Food for Health Class 4 The World Around Us Chapter 5 CBSE Notes 2025-26

Eating the right type of food is very important to keep our body healthy, strong, and happy. We all need different nutrients from a balanced diet, regular exercise, enough rest, and plenty of water. Chapter 5, “Food for Health,” from Class 4 EVS helps students understand why we should make healthy food choices, respect our food, and learn about different methods of cooking and the value of not wasting food.

A balanced diet means eating a mix of foods that provide energy, build our bodies, and protect us from diseases. In India, there is a wide variety of traditional dishes, ranging from dhokla and dal-baati-churma to ragi laddus and millet rotis. It is important to include different tastes in our meals.

According to Ayurveda, "shad rasa" or the six major tastes—sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent—when present together, help make food enjoyable and good for health. For example, Ugadi Pachadi is a dish from South India that includes all six tastes, like jaggery (sweet), tamarind (sour), and neem (bitter).

Eating foods with different tastes encourages the body to get a variety of nutrients. Millets like jowar, bajra, and ragi are “super foods” that provide many vitamins and minerals.

No single food contains all the nutrients our body needs, so we must eat a mix of foods every day. There are three main food groups:

• Energy-Giving Foods: Rice, wheat, potatoes, bananas, sweet potatoes, honey, millets, butter, ghee, oil. These help our body do work and play.
• Body-Building Foods: Pulses, legumes, soybeans, chickpeas, peanuts, milk, cheese, beans, eggs, almonds, walnuts, meat, fish, tofu. These help our body grow and build muscles.
• Protective Foods: Fruits and vegetables like carrots, oranges, lemons, spinach, guava, amla, cabbage, papaya, tomato. These keep us safe from diseases.

If we eat food from only one food group every day, we may miss out on important nutrients, which can make us weak or sick. Eating from all groups keeps our body balanced and strong.

Junk food is food that has a lot of oil, salt, or sugar but very few nutrients. Examples include chips, soft drinks, bread pakoda, burgers, pizza, and heavily processed or packaged foods. If eaten regularly, junk food can harm our health and make us feel tired or unwell. Home-cooked meals are always a better choice.

Keeping a food diary can help us check if we are eating healthy. By writing down each meal for a week, we can see which healthy foods we eat and which ones we should avoid. Mark healthy foods with a circle and unhealthy ones with an ‘X’. Discuss with your family about missing food groups and ways to include them.

A balanced plate should have more fruits and vegetables (protective foods), with some body-building foods and some energy foods. Regional thalis in India often include a variety of tastes and nutrition in one meal.

Water is essential for good health. It helps in digestion, keeps our skin and body healthy, and removes waste from our body through urine and sweat. Water-rich foods like watermelon and cucumber also help keep us hydrated. Remember to drink enough water every day as part of healthy habits.

There are different ways to cook food, such as steaming (idiyappam, kheer), boiling (rice, idli, sambhar), roasting (papad), grilling (samosa), frying (peda), and baking (gulab jamun). Some foods can be eaten raw, like salads and fruit chaat. It is important to know about these methods so food is cooked properly and is safe to eat.

Cooking at home is a good habit and everyone in the family should try to help. Cooking can be done in eco-friendly ways too, like using a solar cooker, which does not pollute the air.

The journey of each grain involves many people, animals, and natural elements before it reaches our plate. Showing gratitude for food means not wasting it and respecting everyone’s contribution. Mindful eating is about being grateful for what we eat and eating in a peaceful way.

• Make food collages to identify foods from different groups.
• Check food labels before buying—look for expiry dates and main ingredients.
• Take part in food festivals to learn about traditional and regional foods.

A chef is a trained professional who prepares food skillfully. Learning about cooking and food helps us make healthier choices and respect food even more.

Participate in hands-on activities like making a food collage, creating a food diary, and doing mindful eating exercises. These fun activities help you remember important facts about food and health while enjoying your learning process.

Class 4 The World Around Us Chapter 5 Notes – Food for Health: Revision and Key Points

These Class 4 EVS Food for Health notes summarise all you need for a thorough revision. Get a clear understanding of balanced diets, food groups, healthy eating habits, and simple cooking methods, as covered in Chapter 5. With real-life examples and simple language, revising becomes smooth and effective.

These notes highlight the main points from the NCERT chapter, helping you quickly recall important facts for exams and everyday life. Use these revision-friendly highlights to practise answering questions on food groups, water, healthy habits, and not wasting food for CBSE Class 4.