NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science (Curiosity) Chapter 3: Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body (NCERT 2026–27)

These Class 6 Science Curiosity Chapter 3 solutions cover Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body from the new NCF-2023 textbook (2026–27). The chapter explores the diversity of food across India, how cooking practices have changed, the components of food (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals), simple food tests, the idea of a balanced diet, the goodness of millets, and the journey of food from farm to plate. Every “Let us enhance our learning” question is reproduced word-for-word and solved below in clear, exam-ready language.

Class: 6 Subject: Science Book: Curiosity Chapter: 3 Type: Food, Nutrition & Balanced Diet Session: 2026–27
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Class 6 Science Curiosity Chapter 3 Solutions – Overview

Chapter 3 of Curiosity, Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body, begins with the Sanskrit saying annena jātāni jivanti — “food gives life to living beings.” It shows that people across India eat a wonderful variety of food, shaped by the crops grown locally and by culture, taste and tradition. We learn how cooking practices have changed from the chulha and sil-batta to the gas stove and electric grinder. The heart of the chapter is the study of food components — carbohydrates and fats (energy-giving), proteins (body-building), and vitamins and minerals (protective) — along with roughage and water. We test foods for starch, fat and protein, understand a balanced diet, see why junk foods are unhealthy, why millets are nutri-cereals, and finally trace food miles from farm to plate, learning to respect food and never waste it.

Key Concepts & Definitions

Nutrients: food components that provide energy, support growth, help repair and protect our body, and maintain bodily functions. The major nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.

Carbohydrates: the main source of energy in our diet (e.g. wheat, rice, maize, potato, sugar). Starch is a type of carbohydrate.

Fats: a source of stored energy (e.g. ghee, oils, nuts, seeds, butter). Along with carbohydrates they are energy-giving foods.

Proteins: body-building foods that help in growth and repair (e.g. pulses, beans, milk, paneer, egg, fish, meat).

Vitamins and minerals: protective nutrients needed in small amounts that protect the body from diseases and keep us healthy.

Roughage (dietary fibre): a component that gives no nutrients but helps remove undigested food and ensures smooth passage of stools; mainly from plant products.

Balanced diet: a diet with all essential nutrients, roughage and water in the right amounts for proper growth and development.

Deficiency diseases: diseases caused when one or more nutrients are missing from the diet for a long time (e.g. scurvy, goitre, rickets, anaemia, beriberi).

Millets (nutri-cereals): small-sized native grains such as jowar, bajra, ragi and sanwa, rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre, easily grown in different climates.

Food miles: the total distance a food item travels from the producer to the consumer; reducing food miles cuts cost and pollution and supports local farmers.

Food Components at a Glance

This summary (based on Fig. 3.5 of the textbook) helps you remember the protective vitamins and minerals, their functions, sources and deficiency diseases.

ComponentFunctionSome sourcesDeficiency disease
Vitamin AKeeps eyes and skin healthyPapaya, carrot, mango, milkLoss of vision (night blindness)
Vitamin B1Keeps heart healthy; supports body functionsLegumes, nuts, whole grains, seeds, milk productsBeriberi
Vitamin CHelps body fight diseasesAmla, guava, green chilli, orange, lemonScurvy
Vitamin DHelps body absorb calcium for bones and teethSunlight, milk, butter, fish, eggsRickets
CalciumKeeps bones and teeth healthyMilk/soya milk, curd, cheese, paneerBone and tooth decay
IodineHelps perform physical and mental activitiesSeaweed, water chestnut (singhada), iodised saltGoitre
IronImportant component of bloodGreen leafy vegetables, beetroot, pomegranateAnaemia

“Let us enhance our learning” — Solutions

All questions below are reproduced verbatim from the NCERT Curiosity textbook; the answers are original and written in exam-ready style.

