Revision Notes

Class 6 Science
Chapter 2 - Components of Food

Nutrients:
● Food is required for the growth and maintenance of the body.
● The food consumed varies according to the region [like hilly areas or
coastal areas], age [like babies or children or old people], and physical
conditions [ill health, sportsman etc] of the person.
● The substances present in the food that provides the necessary energy
and nourishment for the growth, functioning and maintenance of the
body of an organism are termed as nutrients.
● The food consists of different nutrients and each of them have a
special function in the growth of the body.

Major nutrients:
The major nutrients are listed as:
1) Carbohydrates:
● They are the major group of nutrients that provides us energy for
the functioning of the body.
● They are generally present in the form of sugar and starch in the
food.
● The test for the presence of carbohydrates in food can be done by
adding a drop of iodine solution to the food. A blue-black colour
indicates the presence of starch and carbohydrates.
● The sources of carbohydrates in the food are: whole grains like
wheat, rice, vegetables, fruits, legumes, etc.

2) Proteins:
● They are the foundation for all the cells, muscles and tissues and
hence they are known as the building blocks of the body.
● They are essential for the healthy development and repair of the
muscles, tissues, organs, hormones, hair etc.
● The test for the presence of protein in food can be done by adding
two drops of copper sulphate solution and ten drops of caustic
soda solution to the food. If it turns violet, it shows the presence of
proteins.

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 ● The sources of proteins in the food are: milk, cheese, white meat
like chicken, seafood, like prawns, eggs, almonds, beans, soyabean,
peas etc.

3) Fats:
● They provide the body with the required energy to do work.
● They are harmful if taken in large quantities.
● The presence of fat in the food can be known if the food leaves an
oily stain on a paper.
● The sources of fats in the food are: from animals like meat, butter,
ghee, eggs etc and from plants like groundnuts, vegetable oil,
coconut oil, nuts etc.

4) Minerals:
● These are the components that are required by our body in small
amounts. They are very important for the proper growth and
development of the body.
● Various minerals are required for different purposes. Like calcium
for the bones, teeth, iron for red blood cells, iodine for functioning
of thyroid gland.
● The sources of some of the minerals in the food are: Calcium in
milk, eggs etc, phosphorus in milk, banana etc, iron in spinach,
apples etc, and iodine in fish, ginger etc.

5) Vitamins:
● These are yet another group of substances that keeps the body safe
from any diseases.
● They are also essential for the health of the eyes, bones, teeth and
gums.
● There are different types of vitamins with specific functions and
they are required in small quantities only. Vitamin A is for eyes,
vitamin D for bones and teeth, vitamin C for fighting diseases.
● The sources of various vitamins in the food are: Vitamin A in
mango, carrot, papaya, fish oil, milk etc, vitamin B in rice, wheat
etc, vitamin C in lemon, orange, tomato etc, vitamin D in milk, fish,
eggs etc.

6) Roughage:

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 ● These are the dietary fibres that are present in the food. They are
mainly provided by the plant's products and they don’t provide any
nutrients to the body.
● Their role is to help the body remove the undigested food.
● Water is yet another component of the food that helps in the
absorption of nutrients and removing the waste in the form of
urine and sweat.
● The roughages is present in whole grains like oats, vegetables like
beans, carrots etc, fruits like apples, pears etc.

Balanced diet:
● Most of the food that is consumed has one nutrient as a major part, like
rice has more carbohydrates. So, for the proper functioning and
development of the body and good health, a little bit of each nutrient is
required.
● A diet that has the right balance of the essential nutrients required by
the body like carbohydrate, protein, fats, minerals, roughages is termed
as a balanced diet. A balanced diet contains whole grains like rice or
wheat for carbohydrates, pulses like dal and meat or egg for proteins,
vegetables for minerals, vitamins and fibres.
● Eating food that has too much of fats, like fried food or sweets must be
avoided as this can increase the body weight leading to a condition
called obesity.

Deficiency diseases:
● Having a diet which is lacking in any one of the nutrients may lead to
its deficiency in the body.
● The diseases that are caused due to the deficiency of a nutrient over a
long period of time are termed as deficiency disease.
● These diseases have various symptoms according to the nutrient that is
deficient. This condition can be overcome by having a balanced diet.

Some deficiency diseases:

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