Page 259 - New Medley 4 Semester 1

COMPONENTS OF FOOD

There are four main components of the food. These components of food are

called nutrients. The main components of the food are:

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates give us energy. They are found in wheat, rice, potatoes and sweet

fruits. Carbohydrates are of two types—sugars and starch. Sugars are sweet in
taste.

Activity S E L Self-Management • Hands-on Learning

To show that food contains starch
Take a slice of bread. With the help of a dropper, pour two drops of iodine
solution on it. What do you observe? Do the same experiment with a slice of
potato. Do you see the same result? The blackish-violet colour confirms the
presence of starch in bread as well as in potato.

Proteins

Proteins are needed for growth of the body and to repair the damaged cells and
tissues. Proteins are found in pulses, soyabean, milk, egg, meat, fish, etc.

Fats

Fats give us energy and warmth. We get fats from butter, ghee, cooking oil, nuts,

meat, etc. Fats do not give energy quickly. To get energy from fats, we must do
physical activities daily.

S E L Self-Management • Hands-on Learning
Activity

To show that food contains fats
Smear some butter onto a piece of plain paper. Hold the paper up towards
a light source and try to look through the spot formed by the butter.
What do you observe?

Try to do the same with your hair oil or cooking oil.

Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are protective nutrients. They do not give us energy but
keep us healthy and protect us from diseases. These are obtained from fresh

fruits and vegetables.

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