This concept mainly deals with various food source and their uses.
After reading the concept, students will be able to:
Each concept is explained to class 3 students using descriptions, illustrations, and concept maps. After you go through a concept, assess your learning by solving the two printable worksheets given at the end of the page.
Download the worksheets and check your answers with the worksheet solutions for the concept of the Food Source provided in PDF format.
Food is essential for all living organisms. The food that we eat mainly comes from two sources—plants and animals. Different parts of a plant are consumed as food like leaves, stems, flowers, seeds, fruits, roots, etc. Similarly, milk, eggs, and meat obtained.
We get vegetables from plants that we eat daily as a part of our normal diet. The term ‘vegetables’ commonly refers to all the plant parts that humans consume.
Vegetables:
The vegetables that we eat can be broadly divided into—
1. Underground Vegetables:
Example: Tubers—Potato, sweet potato, ginger, artichokes; Bulbs— Garlic, onion; Roots— Beet, radish, carrot, turnip.
2. Above the ground vegetative parts:
Example: Stems—Stems of broccoli and cauliflower, bamboo shoots, sugarcane; Leaves—Spinach, coriander, cabbage.
3. Above the ground reproductive parts:
Example: Flowers—Artichoke, cauliflower, broccoli, roses; Fruits—Mango, blueberry, kiwi, watermelon, lemon; Seeds—All kinds of nuts, hemp, sago, pomegranate, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds.
Spices | Plant parts | Form |
---|---|---|
Cinnamon | Bark | Whole dried, powdered |
Clove | Flower bud | Whole dried, clove oil |
Cardamom | Seedpod and seed | Whole dried, powdered |
Black peppercorn | Seed | Whole dried, powdered |
Amchoor | Raw mango (unripe) fruit | Sun-dried |
Asafoetida (Hing) | Gum resin | Powdered |
Bay leaf (Tej Patta) | Leaf | Whole dried |
Coriander | Leaf, seeds (Dhaniya) | Fresh (leaves), dried (seeds), powdered |
Cumin | Seed | Whole dried |
Curry leaf | Leaf | Fresh, whole dried |
Chilly | Fruit | Fresh, whole dried, powdered |
Ginger | Tuber (stem) | Fresh, dried, powdered |
Saffron | Flower parts | Dried |
Cereals and Pulses:
Example: Peas, beans, and lentils.
Example: Rice, wheat, maize, jowar, barley, etc.
Example: Rajma-chawal, khichdi, pongal, dosa and roti-dal.
Medicinal Plants and Their Uses:
Example: Lemon is good for stomach problems, and lemon with ginger is used to cure a common cold, cough, and sore throat also. Other medicinal plants are basil (Tulsi), clove, aloe vera, etc.
Food From Animals:
Plants are not the only source of food that we eat. We rear some animals for food, which is called animal husbandry.
Example: Hen, lambs, pigs, goats, fish, etc.
The following list shows the animals and what food is obtained from them -
Animal | Food | Animal Product |
---|---|---|
Duck | Eggs and meat | - |
Hen | Eggs and meat | - |
Fish | Meat | Fish oil |
Honey bee | - | Honey, wax |
Goat | Milk and meat | - |
Cattle | Milk and meat | Dairy products |
Reproduction: The process of producing young ones, in this case, tiny baby plants from the mother plant.
Legumes: A group of plants that produce peas, beans and lentils.