6th Class Science Food: Where Does It Come From? Food

                                                                       Food

Food

Food is a substance eaten by the living organisms in order to remain alive. Fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, milk, etc. are the examples of food.

Sources of Food

Plants: Foods like cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables, etc. are obtained from the plants.

Animals: Food like meat, milk, eggs, honey, etc. are obtained from animals.

Producers and Consumers

All living organisms has been broadly classified into two groups: producers and consumers.

Producers: All the green plants make their own food, therefore, green plants are called producers.

Consumers: Animals consume the food prepared by green plants, therefore, animals are called consumers.

Types of Consumers

Consumers have been classified in the following groups on the basis of their food habits:

Herbivores

The animals that eat only plants or plant products, are called herbivores. Cow, buffalo, goat, elephant, horse, rabbit, camel, etc. are the examples of herbivores animals.

Carnivores

The animals that eat only other animals are called carnivores. Tiger, lion, cheetah, wolf, snake, etc. are the examples of carnivores animals.

Omnivores

The animals that eat both plants and animals are called omnivores. Man, bear, dog, crow etc. are the examples of omnivores animals.

Scavengers

The animals that eat dead and decaying bodies of other animals are called scavengers.

Vulture, hyena, etc. are the examples of scavengers.

Decomposers

These are organisms such as bacteria and fungi that break down the dead remains of plants and animals.

Parasites

The animals that live in or on the other animals for their survival are called parasites. For example, mosquitoes, flees, leeches, etc.

Components of Food

The food that we eat is composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, water, and roughage.

Functions and Sources of different components of food are given below:

Balanced Diet

An adequate amount of nutrients, water and roughage are essential for proper functioning of our body.

'The diet, which contains all the nutrients, water and roughage in adequate amount, is called balanced diet'.

Deficiency Diseases

The people, who do not get all the nutrients in required amount, suffer from deficiency diseases.

Look at the following table: