Components of Food

Components of Food
APS ACADEMY
Topics to Study
1. Nutrients 6. Minerals
2. Carbohydrates 7. Water
3. Proteins 8. Roughage
4. Fats 9. Balanced Diet
5. Vitamins 10. Deficiency Diseases
What is food?
 Edible substances which we eat to obtain energy for
growth, repair and maintenance of the body and to
fight against occurrence of diseases, are called food.
 Different types of food items are eaten in different
parts of India, i.e., dal, vegetables, chapati, rice,
salad, idli, sambhar, dosa etc.
Nutrients
 Each food item is usually made up of one or more
ingredients, which is get from plants or animals.
 These ingredients contains nutrients which are needed by
our body. These nutrients are:
i. Carbohydrates
ii. Proteins
iii. Minerals
iv. Vitamins
v. Fats
vi. Water and roughage
Tests to check presence of
Nutrients
 With some simple methods, we can test whether
cooked food or raw ingredient contains one or more
of these nutrients.
 We shall discuss tests for each nutrient separately as
we study them.
Carbohydrates
 There are many types of carbohydrates. The main
carbohydrates found in our food are in the form of
starch and sugars.
 It provides energy to our body.
 Some sources of carbohydrates are wheat, rice, maize,

pearl millet, potatoes, sugar, honey, fruits etc.
 Rice is very rich source of carbohydrates.
 Carbohydrates in our food are obtained mainly from

plant sources.
Test for Starch (form of
Carbohydrate)
 Take a small amount of food ingredient.
 Put 2-3 drops of dilute iodine solution on it.
 It it turns blue-black, then it contains starch.

Potato Apple
Proteins
 Proteins are body-building food. These are essential for
growth and repair of body tissue.
 Proteins can be divided into two groups (depending on
the source):
i. Animal proteins: milk, cheese, egg, fish, meat
ii. Plant proteins: chana, tuar dal, beans, pea, soybeans

etc.
Test for Proteins
 Take a small quantity of meat or some dals (in paste or
powder form).
 Put some paste or powder in a clean test tube, and add a
few drops of water to it and shake the test tube (make
suspension).
 Add few drops of copper sulphate solution to it, and very
carefully add a few drops of sodium hydroxide solution.
 If the solution turns purple, it shows presence of protein.
Test for Proteins
A
Test for Proteins
 Milk and egg
white are
sources of
protein.
 Salt is not a
source of
protein.
Fats
 Fats also provide energy to our body.
 Infact, fats provide twice as much energy as provided

by the same amount of carbohydrates.
 They also provide support to our body and insulates
or cushion the soft tissues and organs.
Fats vs. Oils
 Fats and oils are similar substances, the only difference
being that fats are solid at room temperature, whereas
oils are liquid at room temperature.
Sources of Fats
 Fats can be obtained from plants as well as from animals.
 Some of the plant sources of fats are:
 Groundnut oil, mustard oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil,

soybean oil, til oil, nut oil.
 Some of the animal sources of fats are:
 Butter, ghee, milk, cream, cheese, eggs, meat.

Energy Giving Foods
 The foods which contain fats and carbohydrates are
referred to as ‘energy giving food’.
Test for Fats
 First of all we take small quantity of a food item like
butter, puri etc. and put on a paper.
 Then rub over it, and hold the paper towards a source
of light (like bulb).
 A bright, translucent patch is seen on the paper. This
confirms the presence of fat in the food item.
Test for Fats
Vitamins
 Vitamins are a group of nutrients that our body
requires in small quantities.
 These are essential for the proper working of our body
but do not provide energy (protective food).
 If our diet is lacking in any vitamin, we suffer from
certain diseases called deficiency diseases.
Types of Vitamins
 Vitamins may be divided into two classes:
i. Fat soluble vitamins: vitamins A, D, E, K
ii. Water soluble vitamins: vitamin B complex and

vitamin C
Vitamin A
 Vitamin A protects the eyes, skin and hair.
 So, it is necessary for good eyesight, healthy skin

and hair.
 The deficiency of vitamin A causes night blindness.
 The various sources of vitamin - A are milk, butter,

carrot, fish liver oil, eggs, green vegetables, mango,
papaya etc.
Vitamin B
 It is a group of vitamins, called B-complex.
i. Vitamin B1 (thiamine): it is essential for growth and

