Introduction to Nutrients in Food

Our meals are diverse and vary greatly across different regions of India. A typical meal consists of a balance of items, usually including at least one item made of grain (like chapati or rice), a dish of dal or meat, and vegetables. Items like curd, buttermilk, and pickles often accompany the main dishes.

This variety is not just for taste; it serves a special purpose for our body. The ingredients in our food contain certain essential components that our body needs for growth, energy, and overall health. These components are called nutrients.

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Major Nutrients and Other Components

The major nutrients required by our body are:

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats
• Vitamins
• Minerals

In addition to these major nutrients, our food also contains two other essential components:

• Dietary Fibres (also known as Roughage)
• Water

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Common Meals of Different Indian Regions

The following table shows some examples of common meals from different states in India, highlighting the variety and combination of food items.

Region/State	Punjab	Andhra Pradesh
Item of grain	Makki (corn) roti	Rice
Item of dal/meat	Rajma (Kidney beans)	Tuar dal and rasam (charu)
Vegetables	Sarson saag (Mustard leaf curry)	Kunduru (dondakai)
Others	Curd, ghee	Buttermilk, ghee, pickle (aavakai)

Testing for Presence of Nutrients

While not all foods contain all nutrients, we can perform simple tests on cooked food or raw ingredients to check for the presence of the three major nutrients: carbohydrates (specifically starch), proteins, and fats. These tests should be done carefully, and one should not attempt to taste any of the chemicals used.

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Required Solutions for Tests

To conduct these tests, you will need the following solutions:

• Dilute solution of iodine: Can be prepared by adding a few drops of tincture iodine to a test tube half-filled with water.
• Copper sulphate solution: Prepared by dissolving 2 grams of copper sulphate in 100 millilitres (mL) of water.
• Caustic soda solution: Prepared by dissolving 10 grams of caustic soda in 100 mL of water.

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Test for Starch (a type of Carbohydrate)

1. Take a small quantity of the food item or a raw ingredient.
2. Add 2-3 drops of dilute iodine solution directly onto the food item.
3. Observe any change in colour.

Observation: If the colour of the food item turns blue-black, it indicates the presence of starch.

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Test for Protein

1. Take a small quantity of the food item. If it is a solid, grind or mash it to make a powder or paste.
2. Put some of this into a clean test tube and add 10 drops of water. Shake the test tube well.
3. Using a dropper, add 2 drops of copper sulphate solution to the test tube.
4. Then, add 10 drops of caustic soda solution to the test tube.
5. Shake well and let the test tube stand for a few minutes.

Observation: If the contents of the test tube turn violet, it indicates the presence of proteins.

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Test for Fats

1. Take a small quantity of the food item.
2. Wrap it in a piece of paper and crush it. Be careful not to tear the paper.
3. Straighten the paper and observe it.
4. Let the paper dry for a while, as the food may contain water.

Observation: If an oily, translucent patch appears on the paper after it has dried, it confirms the presence of fat. You will be able to see light faintly through this patch.

Roles of Various Nutrients and Other Food Components

Each nutrient and food component has a specific and vital role in the functioning of our body. They are broadly classified based on their primary function.

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Energy-Giving Foods

Carbohydrates and Fats are known as 'energy-giving foods' because they are the body's primary sources of energy.

• Carbohydrates: They provide quick energy to our body. The main carbohydrates in our food are starch and sugars. Sources include rice, wheat, bajra, potato, sweet potato, sugarcane, mango, and papaya.
• Fats: They provide much more energy compared to the same amount of carbohydrates. They are also essential for absorbing certain vitamins. Sources include plant-based oils (groundnut, til, nuts) and animal-based products (ghee, butter, meat, fish, eggs).

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Body-Building Foods

Proteins are essential for the growth and repair of our body's tissues. This is why foods rich in protein are often called 'body-building foods'.

Sources include plant-based items like moong, tuar dal, beans, soybeans, peas, and gram, as well as animal-based items like paneer, fish, meat, and eggs.

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Protective Foods

Vitamins and Minerals are required in small quantities but are crucial for protecting our body against diseases and maintaining good health. They are known as 'protective foods'.

