Notesale: Turn your study into money

Document Preview

Extracts from the notes are below, to see the PDF you'll receive please use the links above

---

UNIT 1 FOOD, NUTRITION AND
HEALTH
Structure
I
...
2
1
...
3
...
3
...
3
...
4

1
...
1 Physical Health
1
...
2 Mental Health
1
...
3 Social Health
1
...
4 Spiritual Health

1
...
6 Interrelationship between Nutrition and Health
1
...
8 Glossary
1
...
1

INTRODUCTION

The word food brings to our mind countless images
...
It is closely interwoven with every feature of our existence
...
It sustains us, it
nourishes us
...



...
It will give you some
idea about why food is essential for our survical
...

Nutrition is the term used for the scientific study of food and how it is utilized by
the body
...
healthy
...
This leads us
to the vital question-how much
...
for example, should an infant consume? Similarly, how much and
what foods should be consumed by a child, an adolescent, an adult or an old person?
Further, what happens when one eats too much or too little? a e s e are the types of
questions that a study of nutrition helps us answer
...


1
...
It would
obviously include solids, semi-solids and liquids which can be consumed and which
help to sustain the body and keep it healthy
...
Have you ever wondered why? Food is
es,sentird beduse it contains substances which perform important functions in our
body
...
If
these nutrients are not present in our food in sufficient amounts, the result is ill
,
health and in some cases, even death
...
g
...


lkde Concepts in
NlltrHlon-1

I

Food is, therefore, a rohplex mixture of different nutrients and non-nitrients
...
You may be surprised to know that there are over forty
essential nutrients, which are supplied by the food we eat
...
Water is important as a nutrieqt as well
a
...
You will learn more about this aspect in Unit 2, Block I
...
Here the
term "physiological role" refers to the role of food in maintaining certain specific
body jfunctions
...
Food also has social and psychological
functions in addition to physiological ones (Figure 1
...



...
1
...


6


...
We need energy
every moment of our lives for performing various types of activities such as sitting,
standing, walking and running and performing all our household and other tasks
...
g
...
Activities performed within the body also require expenditure of energy
...
This is why these nutrients are also referred to as
the "body fuels"
...
When these fuels are burnt, energy is released in the form of heat and ,
light
...
Similarly, carhhydrates and fats are
burnt in the body
...


Food is also needed for growth and repair
...
When growth takes
place, mw cells are added to the existing ones
...
On the other hand, cells do get worn out and die
...
This process is called repair
...
can understand the role of proteins in growth and development if we
just think of the tremendous increase in height and weight that occurs from infancy
to adulthood
...

1


...
Let us talk about the meaning of the term 'protective' first
...
Even if a person
does develop an infection or any other type of illness, food and the nutrients it
contains facilitate rapid recovery
...
He would get ill more easily as well
...
As you are aware, several processes take place in the body such as
the beating of the heart, maintenance of body temperature and contraction of
muscles
...
Our body temperature, for example, is
maintained at 98
...
Similarly, the rate at which the heart beats is also
...
This is achieved by certain specific nutrients (among other substances)
and is illustrative of their regulatory function
...
So does water
...

With the aid of these chemical reactions, simpler substances are used to build more
complex ones
...
Figure 1
...
You wilt understand this better when you go through Units 2 and 3 of Block 1
...
Vitamins, minerals'and proteins play a major role in controlling
these reactions i
...
they act as regulators
...
1
...
Sharing food with
iiny other person implies social acceptance
...

Earlier only persons enjoying equal status in society ate together
...
Of counc, we
observe considerable change in this respect now particularly in cities and towns
...

Food is an integral part of festivity anywhere in the world
...
Festivals such as Diwali,
Dussehra, Pongal, Onam, Lohri, Holi, Christmas and Id are celebrated by having
special and prescribed menus
...

Food also has a specific significance and meaning in the religious context
...
Often sweets are prepared at temples and gurdwaras and distributed to devotees u a
benediction or prasad
...
This is because religious texts and practices strongly
recommend some foods while rejecting others
...

Psychologlerl Functions: We all have emotional needs such as the need for security,
lovc: and attention
...
When a
molrher prepares her child's favourite dish, the child recognizes the fact that she loves
him enough to remember his likes and dislikes
...
As you are aware, when people share food it serves as a token of friendship
andl acceptance
...
He may even accept food he first found distasteful
if hie observes his friends enjoying it
...
:ie will be accepted by others like him
...
Food often serves as a reward
...
In this manner, that particular food item evokes pleasent feelings in
the: mind of the child
...
This type of food is generally eaten
when a person suffers from fever and may, therefore, not be associated with pleasant
feelings
...