1. Pick the odd one out and give reasons: (i) Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Chana (ii) Kidney beans, Green gram, Soya bean, Rice

ANSWER (i) Chana is the odd one out. Jowar, bajra and ragi are millets (nutri-cereals), whereas chana (gram) is a pulse and a protein-rich food, not a millet. (ii) Rice is the odd one out. Kidney beans, green gram and soya bean are pulses and good sources of protein (body-building food), whereas rice is a cereal and is mainly a carbohydrate-rich, energy-giving food.

2. Discuss traditional versus modern culinary practices in India.

ANSWER Culinary (cooking) practices have changed greatly over time. In traditional practices, food was cooked on a chulha (an earthen stove that burns wood or cow-dung cakes), and grinding was done by hand using a sil-batta (stone grinder). These methods were slow, needed a lot of physical effort, and depended on firewood. In modern practices, most cooking is done on a gas stove and grinding is done quickly with an electric grinder or mixer. Modern methods are faster, cleaner and need less effort. These changes have come due to technological development, improved transportation and better communication. However, many people still value traditional methods because they can give a special taste and use local resources.

3. A teacher says that good food may act as medicine. Ravi is curious about this statement and has some questions for his teacher. List at least two questions that he can ask.

ANSWER Ravi can ask focused questions such as: (a) Which food items can help prevent or cure deficiency diseases, and how do they work in our body? (b) If lemons and oranges can cure scurvy, are there other foods that can protect us from diseases like goitre or anaemia? (Other good questions: “Why are fruits and vegetables called protective foods?” or “Can eating a balanced diet keep us from falling ill?”)

4. Not all delicious foods are necessarily healthy, while not all nutritious foods are always enjoyable. Share your thoughts along with a few examples.

ANSWER It is true that taste and health do not always go together. Many delicious but unhealthy foods, such as potato wafers, candy bars, carbonated (cold) drinks and fried snacks, are high in sugar and fat but low in proteins, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Eating them often is not good for the body and can make a person obese. On the other hand, many nutritious foods that some children may not enjoy — such as green leafy vegetables, bitter gourd (karela), plain millets or boiled pulses — are full of vitamins, minerals, proteins and fibre. The wise choice is to enjoy tasty foods only occasionally and make nutritious foods a regular part of our diet for a healthy body.

5. Medu does not eat vegetables but enjoys biscuits, noodles and white bread. He often has stomach ache and constipation. What changes should he make in his diet to get rid of these problems? Explain your answer.

ANSWER Medu’s diet of biscuits, noodles and white bread is low in roughage (dietary fibre). Roughage helps the body get rid of undigested food and ensures the smooth passage of stools. A lack of fibre is the likely cause of his constipation and stomach ache. Medu should add fibre-rich, plant-based foods to his diet — green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, wholegrains, pulses and nuts. He should also drink sufficient water, since water helps absorb nutrients and remove waste. With more roughage and water, his digestion will improve and his constipation and stomach ache should reduce.

6. Reshma had trouble seeing things in dim light. The doctor tested her eyesight and prescribed a particular vitamin supplement. He also advised her to include a few food items in her diet. (i) Which deficiency disease is she suffering from? (ii) Which food component may be lacking in her diet? (iii) Suggest some food items that she should include in her diet to overcome this problem (any four).

ANSWER (i) Reshma is suffering from a deficiency disease that causes poor vision in dim light, known as loss of vision in darkness (night blindness). (ii) The food component lacking in her diet is Vitamin A. (iii) She should include foods rich in Vitamin A, such as papaya, carrot, mango and milk (any four).

7. You are provided the following: (i) Canned fruit juice (ii) Fresh fruit juice (iii) Fresh fruit Which one would you prefer and why?

ANSWER I would prefer (iii) fresh fruit. Fresh whole fruit keeps all its nutrients along with valuable dietary fibre (roughage), which helps digestion. Cutting, washing and processing reduce some vitamins. Fresh fruit juice is the next best choice, but straining removes much of the fibre and some vitamins are lost once the fruit is cut. Canned fruit juice is the least preferred — it is processed, often loses vitamins during storage, and may contain added sugar and preservatives. So eating the whole fresh fruit is the healthiest option.

