NCERT Solutions for Class 4th The World Around Us Chapter 5 Food for Health
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
The school food festival had stalls of dhokla, litti-chowkha, dal-baati-churma, bajre-ki-khichdi, chhena-poda, ker-sangri, siddu, jowar upma, ragi laddu and much more. Ugadi Pachadi , made at the ‘Mystery Masala’ stall, has all six tastes — sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. Ayurveda calls them shad rasa . Millets such as jowar, bajra, ragi and jau are rich in nutrients, so the millet stall was called ‘Super Food’. Food does three jobs — it gives energy, it builds the body, and it protects us from diseases. No single food does all three, so we eat many kinds. A balanced plate has the most fruits and vegetables, then body-building foods, then some energy-giving foods. Water is part of our diet too. Food is cooked by boiling, steaming, frying, roasting, grilling and baking;
- The day of the food festival
- Mystery Masala
- A Stall of ‘Super Food’ / How Does Food Help Us?
- Food Groups
- Say ‘No’ to Junk Food
- A Balanced Food Plate
- A regional thali
- Different Methods of Cooking
- Food that needs no cooking
- End-of-chapter activities
Quick revision
| Word | What it means | Examples from the chapter | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six tastes (shad rasa) | The six tastes of food named in Ayurveda | sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent | 73–74 |
| Ugadi Pachadi | A traditional food of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telengana with all six tastes | Served at the ‘Mystery Masala’ stall | 73 |
| Millets | Grains that are rich sources of nutrients | jowar, bajra, ragi, jau | 74 |
| Energy-giving foods | Foods that give our body energy | rice, potato, wheat, banana, honey, ghee, oil | 77 |
| Body-building foods | Foods that help us grow and build muscles | pulses, soybeans, milk, cheese, almonds, eggs, fish | 77 |
| Protective foods | Foods that help us fight and keep away diseases | carrot, orange, lemon, spinach, amla, guava, tomato | 77 |
| Junk food | Food with very high oil, salt or sugar, not healthy if eaten often | soft drinks, chips, bread pakoda, burgers, pizza | 78 |
| Balanced food plate | A plate with the right amounts from all three food groups | Fruits and vegetables the most | 79 |
| Thali | A regional plate that holds many food items together | Every region of India has its own | 80 |
| Methods of cooking | The different ways in which food is cooked | boiling, steaming, frying, roasting, grilling, baking | 81 |
| Chef | A professional cook skilled in all parts of food preparation | ‘Chef’ is French for head of the kitchen | 82 |
| Solar cooker | A cooker that uses sunlight instead of fire or electricity | It makes no smoke and no ash | 82 |
Exercises
- The day of the food festival — Think and Write Page 73
- Mystery Masala — Write and Discuss Page 74
- A Stall of ‘Super Food’ / How Does Food Help Us? — Find out and Discuss Page 75
- Food Groups — Discuss Page 77
- Say ‘No’ to Junk Food — Write Page 78
- A Balanced Food Plate — Activity 1: Make a Food Diary Page 79
- A regional thali — Find out Page 80
- Different Methods of Cooking — Write Page 81
- Food that needs no cooking — Discuss Page 82
- End-of-chapter activities — Let us reflect Page 83–84