Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body
Essential Nutrients (Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, Vitamins, Minerals)
The food we eat is made of useful substances called nutrients. Different foods contain different nutrients, which is why we need to eat a variety of food. There are five main nutrients, plus water and roughage.
- Carbohydrates — the body’s main source of energy. Found in rice, wheat, bread, potato and sugar. We test for starch (a carbohydrate) using iodine solution, which turns blue-black.
- Fats — give more energy than carbohydrates and help store it; they also keep the body warm. Found in ghee, oil, butter and nuts. A food with fat leaves an oily patch on paper that lets light through.
- Proteins — the body-building nutrients, needed for growth and repair. Found in dal, beans, paneer, eggs, fish and milk. A protein test using copper sulphate and caustic soda turns the food violet.
- Vitamins and minerals — needed in small amounts to protect the body and keep it working well (more on these later in this chapter).
Foods that mainly give energy (carbohydrates and fats) are called energy-giving foods; proteins are body-building foods; and vitamins and minerals are protective foods.
Iodine solution is the test for starch, a carbohydrate.
- A blue-black colour means starch is present.
- So the potato contains carbohydrate (starch).
Growth and repair of the body are the work of proteins.
- His meals should be rich in proteins.
- Good sources include dal, beans, paneer, eggs, fish or milk.
Fats give a lot of energy and help keep the body warm.
- In the cold the body uses more energy to stay warm.
- Fatty foods provide that extra energy and warmth.
Key Points
- Carbohydrates and fats are energy-giving foods; fats give more energy and warmth.
- Proteins are body-building foods, needed for growth and repair.
- Vitamins and minerals are protective foods, needed in small amounts.
- Tests: iodine → blue-black for starch; oily patch on paper for fat; violet colour for protein.
Concept of a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet is a diet that contains all the nutrients — carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals — along with roughage and water, in the right amounts for a person’s needs.
No single food has every nutrient, so a balanced diet is built by combining foods. A simple Indian thali — roti or rice, dal, vegetables, curd and a little salad — is a good example, because together these foods supply energy, body-building and protective nutrients.
The right amount of food is not the same for everyone. A growing child, a labourer doing heavy work and an office worker all need different amounts. Eating far more energy-food than the body uses is stored as fat and can lead to being overweight; eating too little leaves a person weak and undernourished.
- Roughage (dietary fibre) comes from vegetables, fruits and whole grains. It has no nutrient value but adds bulk and helps the body get rid of waste, preventing constipation.
- Water helps digest food, carries nutrients and wastes in the blood, and controls body temperature. We get it by drinking and from foods such as fruits.
Rice gives mainly carbohydrate; a balanced meal needs body-building and protective foods too.
- Add dal — provides protein (body-building).
- Add vegetables/salad — provide vitamins, minerals and roughage (protective).
Roughage helps the working of the digestive system.
- It adds bulk to food.
- It helps move waste through the body and prevents constipation.
The body needs more energy food when it does more physical work.
- Active muscles use up more energy.
- So the active child needs more energy-giving food to meet that need.
Key Points
- A balanced diet has all five nutrients plus roughage and water, in the right amounts.
- No single food is complete, so we combine foods (e.g. a thali).
- The right amount differs with age and activity; too much energy-food causes weight gain, too little causes weakness.
- Roughage aids digestion and prevents constipation; water helps digestion, transport and temperature control.
Deficiency Diseases and Prevention
When a person’s food lacks a particular nutrient for a long time, they may fall ill. A disease caused by the long-term shortage of a nutrient is called a deficiency disease. These are prevented simply by eating a balanced diet that includes the missing nutrient.
Many deficiency diseases are caused by a lack of particular vitamins or minerals:
- Vitamin A — protects eyesight and skin. Shortage causes poor vision, especially night blindness. Sources: carrots, papaya, mango, green leafy vegetables, milk.
- Vitamin C — keeps gums and skin healthy and helps fight illness. Shortage causes scurvy (bleeding, swollen gums). Sources: amla, oranges, lemons, guava, tomatoes.
- Vitamin D — helps the body use calcium for bones. Shortage causes rickets (weak, bent bones). Sources: sunlight, milk, eggs.
- Calcium (mineral) — builds strong bones and teeth. Shortage causes weak bones and teeth. Sources: milk, curd, green leafy vegetables.
- Iron (mineral) — needed to make healthy blood. Shortage causes anaemia (weakness, tiredness). Sources: green leafy vegetables, jaggery, dates.
- Iodine (mineral) — shortage causes goitre (swelling of the neck). Source: iodised salt.
Eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables every day is the best way to prevent these diseases.
Difficulty seeing in dim light is night blindness, linked to vitamin A.
- The child likely lacks vitamin A.
- Foods that help: carrots, papaya, mango, green leafy vegetables and milk.
Iodised salt supplies the mineral iodine.
- A long-term lack of iodine causes goitre, a swelling of the neck.
- Using iodised salt prevents iodine deficiency.
Healthy blood needs the mineral iron.
- Anaemia is caused by a lack of iron.
- Iron-rich foods: green leafy vegetables, jaggery or dates.
Key Points
- A deficiency disease is caused by a long-term lack of a nutrient and is prevented by a balanced diet.
- Vitamin A → night blindness; Vitamin C → scurvy; Vitamin D → rickets.
- Calcium → weak bones/teeth; Iron → anaemia; Iodine → goitre.
- Eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables daily prevents most deficiency diseases.