Foods We Eat - Class 3 EVS Chapter 6 (NCERT)

Understanding Our Food – Overview

Food gives us energy to play, study, and grow. Every family and every region of India eats different foods because of the climate, the crops that grow there, and the traditions passed down by our elders. For example, rice grows well in areas with lots of water like West Bengal and Kerala, so people there eat rice as their staple food. Wheat grows well in Punjab and Haryana, so people there eat chapati and paratha as staple food. In dry areas like Rajasthan, millets like bajra are common. Some people are vegetarians who eat only plant foods like vegetables, fruits, grains, and pulses. Others are non-vegetarians who also eat animal foods like milk, eggs, fish, meat, and chicken. Food also changes with festivals — we eat kheer on Diwali, modak on Ganesh Chaturthi, and sewaiyan on Eid. Understanding food sources and variety helps us respect and appreciate every family's food choices.

Key Terms in Foods We Eat

Staple Food

The food that is eaten most often by people in a region, usually forming the main part of every meal, such as rice, wheat, jowar, or ragi.

Raw Food

Food that is eaten without cooking, such as fruits, salad, cucumber, and carrots.

Cooked Food

Food that is prepared by heating, boiling, frying, or roasting before eating, such as dal, rice, and roti.

Plant Foods

Foods that come directly from plants, including fruits, vegetables, grains, pulses, and spices.

Animal Foods

Foods that come from animals, such as milk, curd, cheese, eggs, honey, fish, and meat.

Ingredients

The different items mixed together to prepare a dish, such as flour, water, and salt to make chapati dough.

Worked Examples – Classifying Foods

• Example 1: Classify the following into plant food and animal food – Milk, Rice, Egg, Wheat, Honey, Fish.
  Step 1: Identify the source of each food.
  Step 2: Milk comes from cows/buffaloes = Animal food. Rice comes from paddy plant = Plant food. Egg comes from hens = Animal food. Wheat comes from wheat plant = Plant food. Honey is made by bees = Animal food. Fish lives in water and is an animal = Animal food.
  Final answer: Plant foods – Rice, Wheat. Animal foods – Milk, Egg, Honey, Fish.

• Example 2: Sort these into raw food and cooked food – Boiled dal, Cucumber salad, Steamed rice, Fresh mango.
  Step 1: Check if heat/cooking was used.
  Step 2: Boiled dal needs heating = Cooked. Cucumber salad is uncut/raw vegetable = Raw. Steamed rice needs heating = Cooked. Fresh mango is eaten directly = Raw.
  Final answer: Raw food – Cucumber salad, Fresh mango. Cooked food – Boiled dal, Steamed rice.

• Example 3: Why does a person living in Kerala eat rice while a person in Punjab eats wheat as staple food?
  Step 1: Think about the climate and water availability of each state.
  Step 2: Kerala has high rainfall and many water bodies, which is good for growing paddy (rice). Punjab has fertile plains and canal irrigation, which is good for growing wheat.
  Final answer: People eat what grows easily in their region, so Kerala's staple food is rice and Punjab's staple food is wheat.

• Example 4: Name the ingredients you would need to make a simple vegetable sandwich.
  Step 1: List the base and fillings.
  Step 2: Base = bread slices. Fillings = cucumber, tomato, onion, and a little butter or chutney.
  Final answer: Bread, cucumber, tomato, onion, and butter/chutney are the ingredients for a vegetable sandwich.

How Does Food Reach Our Plate? (Simple Steps)

1. Step 1: Growing/Producing — Farmers grow crops like wheat, rice, and vegetables in fields, or raise animals for milk, eggs, and meat.
2. Step 2: Harvesting/Collecting — Once ripe, the crop is harvested (cut and gathered), or animal products like milk and eggs are collected daily.
3. Step 3: Transporting — The food is carried from farms and villages to markets in towns and cities using trucks, trains, or carts.
4. Step 4: Selling in Market — Shopkeepers and vendors sell the food items in local markets, mandis, or shops so families can buy them.
5. Step 5: Cooking at Home — Family members clean, cut, and cook the ingredients using methods like boiling, frying, or steaming before serving.
6. Step 6: Eating — Finally, the cooked or raw food is served on our plate and we eat it as breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Common Mistakes Students Make

• Thinking that all foods are staple foods everywhere in India — actually staple food changes from region to region.
• Confusing raw food with unhealthy food — raw food like fruits and salads are healthy, not unclean.
• Believing only animal products give protein — pulses, beans, and lentils (plant foods) are also rich in protein.
• Forgetting that spices like turmeric, chilli, and pepper also come from plants.
• Mixing up ingredients with the final dish — ingredients are what go INTO a dish, not the dish itself.

Exam Tip for Foods We Eat

In exams, questions often ask you to classify foods into 'plant/animal' or 'raw/cooked' — always think about the SOURCE (where it comes from) for plant/animal questions, and whether HEAT was used for raw/cooked questions. Also remember at least 2-3 examples of staple foods from different states (rice–Kerala/West Bengal, wheat–Punjab, jowar/bajra–Rajasthan, ragi–Karnataka) as these are frequently asked in short-answer questions. Practice writing full sentences instead of just one-word answers to score full marks.

Practice Questions with Solutions

• Q: What is a staple food? Give one example.
  A: Step 1: Recall the definition of staple food.
  Step 2: A staple food is the food eaten most often and forms the main part of daily meals in a region.
  Final answer: Rice is a staple food for people in West Bengal and Kerala.

• Q: Classify the following foods into plant food and animal food: Curd, Mango, Chicken, Wheat.
  A: Step 1: Find the source of each food item.
  Step 2: Curd comes from milk (animal) = Animal food. Mango grows on trees = Plant food. Chicken comes from hens = Animal food. Wheat grows in fields = Plant food.
  Final answer: Plant food – Mango, Wheat. Animal food – Curd, Chicken.

• Q: Why do people in different parts of India eat different foods?
  A: Step 1: Think about factors affecting food choices.
  Step 2: Food depends on the climate of the region, the type of crops that grow there, the culture and traditions of the people, and the festivals they celebrate.
  Final answer: People eat different foods because of differences in climate, locally grown crops, and cultural traditions across regions of India.

• Q: Give two examples each of raw food and cooked food.
  A: Step 1: Recall meaning of raw and cooked food.
  Step 2: Raw food is eaten without cooking; cooked food needs heating before eating.
  Final answer: Raw food – Banana, Cucumber. Cooked food – Boiled rice, Fried vegetables.

• Q: Name any two festivals and the special food eaten during them.
  A: Step 1: Recall festival-food connections learnt in the chapter.
  Step 2: On Diwali, people often prepare and eat sweets like kheer and laddoos. On Eid, people prepare and eat sewaiyan (vermicelli).
  Final answer: Diwali – Kheer/Laddoo; Eid – Sewaiyan.

• Q: List the ingredients needed to prepare a simple cup of tea.
  A: Step 1: Think about what goes into making tea.
  Step 2: Tea needs water, tea leaves, milk, and sugar as ingredients.
  Final answer: Water, tea leaves, milk, and sugar are the ingredients for making tea.

Frequently Asked Questions