sources of these animals are plants and animals.
Deficiency Diseases
Vitmains/MineralsDeficiency DiseasesSymptomsVitamin ANight blindnessPoor vision, loss of vision in darknessVitamin B1BeriberiWeak muscles, fatigueVitamin CScurvyBleeding gumsVitmain DRicketsBent bonesCalciumOsteomalaciaWeak bones, tooth decayIodineGoitreSwelling in neckIronAnaemiaGeneral weakness, fatigue
Dietary fiber: The fibrous indigestible material present in any food is termed as dietary fibre or roughage. It helps in preventing constipation. It adds bulk to the food and gives a sense of fullness after the meal. Salad, vegetables, sprouted grains and fruits are the sources of roughages.
Balanced Diet: The diet which contains all the essential nutrients in the right proportion is called a balanced diet. The food we eat must have all the nutrients. It should provide the required energy. Deficiency of one or more nutrients in our food for a long time may cause certain diseases or disorders.
Food Components: NCERT Solution
Food Components: MCQ Quiz
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