Hinglish

What Do We Eat?

Class 6 Science · Chapter 3: Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body · NCERT Curiosity section 3.1

Learn

Ira's class makes a chart of what everyone ate yesterday. Zoya had idli and sambar, Sahil had makki ki roti with sarson ka saag, Tenzin had thukpa, Divit had fish curry and rice. India has an amazing variety of foods!

What people eat depends on what grows nearby, the climate, and traditions passed down in families. Rice grows well where there is plenty of rain; wheat and millets in drier places; fish is common near the sea and rivers.

Every dish is made of ingredients. Sambar has dal, vegetables, tamarind and spices. Some ingredients come from plants (grains, vegetables, fruits, oils) and some from animals (milk, eggs, fish, meat, honey).

Our grandparents ate many foods we rarely eat now, like ragi, jowar and kodo. Traditional meals often used local, seasonal foods. Talking to elders about what they ate is a great way to discover healthy old recipes.

Explore: what does each food do for us?

  1. Sort each food: energy-giving, body-building or protective.

Remember

  • India has a great variety of foods, shaped by local crops, climate and traditions.
  • Ingredients come from plants and from animals.

Quick check

Why do people in different parts of India eat different foods?

  1. What grows locally, the climate and traditions differ
  2. Everyone eats exactly the same food
  3. Food is chosen at random
  4. Only because of the price
Answer

What grows locally, the climate and traditions differ. Local crops, climate and family traditions shape what people eat.

Think about it

Ask an elder in your family about a dish they ate as a child that is rarely cooked now. What are its ingredients? Do they grow near you?

One answer

Answers will vary, for example ragi mudde, bajra khichdi or kodo pulao. Many such dishes use millets and local vegetables that grow well with little water.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.