Chapter 3: Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body

Class 6 Science – Chapter 3: Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body

1. Pick the odd one out and give reasons:

• (i) Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Chana
• (ii) Kidney beans, Green gram, Soya bean, Rice

(i) The odd one out is Chana. Jowar, Bajra, and Ragi are types of millets. Chana is a type of pulse.
(ii) The odd one out is Rice. Kidney beans, Green gram, and Soya bean are types of pulses (plant protein sources). Rice is a cereal (carbohydrate source).

2. Discuss traditional versus modern culinary practices in India.

Traditional cooking often used a chulha (stove) and ground ingredients using a sil-batta.
Modern cooking commonly uses a gas stove and an electrical grinder. Changes are due to technology.

3. A teacher says that good food may act as medicine. Ravi is curious about this statement and has some questions for his teacher. List at least two questions that he can ask.

• How can certain foods help in curing diseases?
• Can eating specific foods prevent us from getting sick?

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

Some delicious foods, like potato wafers, are called junk food. They taste good but are unhealthy because they are low in nutrients.
Healthy foods provide necessary nutrients. While nutritious, they might not always be preferred over delicious, less healthy options.

5. Medu 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 to get rid of these problems? Explain your answer.

Medu should eat more vegetables and fruits. These provide dietary fibre (roughage). Fibre helps in proper digestion and prevents constipation.

6. Reshma had trouble seeing things in dim light. The doctor tested her eyesight and prescribed a particular vitamin supplement. He also advised her to include a few food items in her diet.

• (i) Which deficiency disease is she suffering from?
  She is suffering from loss of vision, possibly night blindness.
• (ii) Which food component may be lacking in her diet?
  Vitamin A may be lacking in her diet.
• (iii) Suggest some food items that she should include in her diet to overcome this problem (any four).
  She should include foods like papaya, carrot, mango, and milk in her diet.

7. You 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. It contains beneficial dietary fibres and other nutrients. Processing or juicing can lead to loss of some vitamins or fibre.

8. Gourav got a fracture in his leg. His doctor aligned the bones and put on a plaster. The doctor also gave him calcium tablets. On the second visit, the doctor gave him Vitamin D syrup along with calcium tablets. Refer to Fig. 3.5 and answer the following questions:

• (i) Why did the doctor give calcium tablets to Gourav?
  The doctor gave calcium tablets because calcium keeps bones healthy. This helps in the healing of his fractured leg bone.
• (ii) On the second visit, why did the doctor give Vitamin D syrup along with calcium tablets?
  Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium effectively. Giving Vitamin D with calcium helps make his bones stronger.
• (iii) What question arises in your mind about the choices made by the doctor in giving the medicines?
  A question that arises is: Why wasn't Vitamin D given from the very first visit along with calcium?

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

The iodine test turns blue-black only in the presence of starch. Sugar is a carbohydrate, but it is not starch, so the colour does not change.

10. What 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 specific type of carbohydrate, but there are other types like sugar.
Activity: Test a food item containing starch (like potato or rice) with iodine solution. It will turn blue-black. Test sugar with iodine solution. It will not turn blue-black. This shows sugar is a carbohydrate but not starch.

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

The saree fabric likely contained starch, which caused the iodine to turn blue-black. Mishti’s socks probably did not contain starch.

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

Millets are healthy because they are nutri-cereals. They are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibres.
Eating just millets is not enough. A healthy diet needs all essential nutrients from different food groups in the right amounts.

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

Add a few drops of the solution to a food item, like a piece of potato or boiled rice. If the food item turns blue-black, the sample is likely an iodine solution.