Food is needed by all living beings for four main purposes:
for their growth.
to provide energy for doing work.
for the repair and replacement of the damaged tissues.
to provide resistance and protection against diseases from infections.
Cooked food can be easily consumed and absorbed by our body. Cooking also kills
the harmful germs.
Ingredients: Materials needed to prepare a dish or food are called its ingredients.
Edible parts: Those parts (of a plant) which are eatable are called Edible parts
Nectar: Sweet juices found in flowers are known as nectar.
Sprouted seeds: Seeds which grow white thread like structures when soaked in
water are called sprouted seeds.
Scavenger: An animal that eats only the flesh of animals that are already dead is called a
scavenger.
Decomposer: An organism that feeds on and decomposes dead animals and plants is called a
decomposer.
Food From Plants:
Green plants are known as producers because they prepare their own food. They use
light, air (carbon dioxide), water, and chlorophyll (present in their leaves) to prepare
their food by the process of photosynthesis.
Food From Animal:
Animal products like meat, egg, honey, milk, cheese, butter, and curd are eaten by
human beings.
Meat of animals like goat, chicken, fish, and prawns is commonly eaten.
Milk: Milk is obtained from animals like cow, buffalo, and goat.
Honev It is a very nutritious food item and is a rich source of proteins. Milk also contains
calcium, which is required for proper bone growth and nerve function. Products made from
milk are known as dairy products.
Paneer (cottage cheese): Common methods of making paneer include adding lemon juice or
vinegar to milk. Then, the liquid portion of milk is drained off and the solid part forms
paneer. This process is called curdling.
Cheese: Cheese is made from curdled milk of cow, goat, sheep, or buffalo.
Cream: Cream is made by collecting the top fatty layer of the milk.
Butter: Butter is made by churning fresh cream.
Ghee: Ghee is made by gently heating butter and removing the solid matter.
Curd Common methods of making curd include adding a small sample of curd in warm milk.
The microorganisms (bacteria) present in the curd sample turn the milk into curd.
Unlike green plants, animals cannot make their own food. They depend on plants and other
animals for food.
People living in deserts also drink camel’s milk. In ice-cold places, people mostly have yak’s
milk.
Scavengers and Decomposers
Instead of hunting live animals, some birds and animals eat the flesh of other animals that are
already dead.
Vulture is one such bird. These animals or birds are called scavengers. Some other organisms
feed on and destroy (or decompose) dead plants and animals. Fungi
and bacteria are examples of such organisms. These organisms are called decomposers.
Together with scavengers, decomposers play a very important role in nature. Without these
organisms, our planet would be covered with dead plants and animals.
Food Variety – Food Materials And Sources
Food that we eat comes from many sources. This food is crucial in determining the health of our
body. Hence, care needs to be taken to eat the right kind of food. Some of the resources from
where we can obtain different types of food materials are:
Fruits from plants
Vegetables and legumes from plants
Fish, lean meat, eggs, poultry from animals
Pulses, whole grains, Cereals from plants
Milk and its derivatives such as – curd, butter, cheese, cottage cheese, clarified butter
from animals, etc.
Plant Parts And Animal Products As Food
Plants are one of the primary sources of food. Almost all parts of a plant are edible such
as leaves, fruits, seeds, stems, flowers, and the roots.
Some plants have two or more edible parts such as mustard. Mustard seeds yield oil, its
leaves are used to make food.
Some seeds are sprouted to be consumed. Nectar from flowers is collected by bees
which are later converted to honey and stored in their hives and finally extracted by us.
Food materials such as milk, eggs, lean meat, and fish are obtained from animals.
Cheese and butter are animal products as they are obtained from milk. Milk is processed
with the action of bacteria for the formation of curd. Further processing yields clarified
butter and so on.
Flour is obtained from the wheat plant. Flour is used widely in the baking industry to
make bread, cakes, pastries, puffs, biscuits, etc.
Food from animals is rich in proteins and vitamins.
What Do Animals Eat?
Different animals consume different food materials. Depending upon the food that animals eat,
we can classify them into the following:
Herbivores animals: These animals eat only plants and plant products. For example,
goat, cow, horse, sheep etc. eat different parts of a plant such as leaves, hay, fruits and
so on.
Carnivores animals: These animals eat other animals. They hunt animals to obtain food.
Example: Lions, Tigers, Cheetah, etc.
Omnivores animals: These animals eat both animals and plants. Example: Raccoons,
crows, bears, etc.
Some other organisms, i.e., microbes decompose food from the dead matter of plants
and animals. Example: Bacteria, Fungi
