NCERT Solutions Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating a Path to a Healthy Body

F R E E S T U D Y M AT E R I A L F O R E V E R Y S T U D E N T

CLASS 6 · SCIENCE

NCERT Solutions

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

NCERT Textbook — Curiosity

BOOK PAGES SECTIONS QUESTIONS MEDIUM

35 – 59 16 70 English

Solutions, notes, sample papers & more at 78 pages

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

CLASS 6 · SCIENCE · CURIOSITY

NCERT Solutions — Chapter 3: Mindful Eating: A Path to
a Healthy Body
Complete NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body from the
NCERT textbook Curiosity. Every question of the chapter is answered — all nine Activities (3.1 to 3.9), every in-
text question from pages 35 to 55, the 13 questions of Let us enhance our learning and the six Learning
further projects — with the reagent and exact colour change for each food test, and examples taken from
Indian kitchens.

TEXTBOOK BOOK PAGES

Curiosity (Class 6) 35 – 59

SECTIONS QUESTIONS

16 70

MEDIUM

English

Activity 3.1: Let us record — Pages 35 & 36

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Section 3.1 What Do We Eat?

ACTIVITY

Q1 All of us eat food every day. Food is an essential component of our daily life. List the
food items you have consumed over the week in Table 3.1.

DAY FOOD ITEMS

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Table 3.1, page 36 — Food items consumed over a week. The Food items column is blank
in the book; fill one row every evening.

Keep the table in your notebook and fill it every evening for seven days, not from memory at
the end of the week. Write every meal — breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner — and also milk,
tea, fruit and sweets.

Sample answer (a week in a home in central India — adapt it to what you actually
ate):

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

DAY FOOD ITEMS

Monday Poha with peanuts, milk; rice, arhar dal, bhindi sabzi, curd; banana; roti, aloo-matar

Tuesday Paratha with curd; rice, rajma, salad; guava; khichdi, papad

Wednesday Idli with sambhar, milk; roti, palak sabzi, dal, buttermilk; roasted chana; rice, kadhi

Thursday Upma, tea; rice, moong dal, lauki sabzi, curd; orange; roti, egg curry

Friday Bread with butter, milk; bajra roti, sarson saag, jaggery; peanuts; rice, dal, tomato sabzi

Saturday Dosa with coconut chutney; rice, sambhar, beans poriyal; papaya; roti, chana masala

Sunday Puri-sabzi, milk; rice, fish/paneer curry, salad; laddoo; roti, mixed vegetable

Tip: Add one extra column of your own — Where did it come from? Write “home-
cooked”, “market” or “packet”. You will need this idea again in Activity 3.9 and in
Section 3.6 on food miles.

Page 3 of 78

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

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What observations can you make about your food from the data collected in Table
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3.1? Do you eat the same kind of food in every meal or do your choices vary?

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Table 3.1, page 36 — Food items consumed over a week. The Food items column is blank
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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why this matters: if the same few items repeat in every meal, some nutrient is
almost certainly missing. Variety is the simplest way of making sure that all the food
components reach the body — which is exactly the idea of a balanced diet you will
meet in Section 3.4.

Q3 Compare your list with those prepared by your friends. Find similarities and
differences in the food consumed by you and your friends. What did you find?
Record your findings in your notebook.

Make a simple three-column note in your notebook: Common to all of us | Eaten by some |
Eaten by only one friend.

SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES

Everyone eats a cereal (rice, wheat or a millet) at One friend eats rice twice a day, another eats roti twice a
every main meal day

Almost everyone eats some dal or pulse Arhar dal at one home, sambhar at another, kadhi at a third

Everyone drinks milk, tea, buttermilk or water with Lassi and chhach in one home, filter coffee in another, black
meals tea in a third

Vegetables and fruit appear in every list Some families eat egg, fish or meat; some are fully
vegetarian

Everybody eats some snack or sweet Til laddoo, puran poli, pitha, gud-chana — the sweet
depends on the region

What I found: the kind of food (a grain, a pulse, a vegetable, a drink) is the same in every list.
Only the particular dish is different. So all of us eat the same food components, dressed up in
different ways.

Why the differences appear: they come from the crops grown near each home, the
family's traditions and taste, the season, and what is affordable and available — not
from a difference in what the body needs. The body of every one of us needs exactly
the same nutrients.

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q4 Do you think that such diversity in food exists in all states of our country?

Yes — and the diversity is far greater between states than inside one classroom. India is an
agricultural country with many soil types and climates, so every region grows different crops
and has built its dishes on them.

REGION MAIN CROP EVERYDAY DISH

Punjab and Haryana Wheat, maize, chickpea Makki di roti with sarson da saag, lassi

Rajasthan Bajra, moth, gram Bajra roti, dal-bati-churma, ker sangri

West Bengal and Odisha Rice, fish from rivers and ponds Bhaat with machher jhol, pakhala

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Rice, ragi, coconut, urad Ragi mudde, idli, dosa, sambhar, rasam

Manipur and the North-East Rice, bamboo, soya bean Eromba, singju, kangsoi, black tea

Gujarat and Maharashtra Jowar, bajra, groundnut Thepla, khichdi-kadhi, jowar bhakri, pithla

Why this happens: food travels badly and crops grow only where the soil and
climate suit them. Coconut grows along the wet coasts, so coastal cooking uses
coconut oil and chutney; bajra survives with very little water, so it feeds the dry
districts of Rajasthan. The dish is really the crop, cooked.

Did you know? The same grain gets a different name and a different shape in each
state — ragi in Karnataka is mandua in Uttarakhand and nachni in Maharashtra, and
it becomes mudde, roti or porridge depending on where you eat it.

Activity 3.2: Let us explore — Pages 36 & 37

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Section 3.1.1 Food in different regions

ACTIVITY

Q1 Find out the types of food traditionally consumed and the crops grown in various
states of India. You may refer to books in your library, search the internet, and
interact with your friends, family and neighbours to collect information. In Table
3.2, add more states and fill the collected data.

STATE LOCALLY TRADITIONAL FOOD ITEMS BEVERAGES
GROWN EATEN
CROPS

Punjab Maize, wheat, Makki di roti, sarson da saag, Lassi, chhach
chickpea, chhole bhature, parantha, (buttermilk), milk,
pulses halwa, kheer tea

Karnataka Rice, ragi, Idli, dosa, sambhar, coconut Buttermilk,
urad, coconut chutney, ragi mudde, palya, coffee, tea
rasam, rice

Manipur Rice, bamboo, Rice, eromba (chutney), utti Black Tea
soya bean (yellow peas and green onion
curry) singju, kangsoi

Any other

Table 3.2, page 37 — Some traditional food items in various states of India. The three
rows are the examples printed in the book; the last row is blank for the states you add.

Collect the information state by state, and always fill the three columns together — crops
grown, traditional dishes, beverages — because the second and third columns come out of
the first.

Page 7 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

STATE LOCALLY TRADITIONAL FOOD ITEMS BEVERAGES
GROWN CROPS EATEN

Punjab (given) Maize, wheat, Makki di roti, sarson da saag, chhole Lassi, chhach
chickpea, pulses bhature, parantha, halwa, kheer (buttermilk), milk, tea

Karnataka Rice, ragi, urad, Idli, dosa, sambhar, coconut chutney, Buttermilk, coffee, tea
(given) coconut ragi mudde, palya, rasam, rice

Manipur Rice, bamboo, soya Rice, eromba (chutney), utti, singju, Black tea
(given) bean kangsoi

Rajasthan Bajra, jowar, moth Bajra roti, dal-bati-churma, gatte ki Chhach, jal-jeera
bean, gram sabzi, ker sangri

West Bengal Rice, jute, mustard, Bhaat, machher jhol, shukto, pithe, Tea, aam pora shorbot
fish mishti doi

Gujarat Groundnut, bajra, Dhokla, thepla, khichdi-kadhi, undhiyu Chhas, tea
jowar, cotton

Kerala Rice, coconut, Puttu-kadala, appam, avial, sadya with Sambharam, tender
banana, spices rice coconut water, coffee

Uttarakhand Mandua (ragi), Mandua roti, jhangore ki kheer, gahat ki Buransh juice, tea
jhangora, gahat dal, kafuli

Assam Rice, mustard, tea, Bhaat with masor tenga, khar, pitha Assam tea
bamboo

How to collect it well: ask a grandparent or a neighbour from another state one
fixed set of questions — “Which grain do you eat daily? Which dish is made at every
festival? What do you drink with the meal?” Write the answer in the person's own
words, and note the state. That is real data collection, and it is far better than
copying a list from the internet.

