Food for Health — Class 4 EVS (CBSE)
From the current NCERT Our Wondrous World Grade 4 book, Unit 3: Health and Well-being, Chapter 5. The right food keeps our body strong, active, and healthy.
1. Why this chapter matters
Food is our body's fuel. Knowing why we eat and which foods the body needs helps children choose a balanced diet that gives energy, helps them grow, and keeps them healthy.
2. Key ideas
- We eat food to get energy, to grow, and to stay healthy.
- Food contains nutrients — the useful substances our body needs.
- Foods are of three main kinds:
- Energy-giving foods — rice, wheat, potato, sugar, oil, ghee.
- Body-building foods — pulses (dal), milk, eggs, paneer, meat.
- Protective foods — fruits and vegetables (keep us safe from illness).
- A balanced diet has all three kinds, plus water.
- We should eat fresh, varied food and avoid too many sweets and fried snacks.
3. Let's understand
Why do we eat? Food gives us energy to run and play, helps our body grow, and keeps us healthy. The useful parts of food are called nutrients.
Different foods do different jobs. Energy-giving foods like rice, wheat, and oil give us strength. Body-building foods like dal, milk, and eggs help us grow strong muscles and bones. Protective foods — colourful fruits and vegetables — keep us safe from illness.
A meal that has all three kinds of food, with plenty of water, is a balanced diet. We should eat fresh food, a variety of it, and only a little of sweets and fried snacks. Good food habits keep us healthy and happy.
4. New words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nutrients | useful substances in food that the body needs |
| balanced diet | a meal with all kinds of food in the right amounts |
| energy-giving | food that gives strength (rice, wheat, oil) |
| body-building | food that helps growth (pulses, milk, eggs) |
| protective | food that keeps us from illness (fruits, vegetables) |
5. Activity corner
Look at one full meal you ate today. Write:
- One energy-giving food, one body-building food, one protective food
- Whether your meal was balanced (had all three kinds)
- One healthy change you could make
6. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Thinking we eat only to feel full. Fix: We eat for energy, growth, and health — not just to feel full.
- Mistake: Thinking sweets and chips are healthy because they taste good. Fix: A balanced diet needs fruits, vegetables, pulses, and grains, not too many sweets.
- Mistake: Forgetting water. Fix: A balanced diet includes plenty of clean water.
7. Let Us Think
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Why do we eat food? To get energy, to grow, and to stay healthy.
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Name the three kinds of food. Energy-giving, body-building, and protective foods.
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Give one example of each kind of food. Energy-giving: rice; body-building: dal or milk; protective: a fruit or vegetable.
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What is a balanced diet? A meal with all three kinds of food in the right amounts, with water.
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Why should we eat fruits and vegetables? Because they are protective foods that keep us safe from illness.
8. Answer key
- For energy, growth, and good health.
- Energy-giving, body-building, protective.
- Rice; dal/milk; fruit/vegetable.
- A meal with all kinds of food in the right amounts.
- They protect us from illness.
9. Quick revision
- We eat for energy, growth, and health.
- Food has nutrients.
- Three kinds: energy-giving (rice, wheat), body-building (dal, milk, eggs), protective (fruits, vegetables).
- A balanced diet has all three kinds plus water.
- Eat fresh, varied food; limit sweets and fried snacks.
Unit 3: Health and Well-being
This chapter is part of Unit 3: Health and Well-being. The two chapters in this unit are:
- Chapter 5: Food for Health
- Chapter 6: Happy and Healthy Living