8. Gourav got a fracture in his leg. His doctor aligned the bones and put on a plaster. The doctor also gave him calcium tablets. On the second visit, the doctor gave him Vitamin D syrup along with calcium tablets. Refer to Fig. 3.5 and answer the following questions: (i) Why did the doctor give calcium tablets to Gourav? (ii) On the second visit, why did the doctor give Vitamin D syrup along with calcium tablets? (iii) What question arises in your mind about the choices made by the doctor in giving the medicines?

ANSWER (i) The doctor gave calcium tablets because calcium keeps bones and teeth healthy. After a fracture, the body needs calcium to heal and strengthen the broken bone. (ii) The doctor gave Vitamin D syrup because Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium for bone and teeth health. Without enough Vitamin D, the calcium from the tablets would not be properly used by the body. (iii) A natural question is: “Why did the doctor not give Vitamin D along with calcium on the very first visit?” (Other valid questions include: “Can Gourav get the same benefit from sunlight and food sources of calcium and Vitamin D instead of tablets?”)

9. Sugar is an example of carbohydrates. Sugar is tested with iodine solution but it does not change to blue-black colour. What can be a possible reason?

ANSWER The iodine test turns blue-black only in the presence of starch. Although sugar is a carbohydrate, it is not starch — it is a different type of carbohydrate. Since iodine reacts only with starch and not with sugar, the sugar does not turn blue-black. This shows that all starches are carbohydrates, but not all carbohydrates are starch.

10. What do you think of Raman’s statement, “All starches are carbohydrates but not all carbohydrates are starches.” Describe the design of an activity to test your answer.

ANSWER Raman’s statement is correct. Starch is one type of carbohydrate, but carbohydrates also include sugars that are not starch. Design of the activity: Take two food items — one rich in starch (such as boiled potato or boiled rice) and one that is a non-starch carbohydrate (such as common sugar). Place a little of each on separate dishes. Using a dropper, put 2–3 drops of diluted iodine solution on each. Observe the colour change. The starchy item turns blue-black, while the sugar does not change colour. This proves that both are carbohydrates, but only starch gives the blue-black iodine test, supporting Raman’s statement.

11. While using iodine in the laboratory, a few drops of iodine fell on Mishti’s socks and a few fell on her teacher’s saree. The drops of iodine on the saree turned blue-black while the colour on the socks did not change. What can be a possible reason?

ANSWER Iodine turns blue-black in the presence of starch. The teacher’s saree is most likely made of a starched cotton fabric (cotton clothes are often stiffened with starch), so the iodine reacted with the starch and turned blue-black. Mishti’s socks were probably made of a material that does not contain starch (such as a synthetic fabric), so there was no starch for the iodine to react with, and the colour did not change.

12. Why are millets considered a healthy choice of food? Can eating just millets suffice for the nutritional requirements of the body? Discuss.

ANSWER Millets such as jowar, bajra, ragi and sanwa are considered a healthy choice because they are highly nutritious nutri-cereals — they are good sources of vitamins, minerals like iron and calcium, and dietary fibre. They can also be easily cultivated in different climatic conditions, which makes them reliable crops. However, eating only millets cannot fully meet the body’s nutritional needs. A balanced diet must contain all nutrients in the right amounts — carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, along with roughage and water. So millets should be combined with pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk products and other foods to give the body everything it needs.