Q2 Why do we see diversity in traditional food consumed in various states of our
country?

Because the traditional food of a state is based on the crops grown in that state, and
different regions of India grow different crops.
Four reasons work together:

Page 8 of 78

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

1. Soil and climate. India has many soil types and climates. Rice needs plenty of water and
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grows in the high-rainfall east and south; wheat suits the cooler north; bajra and jowar
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4. Culture and tradition. Festival foods, fasting foods and family recipes are passed down for
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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q3 Analyse the data collected by you in Table 3.2. Are there food items that are
common across states? Make a list of those food items.

STATE LOCALLY TRADITIONAL FOOD ITEMS BEVERAGES
GROWN EATEN
CROPS

Punjab Maize, wheat, Makki di roti, sarson da saag, Lassi, chhach
chickpea, chhole bhature, parantha, (buttermilk), milk,
pulses halwa, kheer tea

Karnataka Rice, ragi, Idli, dosa, sambhar, coconut Buttermilk,
urad, coconut chutney, ragi mudde, palya, coffee, tea
rasam, rice

Manipur Rice, bamboo, Rice, eromba (chutney), utti Black Tea
soya bean (yellow peas and green onion
curry) singju, kangsoi

Any other

Table 3.2, page 37 — Some traditional food items in various states of India. The three
rows are the examples printed in the book; the last row is blank for the states you add.

Yes. When the table is compared state by state, some items appear again and again while
others belong to only one place.

COMMON IN MANY STATES FOUND MAINLY IN ONE STATE OR
REGION

Rice and wheat (roti/chapati) Ragi mudde — Karnataka

Dal or a pulse of some kind Eromba, singju — Manipur

Milk, curd and buttermilk (lassi, chhach, chhas, Dal-bati-churma — Rajasthan
sambharam)

Tea Puttu and appam — Kerala

Potato, onion, tomato and green vegetables Machher jhol — West Bengal

Kheer or a milk-and-grain sweet Undhiyu — Gujarat

Page 10 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why some items are everywhere: rice, wheat, dal, milk and tea are either grown
almost all over the country or are easy to transport and store. A dish like eromba
needs fresh bamboo shoot and fermented fish, which are local and do not travel —
so it stays where it is made.

Q4 What relation do you find between the traditional food items and the locally grown
crops?

The traditional food of any state is usually based on the crops grown in that state. The link
is direct — look at any row of Table 3.2 and the dish is simply the local crop, cooked.

Maize grown in Punjab → makki di roti

Ragi grown in Karnataka → ragi mudde

Bamboo and rice in Manipur → eromba and kangsoi

Bajra in Rajasthan → bajra roti

Coconut in Kerala → coconut chutney and avial

Milk from the cattle kept there → lassi, chhach, mishti doi

Why the link is so strong: in earlier times there were no trucks, cold storage or big
markets. A family could cook only what grew within walking distance and what could
be stored at home. Over hundreds of years, the best ways of cooking those few
crops became the traditional dishes of the region.

Tip for the exam: if a question gives you a state and asks for its food, first ask
yourself “what grows there?” The dish almost always follows the crop.

Activity 3.3: Let us interact and find out — Pages 38 & 39

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Section 3.1.2 How have cooking practices changed over time?

ACTIVITY

Q1 Have our food habits and cooking practices changed over time?

Yes, both have changed a great deal — and the change has been fastest in the last fifty years.

Food habits: earlier, families ate mostly what was grown nearby and what was in season.
Today, a Delhi home may eat idli for breakfast and a Chennai home may eat rajma, and fruits
of every season are available all year.
Cooking practices: the fuel, the vessels and the tools have all changed — chulha to gas
stove, sil-batta to electric grinder, earthen pot to pressure cooker.
Time: cooking that once took hours now takes minutes, so more people cook after coming
home from work.

Try This: Ask at home which one dish is still made exactly the way your great-
grandmother made it. In most families it is a festival dish — and that is a good clue
about which practices change slowly.

Q2 Prepare a list of questions for gathering information from elderly people about
their food habits and cooking practices. Conduct interviews with some elderly
people based on the questions prepared.

Prepare the questions before you go, keep them short, and write the answers down as the
person speaks. Use the three sample questions from your book and add your own.
The book's sample questions:

What kind of food do you still eat and what is new?
What are the changes in cooking practices over time?
What has caused these changes?

More questions you can add:

1. On what did you cook when you were my age — chulha, angeethi, stove or gas?
2. Which fuel was used — wood, cow-dung cakes, coal or kerosene?
3. How were masalas ground, and how long did it take?
4. Where did the vegetables and grain come from — your own field, a shop or a weekly market?
5. How was food kept fresh without a refrigerator?
6. Which dish was made only in one season, and why?

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

7. Which food that you ate daily is rarely cooked now?
8. Do you think the old food was healthier? Why?

How to conduct the interview: ask permission first, interview at least two people,
do not interrupt, and read the answers back to check that you noted them correctly.
Then write a half-page report with the person's name, age and village or town.

Q3 What are your findings from the interviews you conducted?

Write the findings as a comparison, because that is what makes the change visible.

EARLIER (AS TOLD BY NOW
ELDERS)

Stove Chulha burning wood or cow-dung Gas stove, induction plate
cakes

Grinding Sil-batta and hand chakki, done Electric mixer-grinder; packet masala
every morning

Vessels Earthen and iron vessels, slow Pressure cooker, non-stick pan, microwave
cooking

Where food came Own field, kitchen garden, weekly Shops, supermarkets, home delivery
from haat

Storing Pickling, drying in the sun, storing Refrigerator, sealed packets
in bins of grain

What was eaten Millets, coarse grains, seasonal Polished rice, maida products, packaged snacks;
vegetables millets returning now

The finding in one line: cooking has become much faster and easier, but part of the
old wisdom — millets, seasonal vegetables, freshly ground masala — is being
rediscovered because it was healthier.

Page 13 of 78

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

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Find out what were the other ways of cooking and grinding.
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Q4

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several are still in use in Indian homes.

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Cooking Angeethi / sigri ag
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Tandoor A clay oven heated with wood; rotis are stuck to the

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Bhatti and earthen handi Slow cooking (dum) with a sealed lid

a g Steaming in leaves Food wrapped in banana or turmeric leaves and

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Did you know? Wood-fired cooking gives a smoky flavour that no gas stove can
copy — which is why tandoori roti and bhatti dal are still cooked the old way in
dhabas.

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s e mQ5 Why have these culinary practices changed over time?

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The book gives three main causes, and each of them can be seen in any Indian town.

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1. Technological development. The gas connection, the electric grinder, the pressure cooker
and the refrigerator a
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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

2. Improved transportation. Trucks, trains and cold storage bring apples from Himachal to
Kanyakumari and fish from the coast to inland towns, so people cook things that never grew
near them.
3. Better communication. Television, mobile phones and the internet spread recipes across
the country, so a family in Bihar now makes dosa and a family in Kerala makes chhole.

Two more reasons the elders will mention:

Less time — when both parents work outside the home, quick cooking wins.
Less firewood and more smoke-free kitchens — an LPG stove does not fill the kitchen with
smoke, which is much better for health.

What has not changed: the body's requirement. Whatever the stove, the food still
has to supply carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, roughage and water.

In-text Questions — Pages 39–41
Section 3.2 What are the Components of Food?

Q1 Have you ever missed a meal? How do you feel when you miss a meal?

Yes — and one feels tired and less energetic. When we do not eat for some time, the usual
signs are:

Weakness and tiredness, as if the legs and arms are heavy.
Difficulty in concentrating in class; the mind wanders.
Sometimes a headache, giddiness or a growling stomach.
Irritability — small things start annoying us.

