NCERT Solutions: Food for Health
Page No. 73
Think and Write
Q: If you had to organise a food festival in your school, which dishes would you like to include? Make a list.
Ans: If I had to organise a food festival in my school, I would include these dishes:
- Idli and Sambhar
- Aloo Paratha with Curd
- Vegetable Pulao
- Chole-Bhature
- Fruit Salad
- Halwa
- Dhokla
- Lemon Rice
- Poha
- Roti with Paneer Sabzi
These dishes are tasty and include healthy choices such as fruits, pulses (dal) and vegetables. They come from different parts of India, so students can taste a variety of flavours and learn about regional foods. Including some light sweets and fruit options helps everyone find something they like.
Page No. 74
Write
Q: Can you think of at least five ingredients or food items that match each of the tastes listed below? Write them down in the spaces provided.
Ans: 
Discuss
Q: Discuss in small groups and identify the food items having at least three different tastes.Ans: Here are some food items that have at least three different tastes:
1. Fruit Salad
- Tastes: Sweet, Sour, and Astringent
- For example, apples are sweet, oranges are sour, and pomegranates can give an astringent taste when added to a fruit salad. Mixing different fruits gives many tastes in one dish.
Fruit Salad2. Chutney
- Tastes: Sweet, Sour, and Spicy
- Chutney made with tamarind (sour), jaggery (sweet), and green chillies (spicy) has all these tastes. Small amounts of these ingredients make a balanced chutney.
3. Sambhar
- Tastes: Salty, Spicy, and Sour
- Sambhar tastes salty because of salt, spicy because of spices and chillies, and sour because of tamarind. Together, these give sambhar its special flavour.
Sambhar
Page No. 75
Find out
Q: Find out more about a millet-based food prepared at your home.
Ans: Millet-based food is very healthy and full of nutrients. At my home, we prepare Jowar Roti using jowar flour (sorghum). It is soft and tasty. We eat it with vegetables or dal. It gives energy, helps in digestion, and is good for health. We often add a little ghee on top to make it more tasty and filling.
Discuss
Q: Why do we need to eat different kinds of food items?Ans: We need to eat different kinds of food because each food gives our body different nutrients. Some foods give us energy, some help our muscles and bones to grow, and others protect us from getting ill. No single food has everything, so we should eat a variety of foods every day.
Page No. 77
Discuss
Q: What happens if we eat food from a single group of foods every day?Ans: If we eat food from only one group, we may miss important nutrients such as vitamins, proteins or minerals. For example, eating only rice will give energy but not enough protein or vitamins. This can make us weak or ill. It is important to eat a balanced meal with different kinds of food.
Page No. 78
Write
Q1: Can you name a few more junk food items?Ans: Some more junk food items are:
- French fries
- Candies
- Ice cream
- Instant noodles
Junk FoodQ2: Why do you think we should avoid eating junk food?
Ans: We should avoid junk food because it has too much oil, sugar, or salt. Eating it often can make us unhealthy, cause stomach problems, or make us gain too much weight. Junk food also has few vitamins and minerals compared to home-cooked meals.
Q3: List the junk food items that you will avoid.
Ans: I will avoid these junk food items:
- Chips
- Soft drinks
- Burgers
- Pizza
I will avoid these because they have lots of oil, sugar or salt and do not keep my body strong.
Page No. 79
Activity 1
Make a Food Diary1. Create a food diary of your daily routine for a week. Write down what you eat in a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. An example is given. Expand the table for a week.
2. Encircle or tick (✔) the food items that are healthy and put an 'X' mark for items which are not healthy.
3. Identify the food groups missing in your daily routine. Discuss with your parents how these items can be included in the daily routine.
Ans:
Food Diary - My Weekly Meal Record
| Days | Time | Food Eaten |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Breakfast | ✔ Idli, Sambhar, Chutney |
| Lunch | ✔ Roti, Dal, Sabzi | |
| Dinner | ✔ Rice, Curd, Vegetables | |
| Day 2 | Breakfast | ✔ Poha and Milk |
| Lunch | ✔ Roti, Paneer, Salad | |
| Dinner | ✔ Khichdi and Curd | |
| Day 3 | Breakfast | ❌ Maggi Noodles |
| Lunch | ✔ Rice, Dal, Bhindi | |
| Dinner | ✔ Roti, Egg Curry | |
| Day 4 | Breakfast | ✔ Dalia with Fruits |
| Lunch | ✔ Paratha with Curd and Salad | |
| Dinner | ✔ Vegetable Pulao | |
| Day 5 | Breakfast | ✔ Upma and Banana |
| Lunch | ✔ Roti, Rajma, Sabzi | |
| Dinner | ✔ Rice, Dal, Mixed Vegetables | |
| Day 6 | Breakfast | ✔ Aloo Paratha and Curd |
| Lunch | ✔ Rice, Chole, Salad | |
| Dinner | ❌ Pizza Slice and Cold Drink | |
| Day 7 | Breakfast | ✔ Boiled Eggs and Toast |
| Lunch | ✔ Veg Biryani with Raita | |
| Dinner | ✔ Dosa with Sambhar |
After checking my food diary, I found that fruits and green leafy vegetables were missing on some days. I talked to my parents and we decided to include a fruit in breakfast every day and add salad or spinach to lunch or dinner. This will help make my meals more balanced and healthy. My parents will help me prepare simple fruit portions and salads so I can follow this every day.