proper functioning of digestive system, heart, nerves
and muscles.
Vitamin B1 is present in milk, egg, meat, whole grains,

cereals, potato, yeast and green vegetables.
Deficiency of vitamin B1 causes Beri-beri (affects nervous

system)
Beri-Beri (due to deficiency
of vitamin B1)
Vitamin B
ii. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): it is essential for healthy
skin and growth.
It is present in yeasts, eggs, meat and peas. Cheilosis
Deficiency of vitamin B2 causes

cheilosis (lips become inflamed).
Vitamin B
iii. Vitamin B3 (Niacin): it is essential for healthy skin,
proper functioning of digestive and nervous system.
It is present in whole cereals, potatoes, tomatoes, meat,

fishes etc. pellagra
Deficiency of vitamin B3 causes

pellagra (which affects the skin,
digestion and nervous system)
Vitamin B
iv. Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin): it helps in the
formation of red blood cells.
It is present in liver, eggs, milk, fishes etc.
Lack of vitamin B12 causes anaemia.

Vitamin C
 It is also known as ascorbic acid.
 It is necessary for keeping teeth, gums and joints healthy.
 It also increases resistance of our body to infection and

helps to fight diseases.
 It is present in citrus fruits, amla, tomato, guava and green
vegetable. Almost all fresh fruits and vegetables contain
some vitamin C.
 Lack of vitamin C causes scurvy (bleeding gums).
Scurvy (due to deficiency
of vitamin C)
Vitamin D
 It helps the body to use calcium for formation of strong
bones and teeth.
 It is present in milk, butter, green vegetable and sunlight
(helps our skin prepare
vitamin D)
 Its deficiency causes rickets (in
children).
normal rickets
Vitamin K
 It helps in the clotting of blood.
 The source of vitamin K is green vegetables (like

spinach), egg yolks, soyabean oil, etc.
 Lack of vitamin-K causes haemorrhage.
*haemorrhage is the loss of blood internally through a

damaged blood vessel.
Minerals
 Minerals are required for proper functioning, normal
growth and good health.
 Minerals are needed to build bones and teeth, formation
of blood, coagulation of blood and functioning of
muscles, nerves, thyroid glands etc.
 They also affect the working of some glands like
thyroid.
Minerals
 Some of the most important minerals that are needed in
small amount are:
i. Iron
ii. Calcium
iii. Phosphorus
iv. Potassium
v. Iodine
vi. Sodium
vii. Fluorine
Water
 Water makes up almost 70% of our body weight and
various life processes are impossible without it.
 We take in water not only directly, but also as part of the
food we eat.
 Fresh fruits and vegetables also provide a lot of water to our
body, e.g. tomatoes, spinach, oranges, water melons etc.
 It helps our body to absorb nutrients from food.
 It also helps in throwing out some wastes from body such

as sweat and urine.
Water
 Loss of a lot of water from the body is called
dehydration.
 It can happen due to diarrhoea, vomiting, burn or heat
smoke.
 Acute dehydration can even cause death.
Roughage (Dietary Fibre)
 Roughage is the fibrous matter present in food which
can’t be digested.
 It is mainly comprised of indigestible carbohydrate
called ‘cellulose’ which is present in plant cell walls.
 Roughage is also called dietary fibre (fibre which can
be eaten).
 It does not provide any nutrient to our body but is an
essential component of our food and adds to its bulk.
Roughage (Dietary Fibre)
 Sources of roughage are whole grains, pulses, fresh
fruits and vegetables.
 Many doctors believe that a high fibre diet reduces
the risk of heart disease and bowel cancer.
Balanced Diet
 Total amount of food which a person eats during entire
day is called their diet.
 Balanced diet is the diet that contains the proper
amounts of all the nutrients.
 It provides the body with all energy and fulfill various
nutrient requirements needed for proper functioning.
Balanced Diet
 A balanced diet should include the foods that are:
i. Energy rich (fats and carbohydrates)
ii. Tissue building (proteins)
iii. Protective (vitamins, minerals)