Why it happens: food is our fuel. The body constantly uses energy — even while
sitting still, the heart beats and the brain works. This energy comes mainly from
carbohydrates in our food. When a meal is missed, the supply of energy falls and
every activity becomes harder. Eating restores it, which is why we feel better within
minutes of eating.

Tip: This is exactly why breakfast should never be skipped before school. After a
night's sleep the body has gone about 10–12 hours without food, and the first class
of the day needs the most attention.

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q2 Why do you think a marathon runner drinks glucose water during and after a race?

Because glucose provides instant energy.

Marathon (about 42 km) → huge use of energy → energy store falls

Glucose is the simplest carbohydrate → the body absorbs it at once → energy is restored

immediately

Glucose water also puts back the water and salts lost in sweat

Compare it with an ordinary meal: rice or roti must first be digested — broken down step by
step into simple forms — and that takes time. Glucose needs no such breaking down, so it
reaches the blood almost directly.

Why not a laddoo or a plate of rice during the race? Solid food would sit heavy in
the stomach and take a long time to digest, and the runner cannot stop for that. A
sip of glucose water gives energy in seconds without loading the stomach.

Did you know? This is the same reason a doctor gives glucose water or ORS to a
patient who is very weak or has lost water because of loose motions or vomiting.

Q3 Do you know that common sugar is also a type of carbohydrate?

Yes. The white sugar (cheeni) in your kitchen, the gud (jaggery) in a laddoo and the glucose
given to a patient are all carbohydrates.

KIND OF EXAMPLES TASTE HOW FAST IT GIVES
CARBOHYDRATE ENERGY

Simple sugars Glucose, common sugar, jaggery, Sweet Very fast — instant energy
honey, sugar in fruit

Starch Rice, wheat, bajra, potato, sweet Not Slower — energy released
potato sweet steadily over hours

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why this is worth remembering: starch and sugar are both carbohydrates, but
they behave differently in the body — and they also behave differently in the
laboratory. Iodine solution turns blue-black with starch only; it does not do so with
sugar. You will use this fact in Activity 3.5 and again in question 9 of the exercises.

Tip: Sweet is not the test of a carbohydrate. A chapati has no sweet taste at all, yet it
is almost entirely carbohydrate.

Q4 Why do you think we prefer to have laddoos as a part of our traditional diet in
winters?

Because a winter laddoo is packed with fat and carbohydrate — the two energy-giving
components — and the body needs extra energy to keep itself warm in the cold.
What goes into such a laddoo: besan or wheat flour (aata), ghee, gud or sugar, goond (edible
gum), and nuts and seeds such as almonds, cashew, til and pumpkin seeds.

INGREDIENT WHAT IT MAINLY SUPPLIES

Besan / aata Carbohydrate, and some protein from the gram flour

Ghee Fat — a source of stored energy

Gud (jaggery) Carbohydrate, and some iron

Nuts and seeds (til, badam, kaju) Fat and protein; also minerals like calcium and iron

Why fat especially: fat is a store of energy, and it gives more energy than the same
weight of carbohydrate. In winter, the body loses heat faster to the cold air and has
to make more heat to stay warm — so a food rich in fat is genuinely useful. As
Mishti's grandmother said, laddoos rich in ghee and nuts provide energy to keep us
warm.

Did you know? The same idea appears all over India in winter — til-gud laddoo at
Makar Sankranti, gond ke laddoo in the north, pinni in Punjab and chikki in
Maharashtra. And the polar bear does it too: a thick layer of fat under its skin keeps
it alive through months of hibernation without food.

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q5 Identify more food items that are rich sources of carbohydrates and fats.

Look around your own kitchen — most of the items will fall into one of these two lists.

RICH IN CARBOHYDRATES RICH IN FATS

Cereals and millets: rice, wheat, maize, jowar, Oils and ghee: mustard oil, groundnut oil, coconut oil,
bajra, ragi, sanwa sunflower oil, ghee

Roots and tubers: potato, sweet potato, arbi, Nuts: groundnut, almond, cashew, walnut, pistachio, coconut
tapioca, beetroot

Fruits: banana, mango, pineapple, chikoo, grapes, Seeds: til (sesame), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax
dates seeds

Sweet things: sugar, jaggery, honey, glucose Animal sources: butter, cream, cheese, curd made from full-
cream milk, egg yolk, fish

Products: bread, chapati, poha, sewai, sabudana Others: soya bean, mustard seed, malai, khoya

Both are called energy-giving foods: carbohydrates and fats provide us the energy
for performing various activities. Carbohydrates supply the everyday, quickly-used
energy; fat is the body's long-term energy store.

Check it yourself: peanuts and coconut will come up again in Activity 3.6 — press
them on paper and the oily patch proves the fat is really there.

In-text Questions — Pages 42 & 43
Section 3.2 — Proteins, and the two cases of Vitamin C and iodine

Q1 Which of these food components are part of your daily diet?

Check your own week's table from Activity 3.1 against the list of components. In most Indian
homes the answer looks like this:

Page 18 of 78

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

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COMPONENT IN MY DAILY FROM WHICH FOOD

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homes

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Some protein and energy
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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why plant-based food is doubly good: the book notes that eating food that is
locally grown and plant-based, to the extent possible, is not only healthy for the
body but is also good for our environment and our planet — it needs less land, less
water and less transport.

Q3 What do you interpret by reading Case 1? What cures scurvy?

Interpretation: the sailors' bleeding and swollen gums were not caused by the sea or by hard
work — they were caused by something missing from their food. During long voyages the
sailors ate only stored, dried food and no fresh fruit. James Lind noticed in 1746 that the sailors
who ate lemons and oranges recovered, which showed that the missing thing was present in
those fruits.

Long voyage → no fresh fruit → Vitamin C missing → bleeding, swollen gums → scurvy

Lemons and oranges eaten → Vitamin C supplied → the sailors recover

What cures scurvy: Vitamin C. Lemons and oranges cure scurvy because citrus fruits are rich
in Vitamin C. Amla, guava and green chilli are even richer Indian sources.

The bigger idea in Case 1: this is the first clue in the chapter that a disease can be
caused by a lack of something rather than by an infection. Such illnesses are called
deficiency diseases, and the cure is food, not medicine.

Did you know? Lind's observation was also a neat piece of the scientific method —
he observed, questioned, guessed, tested on the sailors and analysed the result,
long before anyone knew what a vitamin was.

Q4 What do you infer from Case 2?

Inference: the swelling at the front of the neck seen in the Himalayan region and the Northern
plains — the disease goitre — was caused by a shortage of iodine, and it could be removed
simply by putting iodine back into the food.

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Soil of the region poor in iodine → crops and water of the region poor in iodine → people

do not get enough iodine → swelling at the front of the neck (goitre)

Common salt supplemented with iodine (iodised salt) → symptoms visibly reduced

Three things follow from this case:

A deficiency can belong to a whole region, not just to one person, because it starts in the
soil.
Iodised salt is simply common salt mixed with required quantities of salts of iodine.
That is why the packet says “iodised”.
A very small quantity of a mineral can decide whether a person stays healthy — iodine also
helps us perform physical and mental activities.

Did you know? Salt farming is a traditional practice of a tribal community named
the Agariyas, who work for eight months in the extreme heat of the Little Rann of
Kutch to get salt from seawater.

Q5 How would you find out more about other food components that protect our body
from various diseases?

By using several honest sources and then checking one against the other:

1. Study the chart in Fig. 3.5 in your book — it lists the food component, its function, some
sources, the deficiency disease and the symptoms, all in one place.
2. Read the label on packets of food, salt and biscuits, where the nutrients are printed.
3. Survey your neighbourhood, as Activity 3.4 suggests, and link symptoms you see with the
diet of that person — under a teacher's guidance.
4. Ask the right people — the school teacher, the doctor or the nurse at the health centre, or
the ASHA worker in your village.
5. Look it up in the school library or on reliable websites, and note where each fact came from.

Why more than one source: a single source may be wrong or incomplete. If the
chart, the label and the doctor all say that Vitamin C prevents scurvy, you can trust it.
That cross-checking is itself a part of the scientific method.

