What Are the Components of Food? A Guide to Nutrients and Their Importance
As per norms, there are various human rights, and access to food is one of them. It is crucial for our good health and ultimately to live and survive. It is the choices of food that affect our health and gradually depend on how we are going to spend the future days.
Good nutrition is a pivotal part of our lives that further promotes a healthy lifestyle. A perfectly curated diet, when combined with physical activities, can help us maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risks of diseases, and of course, promote overall health.
What is the Composition of Food?
Foods are made of both energy and non-energy components. The energy is obtained in the form of calories that are required by our boy cells. The components of food in the form of energy include:
Carbohydrates – It is the primary source of energy for our bodies. It comprises of sugars that are present in food and directly impact the blood sugar level.
Protein- is a crucial part of our body to repair, build, and renew the organs and damaged tissues in our body.
Fats – Fats play a vital role in the freight system of transporting several vitamins throughout the body with essential fatty acids.
Vitamins and Minerals – These are not required daily but are still essential to healthy living.
Dietary Fiber – This is a vegetable element that is not digested by our body. This only helps in intestinal regularity.
What is the Role of Nutrients For Our Bodies?
Nutrients are substances that are generally found in different foods and its constituents. It helps in driving biological activities, and hence, it is essential for our body. There are six different types of nutrients. These are:
Note: vitamins and minerals are categorized and can be obtained through specific food sources.
Constituents of Food
The human body is built and powered by choice of food that we intake. Therefore, we should maintain a healthy diet to prevent future complications that arise from ageing. The components of a balanced diet are:
Why is a Balanced Diet Important?
We often take eating as granted until something major is faced through health problems. The loss of ability to eat is similar to losing a life. This is the reason, maintaining the constituents of food are crucial to living a healthy life. Now, it is not always possible to measure and intake the constituents, and thus, as a rule of thumb, it’s good to follow a healthy and balanced diet.
It is said that the feeling of food depends on the person’s ability to tolerate, illness, or the need for restriction. This is the reason; some people find it challenging when they are re-learning to eat after a stroke or surgery.
What is the Need For Maintaining the Constituent of Foods?
Food and its components play a major role in our lives. Whether it’s a baby, young children, adolescent, or a complete grown-up man, the human body grows at a rapid rate until a particular age. The components of food are required for fueling the growth and maintaining the body after the growth is stopped. Human body cells need to grow and develop just like we do. It is actually the body parts, including cells, tissues, bones, and muscles that grow, and we, from the outer layer, see ourselves as growing. Protein is the building block for our body, and thus, it is a vital inclusion for growth and maintaining a healthy living. Protein with the combination of fats, minerals, and other ingredients provides the best nutrients to our body. The growing phase of our body needs some extra amount of nutrients when compared to the latter part.
Maintaining a good link between weight and nutrition can help people reduce the symptoms of chronic diseases and an overall decline in health. Before it’s too late, consider taking steps to improve your dietary rules by introducing a well-consulted balanced diet.
FAQs on Components of Food
1. What are the main components of food as per the Class 6 syllabus?
The main components of food, also known as nutrients, are essential substances our body needs to grow, get energy, and stay healthy. For Class 6, the key components are:
- Carbohydrates: The primary source of energy.
- Proteins: Known as body-building foods, they help in growth and repair.
- Fats: Provide energy and act as an energy reserve.
- Vitamins: Help in protecting our body against diseases.
- Minerals: Needed by our body in small amounts for good health and proper growth.
- Dietary Fibre (Roughage): Helps in the easy movement of food through the digestive system.
- Water: Essential for absorbing nutrients and regulating body temperature.
2. Why are proteins often called ‘body-building’ foods?
Proteins are called ‘body-building’ foods because they are crucial for the growth and repair of our body. Every cell, tissue, and organ in our body, from muscles to hair, contains protein. When we get injured or as our body grows, proteins are used to build new cells and repair damaged ones, much like bricks are used to build and repair a house.
3. What is the difference between carbohydrates and fats as energy sources?
Both carbohydrates and fats provide energy, but they function differently. Carbohydrates are the body's primary and quickest source of energy, used for daily activities. Think of them as the fuel you use for a short, fast race. Fats, on the other hand, are a more concentrated energy source and are stored by the body as a reserve. They provide more energy than carbohydrates but release it more slowly, like a backup power generator.
4. How do vitamins and minerals differ from other major nutrients like proteins and fats?
The main difference lies in the quantity required and their primary function.
- Quantity: We need macronutrients like proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in large amounts. Vitamins and minerals, called micronutrients, are required in much smaller quantities.
- Function: The primary role of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates is to provide energy and build the body's structure. In contrast, vitamins and minerals do not provide energy but are essential for protecting the body from diseases, supporting the immune system, and regulating various chemical processes like digestion and growth.
5. What is dietary fibre and why is it an important component of food?
Dietary fibre, also known as roughage, is a type of carbohydrate that our body cannot digest. Although it does not provide any nutrients, it is a very important component of our food because it adds bulk to the food. This helps our body get rid of undigested waste, prevents constipation, and ensures the smooth functioning of our digestive system.
6. Why is water considered an essential component of food even though it provides no energy?
Water is essential for life itself, despite not being an energy source. Its importance comes from its critical functions in the body:
- It helps in digesting food and absorbing other nutrients properly.
- It helps in transporting essential substances throughout the body.
- It plays a key role in regulating body temperature through sweating.
- It is essential for flushing out waste products from the body in the form of urine.
7. What is a balanced diet and why is it important for a growing child?
A balanced diet is a meal plan that includes all the essential nutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and water—in the correct proportions. It is especially important for a growing child because their body needs a steady supply of different nutrients for building strong bones and muscles, developing the brain, and gaining enough energy for learning and playing.
8. What are deficiency diseases? Can you give an example?
Deficiency diseases are illnesses that occur due to the lack of a particular nutrient in a person's diet over a long period. Since the body cannot function properly without that nutrient, it starts showing signs of disease. For example, a prolonged lack of Vitamin C in the diet leads to a disease called scurvy, which causes bleeding gums.
9. How can you test for the presence of starch in a food item?
To test for the presence of starch in a food item, as described in the NCERT syllabus for the 2025-26 session, you can perform a simple iodine test. Take a small quantity of the food item, add 2-3 drops of a dilute iodine solution to it. If the colour of the food item turns blue-black, it indicates the presence of starch.
10. What are some common food sources for each major nutrient?
Here are some common examples of food items rich in different nutrients:
- Carbohydrates: Rice, wheat, potatoes, bread, and sugar.
- Proteins: Pulses (dal), milk, paneer, eggs, and meat.
- Fats: Ghee, oil, butter, nuts, and cheese.
- Vitamins: Fruits like oranges and mangoes, and vegetables like carrots and spinach.
- Minerals: Iron is found in spinach, calcium in milk, and iodine in iodised salt.
