Food We Eat — Class 3 EVS (CBSE)
From the current NCERT Our Wondrous World Grade 3 book, Unit 3: Gifts of Nature, Chapter 8. Food gives us energy to play, grow, and stay healthy.
1. Why this chapter matters
We all need food to live. Learning where food comes from, which foods are healthy, and how to build good food habits helps children grow strong and stay well.
2. Key ideas
- Food comes from plants and animals:
- From plants: fruits, vegetables, grains (rice, wheat), and pulses (dal).
- From animals: milk, curd, eggs, and honey.
- Some food we eat raw (fruits, salad); some we cook (rice, dal, vegetables).
- We eat for energy, growth, and good health.
- A healthy meal has a mix of foods; too many sweets or fried snacks are not good for us.
- Good food habits: wash hands before eating, eat fresh food, and do not waste food.
3. Let's understand
Look at your plate and you can trace your food back to plants and animals. Grains like rice and wheat, pulses like dal, and fruits and vegetables come from plants. Milk, curd, eggs, and honey come from animals.
We eat some foods raw, like fruits and salads, and we cook others, like rice and vegetables, to make them tasty and easy to digest.
Why do we eat? Food gives us energy to run and play, helps us grow, and keeps us healthy. A good meal has a variety of foods. Eating too many sweets or fried snacks is not healthy. We should also follow good habits — wash our hands before eating, eat fresh food, and never waste it, because food is a gift of nature.
4. New words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| grains | seeds like rice and wheat that we eat |
| pulses | dals like moong, chana, and masoor |
| raw | food eaten without cooking |
| healthy | good for the body |
| energy | the power to work, play, and move |
5. Activity corner
Look at one full meal you ate today. Write:
- Two foods that came from plants
- One food that came from an animal
- Which foods were cooked and which were raw
6. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Thinking all food comes only from plants. Fix: Food comes from both plants and animals (milk, eggs, honey).
- Mistake: Thinking sweets and chips are healthy because they taste good. Fix: Healthy meals have a variety of foods; too many sweets and fried snacks are not good.
- Mistake: Wasting food. Fix: Take only what you can eat; food is a precious gift.
7. Let Us Think
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Name two foods that come from plants and two from animals. From plants: rice and fruit; from animals: milk and eggs.
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What is the difference between raw and cooked food? Raw food is eaten without cooking (fruit, salad); cooked food is heated before eating (rice, dal).
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Why do we eat food? To get energy, to grow, and to stay healthy.
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What makes a meal healthy? A mix of different foods, not too many sweets or fried snacks.
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Write two good food habits. Wash hands before eating and do not waste food.
8. Answer key
- Plants: rice, fruit; Animals: milk, eggs.
- Raw is uncooked; cooked is heated before eating.
- For energy, growth, and good health.
- A variety of foods with few sweets and fried snacks.
- Wash hands before eating; do not waste food.
9. Quick revision
- Food comes from plants (grains, pulses, fruits, vegetables) and animals (milk, eggs, honey).
- Some food is eaten raw; some is cooked.
- We eat for energy, growth, and health.
- Healthy meals have a variety of foods.
- Good habits: wash hands, eat fresh, do not waste food.
Unit 3: Gifts of Nature
This chapter is part of Unit 3: Gifts of Nature. The three chapters in this unit are:
- Chapter 7: Water — A Precious Gift
- Chapter 8: Food We Eat
- Chapter 9: Staying Healthy and Happy