Activity 3.4: Let us conduct a survey — Pages 43 & 44

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Section 3.2 — Fig. 3.5, vitamins, minerals and deficiency diseases

ACTIVITY

Q1 Study the chart given in Fig. 3.5 to explore the functions and sources of various food
components. Find out more sources of vitamins and minerals. Also, understand the
symptoms of the diseases caused by the lack of these food components.

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

FOOD FUNCTIONS SOME DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
COMPONENT SOURCES DISEASE/
(VITAMIN/ DISORDER
MINERAL)

Vitamin A Keeps eyes Papaya, Loss of vision Poor vision,
and skin carrot, loss of vision
healthy mango, milk in darkness
(night
blindness),
sometimes
complete loss
of vision

Vitamin B1 Keeps heart Legumes, Beriberi Swelling,
healthy and nuts, whole tingling or
supports grains, seeds, burning
body to milk products sensation in
perform feet and
various hands,
functions trouble in
breathing

Vitamin C Helps body to Amla, guava, Scurvy Bleeding
fight diseases green chilli, gums, slow
orange, healing of
lemon wounds

Vitamin D Helps body Exposure to Rickets Soft and bent
absorb sunlight, bones
calcium for milk, butter,
bone and fish, eggs
teeth health

Calcium Keeps bones Milk/soya Bone and Weak bones,
and teeth milk, curd, tooth decay tooth decay
healthy cheese,
paneer

Iodine Helps to Seaweed, Goitre Swelling at
perform water the front of
physical and chestnut the neck
mental (singhada),
activities iodised salt

Iron Important Green leafy Anaemia Weakness,
component of vegetables, shortness of
blood beetroot, breath

Page 23 of 78

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FOOD FUNCTIONS SOME DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

COMPONENT FUNCTION SOURCES IN DEFICIENCY MORE
FIG. 3.5 DISEASE / SOURCES YOU
SYMPTOMS CAN ADD

Vitamin A Keeps eyes and skin Papaya, carrot, Loss of vision — poor Pumpkin,
healthy mango, milk vision, night spinach, methi,
blindness, sometimes sweet potato,
complete loss of egg yolk, butter
vision

Vitamin B1 Keeps the heart Legumes, nuts, Beriberi — swelling, Unpolished
healthy and supports whole grains, tingling or burning in (hand-pounded)
the body to perform seeds, milk feet and hands, rice, ragi,
various functions products trouble in breathing groundnut,
sunflower seeds

Vitamin C Helps the body to Amla, guava, Scurvy — bleeding Tomato,
fight diseases green chilli, gums, slow healing of mosambi,
orange, lemon wounds papaya,
cabbage,
drumstick leaves

Vitamin D Helps the body Exposure to Rickets — soft and Edible
absorb calcium for sunlight, milk, bent bones mushroom, cod
bone and teeth butter, fish, eggs liver oil, fortified
health milk

Calcium Keeps bones and Milk/soya milk, Bone and tooth decay Ragi, til (sesame),
teeth healthy curd, cheese, — weak bones, tooth green leafy
paneer decay vegetables, small
fish eaten with
bones

Iodine Helps to perform Seaweed, water Goitre — swelling at Sea fish, prawns,
physical and mental chestnut the front of the neck milk
activities (singhada),
iodised salt

Iron Important Green leafy Anaemia — Jaggery, dates,
component of blood vegetables, weakness, shortness bajra, ragi,
beetroot, of breath chana, liver
pomegranate

How to read the chart quickly: the last two columns are the ones a doctor uses.
Symptom → deficiency disease → the nutrient that is short → the food that supplies
it. That chain, read backwards, is exactly what the rest of this activity asks you to do.

Page 25 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q2 Visit your neighbourhood, interact with people and find out if any individual shows
the symptoms listed on the chart (an investigatory project of this kind can be taken
by the students under the guidance of a teacher).

Page 26 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

FOOD FUNCTIONS SOME DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
COMPONENT SOURCES DISEASE/
(VITAMIN/ DISORDER
MINERAL)

Vitamin A Keeps eyes Papaya, Loss of vision Poor vision,
and skin carrot, loss of vision
healthy mango, milk in darkness
(night
blindness),
sometimes
complete loss
of vision

Vitamin B1 Keeps heart Legumes, Beriberi Swelling,
healthy and nuts, whole tingling or
supports grains, seeds, burning
body to milk products sensation in
perform feet and
various hands,
functions trouble in
breathing

Vitamin C Helps body to Amla, guava, Scurvy Bleeding
fight diseases green chilli, gums, slow
orange, healing of
lemon wounds

Vitamin D Helps body Exposure to Rickets Soft and bent
absorb sunlight, bones
calcium for milk, butter,
bone and fish, eggs
teeth health

Calcium Keeps bones Milk/soya Bone and Weak bones,
and teeth milk, curd, tooth decay tooth decay
healthy cheese,
paneer

Iodine Helps to Seaweed, Goitre Swelling at
perform water the front of
physical and chestnut the neck
mental (singhada),
activities iodised salt

Iron Important Green leafy Anaemia Weakness,
component of vegetables, shortness of
blood beetroot, breath

Page 27 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

FOOD FUNCTIONS SOME DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
COMPONENT SOURCES DISEASE/
(VITAMIN/ DISORDER
MINERAL)

pomegranate

Fig. 3.5, page 44 — Chart of vitamins and minerals, their functions, some sources,
related deficiency disease(s)/disorder(s) and symptoms.

Do this only with your teacher's guidance, and be polite. You are a student collecting
information, not a doctor giving a verdict.
How to conduct the survey:

1. Prepare a simple table: Name (or only a number, to protect privacy) | Age | Symptom
observed or reported | What the person usually eats.
2. Ask gentle questions — “Do your gums bleed while brushing?”, “Do you find it hard to see
when you step from light into a dark room?”, “Do you feel breathless after climbing stairs?”
3. Never touch or examine anyone, and never announce a disease name to the person.
4. Talk to 8–10 people of different ages so that the sample is not all children or all elders.

Sample entry: Person 4, aged 62, says her gums bleed when she brushes and a
small cut on her hand took three weeks to heal. Her diet has rice, dal and a cooked
vegetable daily, but no fruit and no raw salad. — This entry is exactly the kind of clue
the next question asks you to use.

Q3 Correlate these symptoms with their diet and identify the deficiency disease(s) or
disorder(s).

Put each symptom beside the person's diet and use Fig. 3.5 to name the disease.

Page 28 of 78

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SYMPTOM OBSERVED WHAT IS MISSING FROM DEFICIENCY DISEASE /

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THE DIET DISORDER

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Tingling and burning in feet and Only Beriberi

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

POSSIBLE CAUSE CHANGES SUGGESTED IN THE DIET

Shortage of Vitamin C One amla, guava, orange or lemon daily; a raw salad; do not overcook
vegetables

Shortage of Vitamin A Carrot, papaya, mango, pumpkin, green leafy vegetables, milk

Shortage of iron Palak, methi, beetroot, pomegranate, jaggery, bajra; take a Vitamin C food
along with it

Shortage of iodine Use only iodised salt; add it after cooking; singhada, sea fish

Shortage of calcium and Milk, curd, paneer, ragi, til; morning sunlight for 15–20 minutes daily
Vitamin D

Shortage of Vitamin B1 Whole grains instead of polished rice, pulses, groundnuts, milk products

Then say clearly: “These are only suggestions from a school project. Please visit a doctor or the
health centre for proper advice and tests.” A doctor may find another cause altogether, and only
a doctor should prescribe supplements.

Tip: One general suggestion helps almost everybody — replace one packaged snack
a day with a fruit or roasted chana. It costs less and adds vitamins, minerals and
fibre at the same time.

In-text Questions — Pages 45–47
Section 3.2 — Nutrients, cooking losses, roughage and water

Q1 But, how can we overcome vitamin and mineral deficiency diseases or disorders?

Mainly by correcting the food, not by taking medicine. Vitamins and minerals are needed in
small amounts, but they must arrive regularly.

