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Food Where Does It Come From Class 6 Notes Science Chapter 1




Why do we need Food

  • We know that all living things be it plants and animals need food and water to live on.
  • We need food because food gives us energy.
  • The food we eat gives our body essential nutrients to help us grow and heal when we are injured or are ill.
  • Thus food keeps us healthy and provides us with essential nutrients to fight diseases and maintain body functions.
  • Food is a substance eaten by us to do work, growth, maintain our body and remain healthy.
  • Food Definition:- It refers to the edible substances consumed by humans and other animals in order to obtain energy for various tasks as well as growth and development.
  • We must NEVER WASTE food in any way.
  • We must consume food four times a day to remain healthy -> Breakfast, Lunch, Evening Snacks, Dinner.

Importance Of Food

  • The importance of food for living organisms is as follows:
    1. It helps in the growth of living organisms.
    2. It also helps to repair and replace damaged parts of the body.
    3. This provides the energy required for various activities.
    4. It provides protection from infections and various diseases.
    5. It helps in the overall growth and development of an organism.
  • We must eat different kinds of food at different times for proper Nutrition.
  • Different people eat different types of food according to their habits, lifestyle, taste, region, religion, availability and various other factors.
  • Even in a single-family different people have different choices of food.

What are ingredients?

  • Food Ingredients are the materials required to prepare the dish we consume as food.
  • Food Ingredients can be obtained from plant sources and animal sources.
  • To prepare food we need different kinds of ingredients For example - To cook vegetable curry we need different types of vegetables, salt, spices oil and so on. Another example is To prepare vegetable curry, we need different kinds of vegetables, salt, spices, oil
  • Food is prepared using various Ingredients of food.
  • The table given below shows some food items and major ingredients used to prepare them

    FOOD ITEM

    Major Ingredients

    1. Boiled rice

    Rice, water

    2. Dal

    Pulses, water, spices, salt, oil

    3. Idli

    Urad dal, Rice, Salt, Water

    4. Roti

    Flour, water

    5. Chicken curry

    Chicken meat, Salt, spices, oil, water

    6. Vegetable curry

    Vegetables, spice, salt, oil, water

    7. Fish curry

    Fish meat, spices, oil, water

Sources of Food

Let us now learn about food variety and food sources.

  • Plants and animals are the two sources of our food materials. So, we obtain food from plants as well as animals.
  • Milk, egg, meat, chicken, fish, prawn, beef, pork etc. are the food products that we get from animals.
  • Grain, cereals, vegetables and, fruits are the source of food that comes from plants and plants products.

Plant Source

  • For us, several parts of the plant serve as sources of food. We eat fruits, vegetables, cereals, and pulses etc, which are types of food that come from various portions of a plant.
  • For example, we eat leafy vegetable, fruits, and some parts of plants like stem and roots.
  • Green plants -> are called PRODUCERS because they prepare their own food using light, air (carbon dioxide), water, & chlorophyll (green pigment present in trees) by the process of photosynthesis.
  • So, we can say that green plants are the primary source of food.
  • FigurePlant-parts-as-food.png
    food where does it come from class 6 notes
  • Table Given below shows various edible plant parts that serve as food sources for us.

    Parts of Plant

    Food

    Roots

    Carrot, Radish, sweet potato

    Stem

    Banana, sugarcane, potato, ginger

    Leaves

    curry leaves, amaranthus, lettuce, Fenugreek, spinach, green leaves of the mustard plant.

    Flowers

    Cauliflower, Broccoli, the flower of banana plant, flowers of a pumpkin plant,

    Seeds

    Chickpea, Maize, kidney beans, rice, wheat, millet, Bengal gram, groundnut

    Fruits

    Apple, Banana, guava, mango, pomegranate, watermelon, peach

    Fruits termed as Vegetables

    Brinjal, Tomatoes, Lady’s finger, pumpkin & chilly.

  • When the seeds begin to grow (or germinate) by developing tiny roots, they are called Sprouts
  • The food value of seeds can be increased by converting them into sprouts
  • They are a rich source of vitamins like vitamin A, B & C
  • The method of converting seed into sprouts is called Sprouting.

Animal Source

Animal Products used as a food
  1. Meat – Goat, Chicken, Pork, Fish, Prawns etc. are part of the Non-vegetarian diet.
  2. Egg – Eggs of Hen, Duck, Goose like meat are also part of the Non-vegetarian diet.
  3. Milk – Dairy products obtained from Cow, Buffalo, Camel, Goat in a dairy farm
  4. Honey – Bees collect nectar (sweet juices) from flowers, convert it into honey and store it in their hive.

Different Type Of Animals

Herbivores
Animals which eat only plants and plant products are called herbivores. For example: Elephant, rabbit, horse, Cow etc.

Carnivores
Animals which eat other animals are called carnivores. For example: Lizard, Lion, tiger, crocodile etc.

Omnivores
These animals eat both plants and animals. For example: Dog, cat, crow, etc.