2)

Fill in the blanks
...

Energy-giving foods are rich-in carbohydrate and/or
...
and
...


Read the following statements carefully
...

a) Pankaj is celebrating his birthday
...
His mother has prepared several delicious dish- '
particularly those which Pankaj likes
...
She has grown so much in these three
yean! Her mother says this is due to her love and care and, of course, the
,#ood food rhe has given Nandita
...
3

M EANING OF NUTRITION

Nutrition P a scknt* discipline with food as the major focus of interest
...

The simplert dejhltion of nutrition can be expressed thus: "the study of what
happen8 t o food once it enters the mouth and thereafter
...
a more detailed
definition would be : "the science o//oods, the nutrients and other substances
thenin: their action, interaction and balance in relationship to health and disease;
the processes by which the organism ingests, digests, absorbs, transports and utilizes
~utrientsand dlsposes of their end products
...
" We will now consider each aspect in some detail
...
1 Nutrients: Action, Interaction and Balance
Food, as you know
...

The body needs each nutrient in specific amounts
...
But they are all equally essential for our health
...
The mineral, calcium, for example, helps build strong
bones and teeth
...
Similarly
...
3(a)
...

bones and teeth also contain another mineral, phosphorus
...
This means that normal growth of
bones and teeth and maintenance of their normal structure and function requires an
interaction between these two nutrients
...
3(b) )
The concept of balance can also be expla~nedby taking the example of calcium and
phosphorus
...
This creates a n imbalance between calcium and
phosphorus and affects the bones and teeth
...

In the larger context, the term balance means that the nutrients needed by the body
should be provided in the right amount and proportions
...
3(c)
...


1
...
2 Handling of Food and Nutrients by the Body
How does the body handle food? We take in food through our mouth where it is
chewed and then swallowed
...
coiled, tube-like structure called the intestine
...
This process is called digestion
...
The process by which nutrientsmove from the
intestine into the blood is referred to as absorption
...
1
...

Pi11 the substances in the food which the body cannot absorb are thrown out in
f,aeas
...
Some of these are harmful and
need to be thrown out of the body
...
You will learn more
aibout digestion and absorption in the next unit
...
33 Social, Psychological and Economic Aspects of Nutrition
!Social and psychological factors determine the acceptability of a particular dietary
]batfern and the foods Included
...

k the rarson why a person's social background'and =actions to particular food
aLrM hve t6 bS
...
Further, economic considemtions determine
M u faad8 rn rvrilable and affordable
...


'm

...
Our ancient Vedic tradition emphasizes food as the

life-giver
...
It is said that sattvic
foods, for example, increase intellectual capacity and creativity, energy and
cheerfulness
...

The ra/asic foods (foods that stimulate passion) are stated to include fish, eggs and
meat whik pork and beef a n put in the category of tamsic foods (stale, reheated,
tasteless and impure foods)
...
At restaurants and
hotels, custom& frequently eat reheated food which in the Vedic tradition has the
lowest status
...
The former, of course, would not consume
meat and meat products but may still accept vegetarian foods prepared in kitchens
where meat is also cooked
...
Tolerance and adaptability to
varied eoting habits is a healthy sign of progress
...
We
cannot expect members of a community to immediately accept a food just because it
is rich in nutrients
...
Is it a
food rejected by their culture? Is it a food considered to be a "prestigew food in that
community? (Here, of course, we mean foods which are accorded a high status
because they are expensive or because they are consumed by people of higher status
in society)
...


T k psychology of eating : HOW does a person react to food? What prychological
factors influence our eating patterns? Consider examples A to C
...
She gives her whole family vitamin tablets
because she thinks this will keep them healthy and full of energy
...

that she needs no vitamin tablets because the same vitamins can be supptied by the I
ordinary foods consumed
...



...
He sees the
numerous advertisements for foods like instant noodles,'soft drinks, toffees and
chocolate every single day
...

7g

Exampl&C: Sarla has just given birth to a baby boy
...
(Ti1
laddoos are sweet balls made of jaggery and sesame (til) seeds, panjiri is made of
whole wheat flour, sugar, nuts and far) Sarla does as her mother-in-law advises
...
Many factors influence our choice of foods such as
advertisements and the attitudes of other people around us
...
One examplc is
the child who seeks to overcome a feeling of insecurity or inferiority by eating more
...
Thus our
individual reactim to food and to the people around us can have a significant
...

The economics of food: Food costs money
...
The availabflity
of food and its proper distribution are of great importance
...
In India, for
example, agricultural production has consistently increased
...
As a result large sections of our
population do not get enough food
...
Our ultimate aim should be to ensure the good hmkh
of all individuals

---