Food and Nutrition ESSAYS

 In the third chapter of Shreemat Bhagwat Geeta there is a line 'Anant Bhavati Bhootanee', which means 'the human being is made from food". This is a statement of fact. Everything in your body was once in the food you ate. The single cell from which you were conceived in your mother's womb, to your present size, food has become YOU. This process continues as long as you live. Your brain, muscles, your blood and bones are all made from the food you eat. Food gives you energy and stamina for work. It also gives you emotional stability and security. And don't forget, the right'kind and amount of food gives you the appearance and feeling of radiant good health. This is the result of good nutrition. Scientists are working constantly to increase our knowledge about food and nutrition, and to find ways to apply this knowledge in choosing the right foods, so that our body is well nourished. perhaps you are thinking how can you do this? Follow it carefully and confi...

Convenience foods play a very important role in our lives today. With more and more women going out of the house to work, the time and energy spent in cooking food needs to be decreased substantially. We look for foods called convenience foods which are easy to prepare and do not spoil on storage. Convenience foods are also known as ready-to-eat foods. They are not only convenient to use but can be stored for a long period of time. These foods add variety in the diet as well as improve the quality of food. Many items require only the opening of a package or a can, heating of the contents or simple steps like mixing before serving. A visit to your local market will show you the great variety of such foods which, are available in the grocery shop. Today, the trend is towards packed foods rather than bulky foods. Even simple foods have undergone some processing to make them more convenient to use. For example, milk was earlier available only from the local dairy; now pasteurised milk is a...

We all know that our body needs water for various purposes. We drink water directly as well as in the form of different beverages like tea, juices, milk shakes, etc. Not only do these beverages fulfil our requirement of water but they also perform many other functions. Don’t you feel refreshed after drinking a glass of chilled juice? Don’t you feel less tired after a hot cup of tea? Depending on the changes they bring about in our body, beverages may be classified into three categories : BEVERAGES Stimulating Beverages (Tea & Coffee) Refreshing Beverages (Fruit Juices) Nourishing Beverages (Milk Shake) Stimulating beverages are those which stimulate the nervous system. They make us feel more active and alert. Tea and coffee contain certain stimulants like theine and caffeine. Refreshing beverages like fruit and vegetable juices instil a feeling of freshness. Nourishing beverages are those which provide certain nutrients to our body.  Most milk based beverages like milk shakes, ...

By now you have studied the various kinds of foods and their use in our daily diet. You have also learnt how these foods can be made into many different preparations. But, do you think you would enjoy cereal, pulse, vegetable, meat and egg preparations if salt and spices were not added to them? Surely, you would not. If the food is not tasty, it is not liked and not accepted even though it may be very nutritious and well cooked. Spices and condiments are substances which give taste, flavour and colour to the food, thus making it attractive and acceptable. Spices are also important to promote appetite as they stimulate the secretion of digestive juices in our body. Some of them are rich in minerals, especially iron, and some are a good source of B-complex vitamins. But their nutritional contribution in the diet is not of importance because they are consumed in small quantities. We should not consume spices in excessive amounts as this can cause irritation and lead to problems like acidi...

You might have eaten some delicious apples of Kashmir, lichis of Dehradun, Langra and Dussehri mangoes of U.P. and oranges of Nagpur. Our country has in addition to the above a variety of fruits like apricots, grapes, pineapples, peaches, strawberries, plums, pears, guavas, papayas, banana, jack fruit and melons. Let us now see what fruits are. Fruits are the seed bearing parts of the plants consisting of edible tissue surrounding the seeds. The edible part is juicy, pulpy, fleshy, sweet or sweet-sour in taste. Most fruits have a ripened seed or seeds enclosed in them. Unlike vegetables most fruits can be eaten with minimum nutrient losses. Fruits are a great gift of nature to mankind. They are delicious, nutritious, ready-to eat foods. They have a nice flavour and texture. Fresh fruits have an attractive colour. Think, for example, about the colour of ripe yellow mangoes or rosy red apples. Children may sometimes be averse to milk and other nutritious foods. But they relish fruits ver...

 Spinach, cauliflower, carrot, potato, tomato, bhindi, french beans and other vegetables are all known to us. Are you aware of the fact that vegetables are important for us, that they improve our eye-sight, make our skin soft and protect us from many diseases? They are the most in expensive protective foods one can buy. Get our tendency is to neglect to use them daily in our diet. Vegetables many give variety to our diet. They make our meals more colourful, tasty and easily digestible. In spite of these benefits we consume very few vegetables. This is probably because we are not aware of the many benefits we can get from these vegetables. The knowledge about vegetables is very important for our health. We should know which ones are best suited for us. We must also know how best to buy, store and cook them. Vegetables are important to us as a source of essential nutrients like minerals and Vitamins. These help to keep the body healthy. Vegetables contribute variety, colour, flavour ...