13. You are given a sample of a solution. How would you check the possibility of it being an iodine solution?

ANSWER I would use the starch test. Take a small piece of a starch-rich food, such as a slice of boiled potato or a little boiled rice, and put 2–3 drops of the given solution on it. If the food item turns blue-black, the solution contains iodine and is most likely an iodine solution. If there is no colour change on the starchy food, the solution is probably not iodine.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Watch out for these

  • Thinking all carbohydrates turn blue-black with iodine — only starch does, not sugar.
  • Confusing energy-giving foods (carbohydrates, fats) with body-building foods (proteins) and protective foods (vitamins, minerals).
  • Forgetting that roughage and water are not nutrients but are still essential parts of food.
  • Calling chana (gram) or rice a millet — chana is a pulse and rice is a cereal; millets are jowar, bajra, ragi, sanwa.
  • Mixing up deficiency diseases — remember Vitamin A→night blindness, Vitamin C→scurvy, Vitamin D→rickets, iodine→goitre, iron→anaemia.
  • Believing junk food is fine because it tastes good — it is high in sugar/fat but low in protective nutrients and fibre.

Extra Practice Questions

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. Why are carbohydrates and fats called energy-giving foods?

ANSWERCarbohydrates and fats provide the body with energy to perform various activities. Carbohydrates give a primary source of energy and fats are a source of stored energy, so both together are called energy-giving foods.

Q2. What is a balanced diet?

ANSWERA balanced diet is a diet that has all the essential nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals) along with roughage and water in the right amounts needed for the proper growth and development of the body.

Q3. Why is iodised salt important for our health?

ANSWERIodised salt is common salt mixed with the required quantity of salts of iodine. Iodine helps us perform physical and mental activities, and consuming iodised salt prevents the deficiency disease goitre, which causes swelling at the front of the neck.

Q4. How is the colour test for proteins carried out, and what does a violet colour show?

ANSWERA paste of the food is taken in a test tube, water is added and shaken; then two drops of copper sulfate solution and ten drops of caustic soda solution are added. If the content turns violet, it shows that the food item contains protein.

Q5. What are food miles and why should we try to reduce them?

ANSWERFood miles are the total distance a food item travels from the producer to the consumer. Reducing food miles is important because it cuts down the cost and pollution during transport, supports local farmers, and keeps our food fresh and healthy.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. Explain the major nutrients present in our food and their main functions, with one example of each.

ANSWERThere are five major nutrients in our food. Carbohydrates (e.g. wheat, rice, potato) are the primary source of energy. Fats (e.g. ghee, nuts, oils) are a source of stored energy; carbohydrates and fats are together called energy-giving foods. Proteins (e.g. pulses, milk, egg, fish) help in the growth and repair of the body and are called body-building foods. Vitamins (e.g. Vitamin C in lemon) and minerals (e.g. iron in beetroot) are needed in small amounts; they protect the body from diseases and are called protective nutrients. In addition, food also contains roughage and water, which are essential even though they are not nutrients.

Q2. Why are vitamins and minerals called protective nutrients? Support your answer with two examples of deficiency diseases.

ANSWERVitamins and minerals are called protective nutrients because they protect our body from various diseases and keep us healthy, even though they are required only in small amounts. If they are missing from the diet for a long time, deficiency diseases occur. For example, a lack of Vitamin C causes scurvy, in which the gums bleed and swell; this can be cured by eating citrus fruits like lemons and oranges. A lack of iodine causes goitre, in which there is swelling at the front of the neck; consuming iodised salt helps prevent it. These examples show how vitamins and minerals guard the body against illness.

Q3. Describe how a young scientist can test a few food items to find out whether they contain starch, fat and protein.

ANSWERTo detect these nutrients, simple tests are used. For the starch test, a small piece of food is placed on a dish and 2–3 drops of diluted iodine solution are added; a blue-black colour shows the presence of starch. For the fat test, the food is wrapped in paper and pressed; if an oily patch forms that lets light shine faintly through it, the food contains fat. For the protein test, a paste of the food is taken in a test tube with water, two drops of copper sulfate solution and ten drops of caustic soda solution are added; a violet colour shows protein. Some foods, like peanuts, show both fat and protein, which proves that a single food may contain more than one nutrient. Chemicals must be handled carefully and never tasted or smelled.