Page No. 80
Find out
Q: Find out a 'food thali' from your region, and list its food items.
Ans: I live in North India, and a typical North Indian Thali includes:
North Indian Thali- Roti or Paratha
- Rice
- Dal (like Dal Makhani)
- Sabzi (Paneer or Aloo)
- Curd or Raita
- Salad
- Pickle
- Gulab Jamun or Halwa
It is a tasty and balanced meal with foods from different groups - cereals, pulses, vegetables, dairy and a small sweet.
Also, here's a list of food thalis from different regions of India along with their common food items,
1. South Indian Thali
- Rice
- Sambar
- Rasam
- Idli or Dosa
- Coconut Chutney
- Vegetable curry
- Curd
- Papad
- Payasam (sweet)
Dosa Sambar2. West Indian Thali (Gujarat)
- Roti (called Rotli)
- Dal
- Rice
- Vegetable Sabzi
- Kadhi (curd-based curry)
- Pickle
- Papad
- Dhokla or Thepla
- Sweet (like Mohanthal)
3. East Indian Thali (West Bengal)
- Rice
- Dal (lentils)
- Aloo Bhaja (fried potato)
- Fish curry
- Mixed vegetables
- Chutney
- Rasgulla or Sandesh (sweet)
Page No. 81
Write
Q: Identify different methods used to cook the food items given in the list below. One example is given for you. You can take help from your family members and add more items to the list.
Ans: 
Page No. 82
Discuss
Q1: Do you help in cooking at home?Ans: Yes, I help in cooking at home. I help my parents by washing vegetables, mixing ingredients, or setting the table.
Q2: Do you think all family members should know how to cook? Why?
Ans: Yes, all family members should know how to cook. Cooking helps us eat healthy food, saves time, and makes us independent. It is also useful in emergencies and is fun to do together with family.
Page No. 83 - 84
Let us reflect
Q1: Hands-on activity-food collageMaterials: Old magazines, newspapers, scissors, glue, and a blank sheet of paper.
Cut out pictures of food items and create a collage with three sections: energy-giving foods, body-building foods, and protective foods.
Ans: Here is a food collage with three sections:
- Energy-giving foods (like rice, bread, and oil)
- Body-building foods (like milk, eggs, and pulses)
- Protective foods (like fruits and vegetables)
Protective Foods
You can cut pictures of these foods from magazines and paste them under the correct section. This helps to remember which foods do what for our body.
Q2: Check the label
(a) At home, pick up any one packaged food item from your kitchen. Check the label and note down the expiry date, and also the two main ingredients.
Ans: I picked up a packet of biscuits from the kitchen.
- Expiry Date: 15 October 2025
- Two Main Ingredients: Refined Wheat flour (Maida) and Sugar
(b) Why is it important to check labels before buying or eating packaged food items?
Ans: Checking labels is important because it tells us the expiry date, so we do not eat spoiled food. It also shows the ingredients and nutrition information, so we can avoid foods with too much sugar, salt or oil and choose healthier items.
Q3: Organise a food festival
Students may bring home-made food and organise a food festival at school. Parents may be encouraged to participate in the food festival.
Ans: We organised a food festival at our school. All students brought home-made food like idlis, poha, parathas, halwa, and fruits. We decorated our stalls and shared food with our friends. Many parents also joined and brought traditional dishes. It was fun to taste different foods, learn about healthy eating and see how to keep food and hands clean while serving.
Q4: Find and circle
Circle the words related to food in the grid below. One example is given below.
Ans:
FAQs on NCERT Solutions: Food for Health
| 1. What are the different types of food and which ones keep us healthy? |  |
| 2. How do I know if I'm eating a balanced diet for Class 4 health? | |
| 3. Why do some foods make us strong and others give us energy? | |
| 4. What happens if we don't eat enough vegetables and fruits in our daily meals? | |
| 5. Which foods should we avoid eating too much of to stay healthy and fit? | |