  • Animals are unable to produce their own food by the process of photosynthesis, they only consume food made by others, and hence called CONSUMERS.
  • Animals are grouped into 3 categories based on their food habits.
    1. Herbivores - Herbivores Animals are those animals that feed on plants i.e, these are animals that eat only plants or plant products.
    2. Carnivores - Carnivorous animals are those animals who eat other animals. So, carnivores Animals that feed on other animals are called carnivores.
    3. Omnivores - animals that eat both plants and animals.
  • Table given below shows examples of different types of animals

    Herbivores

    Carnivores

    Omnivores

    Cow

    Lion

    Peacock

    Deer

    Tiger

    Dog

    Giraffe

    Wolf

    Human

Special characteristics of Herbivores
  1. Herbivores like a cow, horse, and goat have wide, blunt teeth which are suitable for pulling plants off the ground and grinding them.
  2. Herbivores like cow and camel have the ability to bring back previously swallowed food to the mouth for chewing it the second time. This helps them to absorb most of the nutrients from hard-to-digest food like grass.
  3. Squirrels have a pair of broad, sharp-edged front teeth (incisors) in each jaw They use these teeth to gnaw food items like nuts.
  4. Butterfly and hummingbird do not need to worry about chewing their food. They have mouth parts shaped like a straw to suck nectar from flowers.
Special Characteristics of Carnivores
  1. The diet of carnivores is rich in fats and proteins
  2. Carnivores animals like lion and tiger have sharp and pointed front teeth (canines). They also have sharp claws and powerful jaws which help them to tear flesh.
  3. Carnivorous birds like eagle have curved, pointed beaks that allow them to tear flesh.
  4. Carnivores like chameleon and frog have a long, sticky tongue that they use to catch insects.
  5. Carnivorous fish like a shark has several small, sharp teeth that help them bite off chunks of flesh.
  6. Carnivores such as snakes swallow their prey( prey are animal that is hunted or killed for food) whole.
Special Characteristics of Omnivores
  1. Omnivores like a bear and human beings have different types of teeth that help them to eat both plants and the flesh of other animals.
  2. Omnivorous birds like crow have a sharp and pointed beak to help them eat a
    variety of food.
Scavengers and Decomposers:
  1. Scavengers are birds and animals which eat the flesh of other dead animals. Eg: Vulture.
  2. Decomposers are organisms that feed on and destroy (or decompose) dead plants and animals. E.g.: Fungi and bacteria
  3. Both scavengers and decomposers play a very important role in cleaning the environment. Without them, our planet would be covered with dead plants and animals.

Frequently Asked Exam Questions

Question 1 What is Edible Food?
Answers These are Food substances which we can eat.
Some plants have two or more edible (eatable) parts. Seeds of mustard plants give us oil and the leaves are used as a vegetable

Question 2 How do bees make honey?
Answers Honey bees collect nectar from flowers which is a juicy sweet liquid secreted within flowers that is sucked by bees. They convert it into honey and store it in their hive. Flowers and their nectar may be available only for a part of the year so, bees store their nectar for their use throughout the year.

Question 3 What is Sprouted Seeds and how to prepare them?
Answers The germinating seeds at the initial stages when a white structure has grown out of the seed are called Sprouted seeds
How to prepare them
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. The next day, drain the water completely and leave the seeds in the vessel. Wrap them with a piece of wet cloth and set them aside. The next day you will white structure that has grown out of it. These are sprouted seeds. You can eat them as it is or boil them and eat. They are very healthy.

Question 4 Why is it necessary to drink about 1.5 litres of water every day?
Answers Water is used by the human body to cool itself, carry nutrients, and eliminate waste. You are constantly excreting water. In hot weather, you waste a lot more water cooling your body.

Question 5 What are Scavengers?
Answers The animals that eat the flesh of dead animals. They help in cleaning the environment. Scavengers have an important role to play in the food chain. They keep an ecosystem free of the bodies of dead animals and their decaying flesh. Scavengers break down this organic material and recycle it into the ecosystem as nutrients. For Example, Vultures who are scavengers, only eat the bodies of dead animals.
For more knowledge visithttps://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/scavenger/ (a must-read article).

Food where does it comes from Mind Map

food where does it come from class 6 concept map

This mind map is about the types of nutrients our food provides us and what happens when we are dificient in these nutrients.

Check your Knowledge

Fill in the blanks
1. _____ and animals are the two sources of our food materials
2. ______are the materials required to prepare the dish we consume as food.
3.Honey bees collect __________________ from flowers, convert it into honey and store it in their hive.
4. _____break down this organic material and recycle it into the ecosystem as nutrients.
5. The process by which seeds shoot out small white structures as way of growth is called ______.
6._____ is substance that is found in the cell walls of a number of plants.
7. ____ is defined as a chemical substance that helps in bringing about changes to certain other substances without undergoing any changes in themselves.

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