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

(i) Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Chana

• Odd one out: Chana
• Reason: Jowar, Bajra, and Ragi are millets (nutri-cereals), whereas Chana (chickpea) is a pulse/legume rich in protein.

(ii) Kidney beans, Green gram, Soya bean, Rice

• Odd one out: Rice
• Reason: Kidney beans, Green gram (Moong), and Soya bean are pulses rich in proteins, whereas Rice is a cereal crop rich in carbohydrates.

• Traditional Culinary Practices: In earlier times, cooking was mainly done using a traditional stove called chulha. Grinding of spices and grains was done manually using a sil-batta (stone grinder).
• Modern Culinary Practices: Nowadays, most cooking is done using modern gas stoves or induction cooktops. Grinding is done quickly using electrical grinders.
• Reasons for Change: Technological development, improved transportation, better communication, and the need to save time and effort have brought this shift from traditional to modern practices.

• Question 1: "How do specific food components, such as vitamins and minerals, protect our body from deficiency diseases without taking pharmaceutical medicines?"
• Question 2: "Which natural food items can cure diseases like scurvy or goitre when included in our daily diet?"

• Delicious but Unhealthy Foods: Junk foods like potato wafers, candy bars, noodles, and carbonated drinks taste delicious due to high sugar and fat content. However, they contain very low amounts of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibres, leading to obesity and health problems.
• Nutritious but Less Enjoyable Foods: Foods like green leafy vegetables, bitter gourd (karela), amla, and seeds may not taste enjoyable to everyone, but they are rich sources of protective nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and dietary fibres that keep our body healthy.

• Dietary Changes: Medu should stop eating refined junk food like biscuits, noodles, and white bread. Instead, he should include fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, pulses, and nuts in his diet.
• Explanation: Refined and processed foods lack dietary fibres (roughage). Dietary fibres do not provide nutrients directly, but they help our body get rid of undigested food and ensure the smooth passage of stools. Eating fibre-rich plant foods will cure his constipation and stomach ache.

• (i) Which deficiency disease is she suffering from?
  She is suffering from Loss of vision in darkness / Night blindness.
• (ii) Which food component may be lacking in her diet?
  Vitamin A.
• (iii) Suggest some food items that she should include in her diet to overcome this problem (any four):
  Papaya, Carrot, Mango, and Milk.

• Preference: I would prefer (iii) Fresh fruit.
• Reason:
  • Fresh whole fruits contain abundant dietary fibres (roughage) which promote healthy digestion and prevent constipation.
  • Juices (especially canned ones) lose dietary fibre during processing and often contain added sugars and preservatives.

• (i) Why did the doctor give calcium tablets to Gourav?
  Calcium is an essential mineral required to keep bones and teeth healthy and strong. It helps in the repair and rebuilding of the fractured bone.
• (ii) On the second visit, why did the doctor give Vitamin D syrup along with calcium tablets?
  Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium effectively for bone health. Without Vitamin D, the calcium taken through tablets cannot be absorbed efficiently by the body.
• (iii) What question arises in your mind about the choices made by the doctor in giving the medicines?
  Question: "Can we fulfill our Vitamin D requirement naturally by exposure to sunlight and eating items like milk, butter, and eggs instead of taking syrups?"

Reason: Diluted iodine solution gives a blue-black colour specifically with starch (a complex carbohydrate). Sugar is a simple carbohydrate (sucrose/glucose) and not starch. Therefore, iodine does not change its colour when added to sugar solution.

• Thought: Raman's statement is completely correct. Carbohydrates exist in different forms such as simple sugars and complex starches. Starch is a form of carbohydrate, but sugars like glucose or cane sugar are carbohydrates that are not starch.
• Activity Design:
  • Take two dishes. Put boiled rice/potato paste (starch) in Dish A and sugar solution in Dish B.
  • Put 2–3 drops of diluted iodine solution into both dishes using a dropper.
• Observation: Dish A turns blue-black (confirming starch). Dish B shows no colour change.
• Conclusion: Sugar is a carbohydrate but gives a negative iodine test, proving that not all carbohydrates are starches.

Reason: The teacher's cotton saree was treated with starch (kalap) during manufacturing or ironing. Iodine reacted with the starch on the saree and turned blue-black. Mishti's socks were made of synthetic or unstarched fabric containing no starch, so the colour remained unchanged.

• Why Millets are Healthy: Millets (Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Sanwa) are highly nutritious grains known as nutri-cereals. They are rich sources of vitamins, minerals like calcium and iron, and dietary fibres.
• Can eating just millets suffice? No. A balanced diet requires all major nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals) along with roughage and water in adequate quantities. While millets provide carbohydrates, minerals, and fibres, we still need pulses, milk, or eggs for adequate protein, and vegetable oils or nuts for healthy fats.

Test Method:

• Take a known starch sample, such as a slice of raw potato or boiled rice on a plate.
• Add a few drops of the given sample solution onto the potato/rice using a dropper.
• Inference: If the potato/rice turns blue-black, it confirms that the given solution is indeed an iodine solution.

• Tapyo Salt of Apatani Tribe: The Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh produces an organic herbal salt called Tapyo from the ash of specific plant species to fulfill their dietary salt requirements.
• Wild Varieties of Food (Ranbhajis & Edible Mushrooms): Ranbhajis in Maharashtra and edible wild mushrooms in Himachal Pradesh are naturally growing, highly nutritious uncultivated food sources traditionally consumed by indigenous communities.
• Ban on Junk Food in Schools: Prepare a letter to the Principal highlighting the health hazards of junk food (obesity, lack of roughage and proteins) and suggest healthy alternatives like roasted chana, sprouts, millets snack, and fresh fruits in the school canteen.