Chapter - I (VI) (S)

Food: Where does it come from?

The main sources of our food are plants and animals.

There is a lot of variety in the food we eat across our country.

Different food items are prepared using different ingredients i.e. Just two minerals or ingredients are used to prepare a dish of boiled rice and on the other hand, vegetable curry requires different kinds of vegetables, salt, spices etc.

Food Materials an Sources

We get food items like fruits, vegetables, rice, wheat etc. from plants.

On the other hand, food items like milk, eggs, meat, chicken, fish, beef, pork, and such other from animals.

Plant Parts and Animal Products as Food

We use different parts of plant as a food likeleaf, stem, roots, flowers etc. Some plants have two or more edible parts i.e. seeds of mustard plants give us oil and the leaves are used as a vegetable.

Do not try to test unknown plants around you to see if they are edible! Some plants could be poisonous.

Important Activity: Take some dry seeds of moong or chana.Put a small quantity of seeds in a container filled with water and leave this aside for a day. Next day, drain the water completely and leave the seeds in the vessel. Wrap them with a piece of wet cloth and set aside. The following day, do you observe any changes in the seed? A small white structure may have grownout of the seeds. If so, the seeds have sprouted. If not, wash the seeds in water, drain the water and leave them aside for another day, covered with a wet cloth. The next day, see if the seeds have sprouted. After washing these sprouted seeds, you can eat them. They can also be boiled. Add some spices and get a tasty snack to eat.

What do animal eat?

There are some animals which eat plant products. These are called herbivores.

There are some animals which eat other animals. These animals are called carnivores.

There are some animals which eat both plants and animals. These are called omnivores.

We know that there are many amongst us, who do not get sufficient food. We need to find ways by which more food can be grown in the country. That will not be enough; we will need to

find ways to ensure that this food is made easily available to each and every

one of us.

Words to be learnt

Ingredients           -                  material needed to prepare food

Edible                   -                  eatable

Nectar                  -                  sweet juices

Sprouted seeds    

Herbivore

Carnivore

Omnivore