Balanced Diet
 A balanced diet is not same for everyone. It depends
on age, sex and type of work that one does.
 This can be explained by following example:
i. In early childhood, the child grows rapidly. He or she

needs more proteins.
ii. Nursing mothers and pregnant women also need

more protein to serve the needs of the growing baby.
iii. A hard worker, labourer needs more energy which

he can get by eating more fats and carbohydrates.
Loss of Nutrients in Food
 Vegetables and fruits contain the nutrients just below
their surface.
1. If these are washed after cutting or peeling, most

vitamins and other nutritious elements are lost.
2. Some wasteful pre-cooking practices, i.e., washing

rice and pulses repeatedly and thick peeling of
vegetables also lead to loss of nutrients in food.
Loss of Nutrients in Food
3. Cooking of food is another practice that may lead
to loss of nutrients, if overdone. E.g., vitamin-C
gets easily destroyed during cooking.
4. High temperature cooking and then throwing the

extra water away makes food lose its nutrients.
Deep fried and Roasted Food
 Deep fried and Roasted foods lose their nutritive value.
So, such food should be avoided.
 Oily and spicy foods are tasty but harmful.
 Therefore, such foods should not be eaten as regular

food.
 Oily/fried food when taken in excess cause obesity.
 Over-weight people are not very active and often suffer

from disease such as heart disease.
Deficiency Diseases
 Deficiency of one or more nutrients can cause
diseases or disorders in our body.
 Diseases which occur due to lack of specific
nutrients in our diet over a long period of time are
called deficiency diseases.
Deficiency of Minerals
Mineral Deficiency disease Symptom
Calcium Hypocalcaemia Weak bone and tooth decay.
Iron Anaemia Weakness and lack of RBCs
Sodium Weak body Dehydration
Copper Retarded growth Low appetite
Phosphorus Bones weakness and tooth decay Weakness, bad teeth and bones
Iodine Goitre Glands in the neck appear

swollen, mental disability in
children and retarded growth.
Goitre
 Caused by deficiency of iodine.
Undernutrition and
Malnutrition
 Consumption of less quantity of food than the amount
required by the body is known as undernutrition.
 Lack of essential nutrients in the diet is known as
malnutrition.

Components of Food

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Components of Food

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Components of Food

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Components of Food

 Some sources of carbohydrates are wheat, rice, maize,

 Carbohydrates in our food are obtained mainly from

 Put 2-3 drops of dilute iodine solution on it.

 It it turns blue-black, then it contains starch.

i. Animal proteins: milk, cheese, egg, fish, meat

ii. Plant proteins: chana, tuar dal, beans, pea, soybeans

 Infact, fats provide twice as much energy as provided

 Some of the plant sources of fats are:

 Groundnut oil, mustard oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil,

 Butter, ghee, milk, cream, cheese, eggs, meat.

i. Fat soluble vitamins: vitamins A, D, E, K

ii. Water soluble vitamins: vitamin B complex and

 So, it is necessary for good eyesight, healthy skin

 The various sources of vitamin - A are milk, butter,

i. Vitamin B1 (thiamine): it is essential for growth and

Vitamin B1 is present in milk, egg, meat, whole grains,

Deficiency of vitamin B1 causes Beri-beri (affects nervous

It is present in yeasts, eggs, meat and peas. Cheilosis

Deficiency of vitamin B2 causes

It is present in whole cereals, potatoes, tomatoes, meat,

Deficiency of vitamin B3 causes

It is present in liver, eggs, milk, fishes etc.

Lack of vitamin B12 causes anaemia.

 It is necessary for keeping teeth, gums and joints healthy.

 It also increases resistance of our body to infection and

 The source of vitamin K is green vegetables (like

*haemorrhage is the loss of blood internally through a

 It also helps in throwing out some wastes from body such

i. Energy rich (fats and carbohydrates)

ii. Tissue building (proteins)

iii. Protective (vitamins, minerals)

i. In early childhood, the child grows rapidly. He or she

ii. Nursing mothers and pregnant women also need

iii. A hard worker, labourer needs more energy which

1. If these are washed after cutting or peeling, most

2. Some wasteful pre-cooking practices, i.e., washing

4. High temperature cooking and then throwing the

 Therefore, such foods should not be eaten as regular

 Over-weight people are not very active and often suffer

Calcium Hypocalcaemia Weak bone and tooth decay.

Iron Anaemia Weakness and lack of RBCs

Sodium Weak body Dehydration

Copper Retarded growth Low appetite

Iodine Goitre Glands in the neck appear

You might also like