1. Eat the food that contains the missing nutrient — the last column of Fig. 3.5 is a shopping
list. Milk, green vegetables, fruits and wholegrains together cover most vitamins and
minerals.
2. Eat a variety. No single food has everything. Changing the vegetable and the fruit every day
is the simplest protection.
3. Cook carefully. Some nutrients like Vitamin C are lost during cooking due to high heat, so
include some raw fruit and salad, and do not throw away the water in which vegetables were
boiled.

Page 30 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

4. Use fortified foods where they help — iodised salt for iodine, fortified milk and baby foods.
5. Get sunlight. Vitamin D can be naturally produced by our body upon exposure to sunlight.
6. Take supplements only if a doctor prescribes them, as Reshma's doctor did in question 6
of the exercises.

Why food works better than a tablet: a fruit brings the vitamin along with fibre,
water, minerals and sugar — a whole package. A tablet brings only one thing, and
too much of it can even be harmful.

Q2 What differences do you observe in raw and cooked vegetables? Have you ever
noticed that vegetables sometimes lose their bright colour, or become softer and
less crisp when cooked?

Yes. Put a raw piece and a cooked piece of the same vegetable side by side and the differences
are easy to list.

RAW VEGETABLE COOKED VEGETABLE

Colour Bright green, red or orange Duller; palak turns dark olive green

Texture Firm and crisp; it snaps Soft; it bends and can be mashed

Volume A big bowlful Shrinks a lot as water comes out

Taste and Sharp, sometimes bitter or pungent Milder, sweeter
smell

Nutrients Vitamin C and some others fully Some nutrients like Vitamin C are lost due to high
present heat

Digestion Harder to chew and digest Easier to digest; germs are also killed

Why it happens: heat softens the vegetable and drives out water, and some
vitamins — Vitamin C in particular — are destroyed by high heat or dissolve into the
cooking water and are thrown away. Washing cut or peeled vegetables and fruits
also washes some vitamins away, which is why we should wash first and cut
afterwards.

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q3 Would it not be wise to include fruits and uncooked vegetables into our diet?

Yes, it would be wise — because raw fruits and vegetables deliver the vitamins that cooking
would have destroyed.

A slice of guava, an orange or an amla gives full Vitamin C, since none of it has been heated.
A salad of cucumber, tomato, carrot and onion adds roughage and water along with the
vitamins.
Sprouted moong or chana eaten raw gives protein, Vitamin C and fibre together.

But three cautions:

1. It is highly recommended that all fruits and vegetables be thoroughly washed before
consumption — wash them whole, before cutting or peeling.
2. Some vegetables — potato, arbi, rajma — must be cooked; raw they are hard to digest.
3. Cooking is not the enemy. It kills germs, softens food and makes many foods safe. The
sensible plan is a cooked meal plus something raw.

Tip: Squeeze the lemon on the dal after taking it off the flame. The Vitamin C then
survives, and the sourness is fresher too.

Q4 Do we obtain all nutrients from plants and animals?

No. Most of our nutrients come from plants and animals, but not all of them.

NUTRIENT WHERE IT COMES FROM

Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, most Plants and animals
vitamins

Common salt and other mineral salts Obtained from seawater or from rocks — not from a plant or an
animal

Vitamin D Can be naturally produced by our own body on exposure to
sunlight

Water Mostly drunk as such, from rivers, wells and rain

Page 32 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why salt is special: salt is a mineral, and minerals were never made by living things.
Sea water is evaporated in shallow pans along the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu,
and the salt is left behind — that is how the Agariyas of the Little Rann of Kutch
make it. Rock salt (sendha namak) is dug out of the ground.

Q5 What are the food sources that provide water to our body? List a few of them.

Besides the water we drink, a large part of our daily water comes hidden inside food.

GROUP EXAMPLES

Juicy fruits Watermelon, muskmelon, orange, mosambi, grapes, papaya, litchi

Watery vegetables Cucumber, tomato, bottle gourd (lauki), pumpkin, radish, spinach

Drinks Milk, buttermilk (chhach), lassi, tender coconut water, sugarcane juice, nimbu
paani, soups

Cooked foods with much Dal, rasam, sambhar, kadhi, khichdi, curd rice, porridge
water

Why water is essential: water helps the body absorb nutrients from food, and it
removes waste from the body through sweat and urine. We should drink sufficient
water regularly to keep ourselves healthy — more in summer and after playing,
because a lot is lost as sweat.

Did you know? A cucumber is more than nine-tenths water — which is exactly why a
plate of kachumber cools you on a June afternoon in India.

Activity 3.5: Let us investigate — Page 48

Page 33 of 78

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Section 3.3.1 Test for starch
co m
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ACTIVITY

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a s ema small quantity of the food items such as a slice of potato, cucumber, bread,
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Take
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some boiled rice, boiled gram, crushed peanuts, oil, butter and crushed coconut.
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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

WHAT YOU DO AND SEE

Reagent used Dilute iodine solution, taken with a dropper — 2 to 3 drops only

Colour before the The natural colour of the food — white rice, pale potato, brown bread, yellow butter
test

Positive result The spot turns blue-black almost at once → starch is present

Negative result No blue-black appears; the drop keeps its own brown/yellow iodine colour on the food
→ starch is absent

How to do it properly:

1. Use a separate dish for each food so that the drops do not mix.
2. Keep the pieces small and put the drops on the cut surface, not on the skin.
3. Note the colour of each food before adding iodine — otherwise you cannot tell that a
change happened. This is why Table 3.3 has a “before iodine test” column.
4. Wash your hands afterwards, and do not taste anything after adding iodine.

Tip: Test a piece of plain white paper as well. Most paper contains starch, so it also
turns blue-black — a neat check that your iodine solution is working.

Page 35 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q2 Observe if there are any changes in the colour of the food items. Have they turned blue

NAME COLOUR OF THE OILY PATCH FOR FAT TEST COLOUR OF THE
OF THE FOOD ITEM FOR FOOD ITEM FOR
FOOD STARCH TEST PROTEIN TEST
ITEM
BEFORE AFTER PREDICTION OBSERVATION BEFORE AFT
IODINE IODINE (YES/NO) (YES/NO) PROTEIN PRO
TEST TEST TEST TES

Potato

Cucumber

Boiled
rice

Boiled
gram

Peanuts

Bread/
Chapati

Butter

Coconut

Any other

Table 3.3, page 51 — Exploring nutrients present in various food items. Every cell is blank in

Yes — some of them turn blue-black, and those are the starchy foods. A blue-black colour
indicates the presence of starch.

Page 36 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

FOOD ITEM COLOUR BEFORE COLOUR AFTER IODINE STARCH PRESENT?
IODINE TEST TEST (YES/NO)

Potato Pale yellow-white Deep blue-black Yes

Cucumber Light green-white Almost unchanged; the brown No
drop stays brown

Boiled rice White Blue-black Yes

Boiled gram Cream-brown Dark blue-black Yes

Peanuts Cream Brown drop remains; no blue- No
(crushed) black

Bread / White-brown Blue-black Yes
chapati

Butter Pale yellow No change No

Coconut White No change No
(crushed)

Oil Yellow, transparent No change No

Why the colour appears: iodine joins with starch to form a new coloured substance,
and that substance is blue-black. No starch, no new substance — so the iodine
simply lies on the food keeping its own brown colour. The change is so sharp that a
single drop is enough to decide the answer.

Check it yourself: put one drop of iodine on a raw potato and one on a boiled
potato. Both go blue-black — cooking does not remove starch, it only makes it softer
and easier to digest.

Activity 3.6: Let us investigate — Page 49

Page 37 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Section 3.3.2 Test for fats

ACTIVITY

Q1 Take a small part of the food items that you tested for the presence of starch in
Activity 3.5. Place each food item on a separate piece of paper. Wrap the paper
around the food and press it. Be careful not to tear the paper. If a food item
contains a little water, allow the paper to dry. Does the paper develop an oily patch?
What do you think is the reason for this patch?

Yes, some foods leave an oily patch — and the reason is the fat present in them.
The test in one line: reagent — none, only a plain piece of paper; result — a greasy,
translucent patch that does not dry away.

