Unit 3 · Health and Well-being · NCERT Class 4 Our Wondrous World

Food for Health

Why do we eat? Food gives us energy, builds our body and keeps us safe from illness. Tap each idea to learn what different foods do, how to eat a balanced meal, drink enough water, and where your food comes from.

🍎 3 topics⏱ ~12 min📝 9-question quiz

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Six things to know about food

Food does many jobs for our body. Tap each term to find out what each kind of food does and where it comes from.

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The three big ideas

Energy foods — rice, roti, potato, ghee — are fuel for running and playing.
Body-building foods — dal, milk, paneer, eggs — help us grow strong and heal cuts.
Protective foods — fruits and vegetables — give vitamins that guard us from illness. We need all three every day.

Everyday example. Look at a simple thali with rice, dal and a vegetable. Which food does each job?

Rice gives energy, dal builds the body, and the vegetable protects you — one plate doing all three jobs.

A balanced meal has some of each food group, so the body gets everything it needs.
Drink plenty of clean water through the day — it keeps you cool and helps digest food.
Too many sweets and fried snacks are not healthy. Fresh food and water keep us fit.

Common mix-up: Mix-up: a meal full of only tasty sweets is not a good meal. Without dal, vegetables and grains the body misses what it needs.

Most food comes from plants — grains, pulses, fruits, vegetables and oils.
Some food comes from animals — milk, curd, eggs, fish and honey.
Farmers grow crops and rear animals; the food then reaches markets and our kitchens. We should not waste it.

Everyday example. Where did the rice on your plate begin its journey?

A farmer grew it in a field, then it was harvested, cleaned and carried to the market — a lot of work, so we should not waste food.

Where you'll see it

Food and your health

Your school tiffin

A box with a roti, a sabzi, a fruit and water gives all three food jobs — far better than only biscuits.

Drinking water

Carry a water bottle and sip through the day. Water keeps your body cool and helps it work well.

From farm to plate

The food you eat was grown by farmers and carried far to reach you. Finishing your plate respects that work.