• Vitamins: These help in keeping our eyes, bones, teeth, and gums healthy. Different vitamins have different roles:
  • Vitamin A: Keeps skin and eyes healthy. Sources: Mango, carrot, papaya.
  • Vitamin B-complex: Essential for various body functions. Sources: Rice, wheat, liver.
  • Vitamin C: Helps the body fight diseases. Sources: Orange, tomato, guava, lemon, amla.
  • Vitamin D: Helps the body use calcium for strong bones and teeth. Our body also prepares Vitamin D in the presence of sunlight. Sources: Fish, egg, liver.
• Minerals: These are essential for proper growth and maintaining good health.
  • Iodine: Sources include ginger and fish.
  • Phosphorous: Sources include milk and banana.
  • Iron: Sources include spinach (palak) and apple.
  • Calcium: Sources include milk and eggs.

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Dietary Fibres (Roughage) and Water

These components do not provide nutrients but are essential for our body.

• Roughage: It is mainly provided by plant products like whole grains, pulses, potatoes, fresh fruits, and vegetables. It adds bulk to the food and helps our body get rid of undigested waste.
• Water: It helps our body absorb nutrients from food and is crucial for removing wastes like urine and sweat. We get water from drinking liquids and also from many food items like fruits and vegetables.

Balanced Diet

A balanced diet is a diet that provides all the nutrients that our body needs, in the right quantities, along with an adequate amount of roughage and water. The requirement for a balanced diet varies depending on a person's age and the amount of physical work they do.

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Achieving a Balanced Diet

One can eat a balanced diet without consuming expensive food materials. Including items like pulses, groundnuts, sprouted seeds (moong, chana), fermented foods (idlis), a combination of flours (missi roti), banana, spinach, jaggery, and other locally available vegetables can provide all the necessary nutrients.

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Importance of Proper Cooking

Eating the right food is not enough; it must also be cooked properly to prevent the loss of nutrients.

• Washing: Washing vegetables and fruits after cutting or peeling them can result in the loss of some vitamins. The skins of many fruits and vegetables contain valuable vitamins and minerals. Similarly, repeated washing of rice and pulses can remove essential nutrients.
• Cooking with Excess Water: If excess water is used during cooking and then thrown away, many useful proteins and a considerable amount of minerals are lost.
• Heat: Cooking with excessive heat can destroy certain nutrients. For instance, Vitamin C gets easily destroyed by heat during cooking. Therefore, it is sensible to include some raw fruits and vegetables in our diet.

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Dangers of Overeating - Obesity

While some nutrients are essential, consuming too much of them can be harmful. Consuming excessive amounts of fat-rich foods, such as fried snacks (samosa, poori) and sweets (rabdi, peda), can lead to a harmful condition called obesity.

Deficiency Diseases

A person might get enough food to eat, but if that food lacks a particular nutrient over a long period, the person may suffer from its deficiency. Diseases that occur due to a lack of nutrients over a long period are called deficiency diseases.

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Protein and Carbohydrate Deficiencies

• Protein Deficiency: If a person's diet lacks sufficient protein for a long time, they may experience stunted growth, swelling of the face, discolouration of hair, skin diseases, and diarrhoea.
• Protein and Carbohydrate Deficiency: If the diet is deficient in both carbohydrates and proteins for a long time, the person's growth may stop completely. They become very lean, thin, and so weak that they may not even be able to move.

All deficiency diseases can be prevented by consuming a balanced diet.

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Diseases Caused by Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency

The following table lists some disorders and diseases caused by the deficiency of specific vitamins and minerals, along with their symptoms.

Vitamin/Mineral	Deficiency Disease/Disorder	Symptoms
Vitamin A	Loss of vision	Poor vision, loss of vision in darkness (night blindness), sometimes complete loss of vision.
Vitamin B1	Beriberi	Weak muscles and very little energy to work.
Vitamin C	Scurvy	Bleeding gums, wounds take longer time to heal.
Vitamin D	Rickets	Bones become soft and bent.
Calcium	Bone and tooth decay	Weak bones, tooth decay.
Iodine	Goiter	Glands in the neck appear swollen, mental disability in children.
Iron	Anaemia	Weakness.

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