WHAT HAPPENS

Positive result A permanent oily patch forms; the paper there looks darker and semi-transparent → fat is
present

Negative The paper may become damp, but after drying it becomes completely clean and opaque again
result → fat is absent

Why the patch forms: when the food is pressed, a little fat (oil, ghee or butter) is squeezed out
of it and soaks into the paper. Fat does not evaporate the way water does, so the patch stays
even after the paper has dried.

Why we wait for the paper to dry: a watery food such as cucumber also makes the
paper look wet and dark, and that could easily be mistaken for fat. Water evaporates
in a few minutes and the paper becomes clean; an oily patch does not go. Drying the
paper is what makes the test fair.

Q2 Now, hold the paper against light. Can you see the light faintly shining through this
patch?

Yes. Where the fat has soaked in, the paper becomes translucent — the light from the window
shines faintly through that spot, while the rest of the paper stays opaque.

Page 38 of 78

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co m
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Dry paper → light is blocked and scattered → the paper looks opaque and white
m l as
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Paper soaked with fat → the tiny air spaces between the paper fibres get filled with oil →
m
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less scattering → light passes through and the patch glows
a

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Why this second step matters: a crumb or a stain can also make a mark on paper.
ag
a s em step — only a fat patch turns
Holding it against the light is the confirming
translucent. So the full positive g l is: a greasy patch that lets light through.
a result

co m
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Check it yourself: drop a little mustard oil on one corner of a newspaper and water

m as e
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on another. After ten minutes, hold the sheet up to the window. The oil corner shines
c
. the water corner has disappeared without a trace. a g
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through;
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Q3 An oily patch on the paper shows that the food item contains fat. Which of these items
Table 3.3.

NAME COLOUR OF THE OILY PATCH FOR FAT TEST COLOUR OF THE
OF THE FOOD ITEM FOR FOOD ITEM FOR
FOOD STARCH TEST PROTEIN TEST
ITEM
BEFORE AFTER PREDICTION OBSERVATION BEFORE AFT
IODINE IODINE (YES/NO) (YES/NO) PROTEIN PRO
TEST TEST TEST TES

Potato

Cucumber

Boiled
rice

Boiled
gram

Peanuts

Bread/
Chapati

Butter

Coconut

Any other

Table 3.3, page 51 — Exploring nutrients present in various food items. Every cell is blank in

Fill the two fat columns of Table 3.3 — first your prediction, then the observation. Writing the
prediction first is part of the activity; it is how you find out whether your guess was right.

Page 40 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

FOOD PREDICTION OBSERVATION — OILY PATCH? FAT PRESENT?
ITEM (YES/NO) (YES/NO)

Potato No Paper becomes damp, dries clean No

Cucumber No Wet patch that dries away completely No

Boiled rice No No greasy mark after drying No

Boiled gram No Almost no patch No (only a trace)

Peanuts Yes Clear translucent patch Yes

Bread / No Plain bread leaves no patch; a ghee- No (Yes if oil or ghee is
chapati smeared chapati does applied)

Butter Yes Large bright translucent patch Yes

Coconut Yes Distinct oily patch Yes

Oil Yes Immediate spreading translucent patch Yes

What the pattern shows: the fat-rich foods are the nuts, seeds, oils and milk fats —
peanuts, coconut, butter, oil. The starchy foods — potato, rice, bread — carry almost
no fat. This is exactly why a meal of only chapati and rice gives energy but no stored
energy, and why a spoon of ghee or a few peanuts is added.

Activity 3.7: Let us investigate — Pages 49 & 50

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Section 3.3.3 Test for proteins

ACTIVITY

Q1 Make a paste or powder of the food item using pestle and mortar. Put about half
teaspoon of each food item in a separate clean test tube. Add 2–3 teaspoons of
water to each test tube and shake them well. Add two drops of copper sulfate
solution to each test tube using a dropper. Now, take another dropper and add 10
drops of caustic soda solution to each tube (Fig. 3.8). Shake well and leave the test
tubes undisturbed for a few minutes. What did you observe? Did the content of
some test tubes turn violet?

Copper Caustic
sulfate soda

Soya bean

Peas

Pestle and mortar Bread Rice Peanuts

Fig. 3.8, page 50 — redrawn sketch: testing for the presence of protein in various food
items. Two drops of copper sulfate solution and 10 drops of caustic soda solution are
added to each test tube.

Yes — in some test tubes the contents slowly turn violet, and those foods contain protein.
The test in one line: reagents — copper sulfate solution (2 drops) and caustic soda solution
(10 drops); result — a violet (purple) colour where protein is present.

Page 42 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

WHAT YOU SEE

Colour before the protein A milky white or pale suspension of the food in water
test

On adding the two The mixture first becomes pale blue, the colour of the copper sulfate
reagents

Positive result Within a few minutes the pale blue changes to violet or purple → protein is
present

Negative result The mixture stays pale blue (or slightly greenish) with no trace of violet →
protein is absent

Precautions given in the book — follow them strictly:

These chemicals are harmful and need to be handled with care. Do not touch any of them
unless asked to do so.
If any chemical gets spilled on your body, immediately wash the affected area with water.
Do not put any of these chemicals into your mouth, or try to smell them.
This activity may be demonstrated by the teacher.

The three food tests at a glance

STARCH FAT PROTEIN
Reagent: dilute Reagent: none — Reagents: copper
iodine solution a plain paper sulfate + caustic soda

Brown drop Press, dry, hold Pale blue
turns to the light turns

BLUE-BLACK OILY PATCH VIOLET
Potato, rice, Peanut, coconut, Soya bean, peas,
bread, boiled gram butter, oil peanut, gram, milk

The reagent and the positive result of each of the three tests you perform in Activities 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7.

Why the food must be crushed first: the reagents can only reach the protein if the
food is broken open and mixed with water. A whole grain of soya bean would show
almost nothing; the same grain ground in a mortar and shaken with water gives a
clear violet.

Page 43 of 78

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co m
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This violet colour indicates the presence of proteins in the food item. Write your observ
e
Q2

m l as
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draw from Table 3.3? Which food items show the presence of more than one nutrient?

a g
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FOOD STARCH TEST
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Table 3.3, page 51 — Exploring nutrients present in various food items. Every cell is blank in

co m
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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

FOOD ITEM STARCH (IODINE → FAT (OILY PROTEIN NUTRIENTS
BLUE-BLACK) PATCH) (VIOLET) FOUND

Potato Yes No No Starch only

Cucumber No No No None of the three

Boiled rice Yes No No (a trace) Starch

Boiled gram Yes No Yes Starch + protein
(chana)

Peanuts No Yes Yes Fat + protein

Bread / chapati Yes No Yes (small) Starch + some
protein

Butter No Yes No Fat only

Coconut No Yes No Fat

Soya bean / Yes (small) Yes (soya) Yes Protein-rich
peas

Conclusions from Table 3.3:

1. A single food usually contains more than one nutrient — boiled gram shows starch and
protein, peanuts show fat and protein.
2. No single food contains all the nutrients. That is why one dish can never make a balanced
diet.
3. The tests only detect starch, fat and protein. Vitamins and minerals need a well-equipped
laboratory, so a negative result here does not mean the food is useless — cucumber gives
water, minerals and roughage.

Foods showing more than one nutrient: boiled gram, peanuts, soya bean,
bread/chapati, and milk if you test it.

Q3 Which food items show the presence of both proteins and fats?

Peanuts show the presence of both proteins and fats — this is the example given in the book
itself.
Other foods that pass both tests:

Page 45 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Soya bean — one of the richest plant sources of protein, and it also gives oil.
Almonds, cashew, walnut, til and sunflower seeds — nuts and seeds are generally rich in
both.
Coconut — mostly fat, with a small amount of protein.
Milk, paneer, cheese and curd — protein with milk fat.
Egg and fish — protein with fat.

What this proves: any food which we eat may contain multiple nutrients. Foods are
not sorted into neat boxes labelled “protein” or “fat” — we call a food a protein food
or an energy food only according to which nutrient is present in the largest amount.

Did you know? This is why a handful of roasted peanuts is such a good school snack
— it gives body-building protein and stored energy from fat at the same time, and it
costs very little.

