Food: Where Does It Come From? - CBSE Class 6 Science

What is Food and Why Do We Need It?

Food is any substance that we eat or drink to give our body energy and help it grow and stay healthy. Think of your body like a car. A car needs petrol to run, right? Similarly, our bodies need food to perform all activities, from running in the park to simply thinking in class. This energy helps us grow taller and stronger. When you get a cut or a scrape, your body uses nutrients from food to repair the injury and make new skin. So, the main jobs of food are:

1. To provide energy for all our activities.
2. To help our body grow.
3. To repair damaged body parts and keep us healthy.

Everything we eat, whether it's a simple fruit or a complex dish like biryani, is made of ingredients. These ingredients come from two main places in nature: Plants and Animals. For example, to make vegetable curry, you need vegetables (from plants), spices (from plants), and oil (from plant seeds). If you make an egg curry, you use eggs, which come from an animal (a hen).

The Two Main Sources of Our Food

What Do Animals Eat? Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores

• Herbivores: These are animals that eat only plants. Think 'herb' which means plant! They have teeth that are good for grinding leaves and grass. Examples: Cow, Goat, Deer, Elephant, Horse.
• Carnivores: These are animals that eat only other animals (flesh). Think 'carni' which means meat! They often have sharp teeth and claws to catch their prey. Examples: Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Snake, Eagle.
• Omnivores: These are animals that eat both plants and other animals. 'Omni' means all! Humans are a great example of omnivores. Examples: Bear, Crow, Dog, Human.

Don't Get Confused!

Here's a common point of confusion for students:

• Is a potato a root or a stem? It's easy to think potato is a root because it grows underground. However, a potato is actually a modified underground stem called a 'tuber'. It stores food for the plant. A sweet potato, on the other hand, is a modified root.
• Are humans herbivores? While some people choose to eat only plants (vegetarians), humans as a species have teeth and a digestive system capable of handling both plant and animal food. Therefore, biologically, humans are classified as omnivores.

Practice Questions with Solutions

• Q: You want to make kheer. List three main ingredients and state whether they come from a plant or an animal. A: Step 1: Identify the main ingredients for making kheer. The three main ingredients are rice, milk, and sugar. Step 2: Determine the source of each ingredient. Rice is a seed that comes from the paddy plant. Milk comes from animals like cows or buffaloes. Sugar is made from the juice of the sugarcane stem, which is a plant. Final answer: The ingredients are Rice (Plant), Milk (Animal), and Sugar (Plant).
• Q: Classify the following animals as Herbivore, Carnivore, or Omnivore: Lion, Crow, Goat, Bear. A: Step 1: Analyze the diet of each animal. A lion eats only the flesh of other animals. A crow eats grains, fruits, and also small insects and leftover meat. A goat eats only grass and leaves. A bear eats berries, plants, fish, and other small animals. Step 2: Assign the correct category based on the diet. Final answer: Lion - Carnivore; Crow - Omnivore; Goat - Herbivore; Bear - Omnivore.
• Q: Name two plants whose leaves we eat as vegetables and two plants whose roots we eat. A: Step 1: Think of leafy vegetables you eat. Spinach (palak) and cabbage (patta gobhi) are common examples where we eat the leaves. Step 2: Think of vegetables that grow under the ground and are roots. Carrot (gajar) and radish (mooli) are common examples of edible roots. Final answer: We eat the leaves of Spinach and Cabbage. We eat the roots of Carrot and Radish.
• Q: Where does honey come from and how is it made? A: Step 1: Identify the source of honey. Honey comes from honey bees. Step 2: Describe the process. Honey bees fly from flower to flower and collect a sweet juice called nectar. Step 3: Explain what they do with the nectar. They take this nectar back to their hive and convert it into honey, which they store as their food. Final answer: Honey comes from honey bees. They collect nectar from flowers and convert it into honey inside their beehive.

Frequently Asked Questions