Q4 Is there a food item that lacks any of these nutrients? Which of these foods do you
consume daily? Try to find out other foods that are good sources of starch, fats, and
proteins.

Yes — cucumber. It shows no blue-black with iodine, no oily patch and no violet colour, so it
contains almost no starch, fat or protein. Other such foods are lauki, tomato, radish,
watermelon and green leafy vegetables.

Does that make cucumber useless? Not at all. It is mostly water, and it gives
roughage, vitamins and minerals — components that our three simple tests
cannot detect. Remember that some nutrients can be detected only in a well-
equipped laboratory.

Which of these do I consume daily: rice or chapati (starch), dal or milk (protein), cooking oil
(fat), and a vegetable — a typical Indian thali therefore covers all three every day.

Page 46 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

GOOD SOURCES OF GOOD SOURCES OF FAT GOOD SOURCES OF
STARCH PROTEIN

Rice, wheat, maize, jowar, bajra, Mustard oil, groundnut oil, ghee, butter Moong, arhar, chana, rajma, lobia
ragi

Potato, sweet potato, arbi, tapioca Groundnut, coconut, almond, cashew, Soya bean, peas, beans
walnut

Bread, poha, sewai, sabudana Til, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, flax Milk, curd, paneer, cheese
seeds

Raw banana, water chestnut flour Cream, malai, cheese, egg yolk, fish Egg, fish, meat, edible mushroom

In-text Questions — Page 51
Section 3.4 Balanced Diet

Q1 Are nutritional requirements the same for everyone? Do you and your grandparents
need the same type or the same amount of nutrients?

No. The kinds of nutrients needed are the same for everybody, but the amounts are not.
Requirements vary according to age, gender, physical activity, health status, lifestyle, and so on.

PERSON WHAT THEY NEED MORE WHY
OF

A growing child (you) Protein, calcium, iron, energy The body is still growing — new bones, muscles
and blood are being built

Grandparents Calcium, Vitamin D, roughage; Bones weaken with age, digestion slows down,
less oil and sugar and less physical work needs less energy

A farmer or a Much more energy food and Heavy physical activity burns a lot of energy and
sportsperson protein; plenty of water builds muscle

An office worker Moderate energy, more Sitting work uses far less energy; extra food is
vegetables and fruit stored as fat

A patient recovering Protein, vitamins, fluids The body has to repair itself
from illness

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The rule behind all this: food supplies energy and building material. Whoever
spends more or is still building needs more; whoever spends less needs less. Eating
far more than one needs leads to obesity, and eating far less leads to weakness and
deficiency.

Tip: The quality of the diet must be the same for everyone — every plate needs all
the nutrients. It is only the quantity that changes from person to person.

Activity 3.8: Let us find out — Page 51
Section 3.4 — Is your own diet balanced?

ACTIVITY

Q1 You have listed food consumed by you during the week in Activity 3.1. Check
whether your food contains all the nutrients and other essential components
necessary for growth and development. If not, check which nutrients or other food
components need to be added.

Take your week's table and tick each component day by day. A blank row shows exactly what is
missing.

COMPONENT WHICH OF MY FOODS GAVE IT ENOUGH?

Carbohydrate Rice, chapati, poha, potato — every day Yes, sometimes too much

Protein Dal, rajma, curd, milk — five days out of seven Almost; add milk or dal on the other two
days

Fat Cooking oil, peanuts, butter Yes

Vitamins Fruit only three days; green vegetable four days No — add a fruit daily

Minerals Milk, iodised salt, green vegetables Iron is low — add palak, beetroot, jaggery

Roughage Vegetables, but very little raw salad or whole No — add salad and whole grains
grain

Water Water, buttermilk, milk Yes, if 6–8 glasses a day

Page 48 of 78

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co m
m.
Sample conclusion: My diet has plenty of energy food but too little fruit, raw

m l a se
vegetable and iron. I need to add one seasonal fruit every day, a salad with lunch,
o
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l a se
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record turns a belief into evidence — and the gaps become impossible to miss.
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A diet that has all essential nutrients, roughage, and water in the right amount for

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proper growth and development of the body is known as a balanced diet. What
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s
the right amount for proper growth and development of the body.
m a
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a
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g treat.
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5. Use iodised salt, and add it after cooking.

m a
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a 7. Drink enough water through the day, and buttermilk in summer.
agl 8. Do not overcook vegetables, and wash them before cutting.
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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why a thali is naturally balanced: the traditional Indian thali was designed long
before nutrients were discovered, and it already puts a cereal, a pulse, a vegetable,
curd and a little fat on the same plate. Science only explained later why the
combination works.

Activity 3.9: Let us compare — Pages 52 & 53
Section 3.4 — Potato wafers versus roasted chana

ACTIVITY

Q1 Read the nutritional information given below for a packet of potato wafers and a
packet of roasted chana shown here. Based on the nutritional information on the
food packets given above, which food would you choose? Why?

I would choose the roasted chana. Compare the two labels line by line — both are printed for
the same quantity, 100 g, so the numbers can be compared directly.

PER 100 G POTATO ROASTED WHAT IT MEANS
WAFERS CHANA

Energy 536 kcal 355 kcal Wafers give about 181 kcal more, mostly
from fat

Fats 35.0 g 6.26 g Wafers have more than five times the fat

Carbohydrates 53.0 g 58.58 g Nearly the same

Proteins 7.0 g 18.64 g Chana has about 2.7 times the protein

Dietary fibre 4.8 g 16.8 g Chana has about 3.5 times the fibre

Reasons for choosing roasted chana:

1. It gives much more protein (18.64 g against 7.0 g) — the body-building nutrient a growing
child needs.
2. It gives much more dietary fibre (16.8 g against 4.8 g), which keeps digestion smooth.
3. It has far less fat (6.26 g against 35.0 g) and fewer calories, so it does not lead to obesity.
4. Chana also supplies iron and other minerals, and it is cheaper.

Page 50 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

How to read any food label: first check that both labels are for the same weight.
Then look for high protein and fibre and low fat and sugar. High energy with low
protein and low fibre is the signature of junk food.

Q2 Which of the two foods you studied in Activity 3.9 could be labelled as junk food?

The potato wafers are junk food.
They fit the book's definition exactly: junk foods are foods that have high calories due to high
sugar and fat content, and contain very low amounts of proteins, minerals, vitamins and dietary
fibres. The wafers pack 536 kcal and 35 g of fat into 100 g, but only 7 g of protein and 4.8 g of
fibre.

Other examples given in the book: candy bars and carbonated drinks.
Consuming such foods frequently is not good, as they make a person obese, and such a
person may suffer from several health problems.

Healthy swaps for a school break: roasted chana instead of wafers; a banana or
guava instead of a candy bar; nimbu paani, buttermilk or plain water instead of a
carbonated drink; murmura or roasted makhana instead of packet snacks.

Remember Dr Poshita: ‘Health is the Ultimate Wealth.’ Eating a balanced diet and
avoiding junk food contribute towards a healthy body, and good health is essential
for leading a happy life.

In-text Questions — Pages 53–55
Sections 3.5 Millets and 3.6 Food Miles

Q1 Have you ever had food items made from these millets?

Yes — millets appear in Indian kitchens far more often than we notice. Jowar, bajra, ragi
and sanwa are native crops of India and have been an integral part of the Indian diet for
centuries.

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MILLET DISHES MADE FROM IT WHERE IT IS COMMON

Bajra (pearl millet) Bajra roti with gud and butter, bajra khichdi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat
raab

Jowar (sorghum) Jowar bhakri, hurda, jowar upma Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Telangana

Ragi (finger millet) Ragi mudde, ragi roti, ragi malt, mandua roti Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Uttarakhand

Sanwa (barnyard Sanwa kheer and khichdi, eaten during vrat Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand
millet)

Why millets are coming back: they are highly nutritious grains — good sources of
vitamins, minerals such as iron and calcium, and dietary fibres — which is why they
are also called nutri-cereals. They also grow easily in different climatic conditions
and need much less water than rice.

Did you know? The year 2023 was observed as the International Year of Millets, on a
proposal made by India — a recognition of grains that Indian farmers have grown
for thousands of years.

Q2 How does food reach from a farm to our plate? What are the steps involved in this
process? Who are the people involved in this process?

Follow the story of a chapati, exactly as shown in Fig. 3.10.

1. Farmer grows 2. Threshing and 3. Storage of
wheat winnowing grains

6. Food on our 5. Transport to 4. Grinding and
plate retail shop packing

Every arrow costs time, money, fuel — and adds to the food miles of the chapati.

The story of a chapati, from farm to plate, as shown in Fig. 3.10 of your book.

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The people involved:

The farmer and farm labourers — ploughing, sowing, watering, harvesting.
Workers who do the threshing and winnowing, and machine operators.
Storage staff at the godown or warehouse.
Workers at the flour mill who grind and pack.
Truck drivers, loaders and railway staff who transport it.
The shopkeeper, and finally the cook at home who kneads the dough and makes the
chapati.

Why we should know this: once you can name every pair of hands the wheat
passed through, leaving half a chapati on the plate stops feeling harmless.

Q3 Do you know how much time and effort is required to get the wheat flour once seed
grains germinate in the farm?

It takes months, not days. Try to find the timeline for the various processes yourself, but this is
roughly how it works for wheat in north India.

STAGE APPROXIMATE EFFORT INVOLVED
TIME

Ploughing and sowing 2–3 weeks Preparing the field, manure, seeds
(November)

Germination and growth About 4 months 4–6 irrigations, weeding, protection from pests,
birds and stray cattle

Harvesting (March–April) 1–2 weeks Cutting the crop, tying and carrying the bundles

Threshing and winnowing A few days Separating grain from stalk and husk

Storage and transport Days to months Bagging, loading, keeping the grain dry and safe
from insects

Grinding and packing Hours Milling into aata, packing

From seed to the flour in your kitchen: about 5 to 6 months of work, plus the water of

several irrigations and the labour of many people.

Page 53 of 78

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co m
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The lesson: we must take only as much food as we can consume. That single habit

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reduces food wastage — and it respects the months of time and effort put in by our
. a g
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farmers and other community members.

l a se
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How would eating local food help reduce food miles?
.
Q4

em
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Because food miles are simply the distance the food has travelled — the entire distance

co m
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travelled by a bag of wheat or any other food item, from the producer to the consumer. If the
producer is nearby, that distance is small.
m as e
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a s em from Himachal to Chennai ≈ 2,700 km of travel → high food miles
gl
Apple
a Banana from a farm 20 km away → very low food miles

m a s
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What eating local does:
a
agl trucks, less packing, so the food is cheaper.
Cuts the cost — less fuel, fewer
Cuts pollution — less diesel burnt during transport.

co m
.
Supports local farmers — the money stays with the farmer near your town instead of going

e m
as
into transport.
m l
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Keeps food fresh and healthy — vegetables picked the same morning have not lost their

a s em
gl Needs less cold storage and fewer preservatives.
vitamins in three days of travel.

a
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Try This: Look at five things in your kitchen and find out where each came from —
m
ase
the local sabzi mandi, another state, or another country. Add up roughly. That

agl
number is your family's food miles for the day.

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q5 Try to find the timeline for the various processes involved in getting the food from
farm to plate (Fig. 3.10).

Farmer growing
wheat

Food on Threshing and
our plate STORY OF CHAPATI: winnowing of grains
FROM FARM TO PLATE

Transport to Storage of
retail shop grains

Grinding of grains
and packing

Fig. 3.10, page 54 — redrawn sketch: from farm to plate. The six steps of the story of
chapati, in order, going clockwise.

Make the timeline yourself by asking a farmer, a shopkeeper and a flour mill owner. Here is a
worked example for wheat, which you can adapt to rice, potato or milk.

Page 55 of 78

Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

PROCESS WHEN IT HAPPENS TIME TAKEN

Sowing November 1–2 weeks

Germination to ripening November to March about 120–140 days

Harvesting Mid-March to April 1–2 weeks

Threshing and winnowing Right after harvest 2–5 days

Storage in godown April onwards weeks to several months

Grinding and packing As required a few hours

Transport to the retail shop Same week 1–3 days

Shop to our plate The day we buy it a few hours

What the timeline shows: nearly all the time is spent in the field, and nearly all the
distance is covered after the field. Reducing waste helps the first part; reducing food
miles helps the second. Eat healthy, share, and respect food — and support local
producers.

Let us enhance our learning — Pages 56–58
End-of-chapter questions

LET US ENHANCE OUR LEARNING

Q1 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 is Chana.
Jowar, bajra and ragi are all millets — small-sized cereal grains, rich in carbohydrates, and called
nutri-cereals. Chana is a pulse, not a millet, and its main nutrient is protein. So it does not
belong to the group.
(ii) The odd one is Rice.
Kidney beans (rajma), green gram (moong) and soya bean are all pulses/legumes and are rich
sources of protein — body-building foods. Rice is a cereal whose main nutrient is starch, a
carbohydrate — an energy-giving food.

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

THE GROUP MAIN THE ODD WHY IT IS ODD
NUTRIENT ONE

(i) Jowar, bajra, ragi — millets Carbohydrate Chana It is a pulse, rich in
protein

(ii) Kidney beans, green gram, soya bean Protein Rice It is a cereal, rich in
— pulses starch

Tip: In an “odd one out” question, always state the common property of the other
three first. That is what makes the reason convincing.

Q2 Discuss traditional versus modern culinary practices in India.

Culinary practices are the ways of preparing and cooking food. They have changed a great deal
in India, and both the old and the new ways have their advantages.

ASPECT TRADITIONAL PRACTICE MODERN PRACTICE

Stove and fuel Chulha burning wood, cow-dung cakes or LPG gas stove, induction plate, microwave,
coal; angeethi; tandoor electric cooker

Grinding Sil-batta, hand chakki, okhli-musal — Electric mixer-grinder; ready-made packet
masala ground fresh daily masala

Vessels Earthen handi, iron kadhai, brass and Pressure cooker, non-stick pan, steel and
bronze vessels aluminium vessels

Time and effort Slow; hours of hard physical work Fast and easy; a meal in minutes

Ingredients Local, seasonal, freshly harvested; millets Available from all over the country all the
and coarse grains year; packaged and processed items

Preserving Sun-drying, pickling, storing in grain bins Refrigerator, sealed packets, preservatives

Health and Smoky kitchen, but nutritious slow- Smoke-free and quick, but more processed
environment cooked and freshly ground food food and more packaging waste

Why the change happened: technological development, improved transportation and better
communication — and also because families have less time than before.

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Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

A balanced view: modern methods save time, labour and firewood, and a gas
kitchen is far healthier for the person cooking. But traditional methods gave freshly
ground masala, seasonal food, less packaging and better use of millets. The sensible
course is to keep the convenience of the new and bring back the good habits of the
old.

Q3 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.

Ravi should ask questions that can actually be answered with evidence. Two good ones:

1. “Which diseases can be cured or prevented by food alone, without any medicine?” —
the answer would be the deficiency diseases: scurvy cured by amla and lemon, night
blindness prevented by carrot and papaya, goitre prevented by iodised salt, anaemia by
green leafy vegetables and jaggery.
2. “If food can act as medicine, why do doctors still give tablets and syrups?” — because
food works slowly and only for shortages of nutrients; an infection or a severe deficiency
needs medicine as well, as in Reshma's case in question 6.

Other questions Ravi could ask:

How long does it take for a change in diet to show an effect on health?
Can eating too much of a “healthy” food be harmful?
Why did James Lind's sailors get better only after eating lemons and oranges?
Do our grandmother's remedies — haldi milk, tulsi, ginger — work in the same way?
Which foods should a person with a fracture or a wound eat, and why?

What makes these good questions: each of them can be checked — by an
experiment, by a survey, or by reading a reliable source. A question like “is food
good?” cannot be tested and teaches nothing.

Q4 Not all delicious foods are necessarily healthy, while not all nutritious foods are
always enjoyable. Share your thoughts along with a few examples.

The statement is true — taste and nutrition are two different things, and our tongue is not
a good judge of health.

Page 58 of 78

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