MCQs & Assertion–Reason

1. Which of the following is a source of stored energy?

(a) Protein    (b) Fat    (c) Vitamin C    (d) Roughage

2. The blue-black colour with iodine solution shows the presence of:

(a) protein    (b) fat    (c) starch    (d) sugar

3. Proteins are called body-building foods because they help in:

(a) giving instant energy    (b) growth and repair of the body    (c) removing waste    (d) absorbing sunlight

4. Which deficiency disease is caused by the lack of iodine?

(a) Scurvy    (b) Rickets    (c) Goitre    (d) Anaemia

5. Which of the following is a millet (nutri-cereal)?

(a) Chana    (b) Rice    (c) Ragi    (d) Kidney beans

6. Roughage (dietary fibre) is important because it:

(a) provides energy    (b) helps remove undigested food    (c) builds muscles    (d) cures scurvy

7. A violet colour in the food test indicates the presence of:

(a) starch    (b) fat    (c) protein    (d) water

8. Which vitamin’s deficiency causes poor vision in dim light (night blindness)?

(a) Vitamin A    (b) Vitamin B1    (c) Vitamin C    (d) Vitamin D

9. Foods like potato wafers and candy bars that are high in sugar and fat but low in other nutrients are called:

(a) balanced foods    (b) fortified foods    (c) junk foods    (d) protective foods

10. The total distance travelled by a food item from the producer to the consumer is called:

(a) food chain    (b) food miles    (c) food web    (d) food festival

Answer key: 1-(b), 2-(c), 3-(b), 4-(c), 5-(c), 6-(b), 7-(c), 8-(a), 9-(c), 10-(b).

For each Assertion–Reason question, choose: (A) Both true and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion; (B) Both true but the Reason is not the correct explanation; (C) Assertion true, Reason false; (D) Assertion false, Reason true.

A-R 1. Assertion: Carbohydrates and fats are called energy-giving foods.

Reason: They provide the body with energy to perform various activities.

A-R 2. Assertion: Sugar turns blue-black when tested with iodine solution.

Reason: Iodine gives a blue-black colour only with starch, not with all carbohydrates.

A-R 3. Assertion: Vitamins and minerals are called protective nutrients.

Reason: They protect the body from diseases and keep us healthy.

A-R 4. Assertion: Eating only millets can fully meet all the nutritional needs of the body.

Reason: A balanced diet needs all nutrients along with roughage and water in the right amounts.

A-R 5. Assertion: We should try to reduce the food miles of the food we eat.

Reason: Reducing food miles cuts cost and pollution, supports local farmers and keeps food fresh.

Answer key: 1-(A), 2-(D), 3-(A), 4-(D), 5-(A).

Quick Revision Summary

  • People across India eat diverse foods shaped by locally grown crops, taste, culture and tradition.
  • Culinary practices have changed from the chulha and sil-batta to gas stoves and electric grinders.
  • The major nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals; food also has roughage and water.
  • Carbohydrates and fats are energy-giving; proteins are body-building; vitamins and minerals are protective nutrients.
  • Iodine (blue-black) tests for starch, an oily patch tests for fat, and a violet colour tests for protein.
  • A balanced diet has all nutrients, roughage and water in the right amounts; junk foods are unhealthy.
  • Millets are nutri-cereals; eat local, plant-based food, reduce food miles, and never waste food.

Real-life Applications

Understanding food components helps us plan healthier meals every day. We can read the nutritional information printed on packets to compare foods — for example, choosing roasted chana over potato wafers because it has more protein and fibre and less fat. The simple iodine test explains why a starched cotton cloth turns blue-black, while the idea of protective nutrients tells us why doctors advise lemons for scurvy or iodised salt to prevent goitre. Choosing millets and locally grown, plant-based foods keeps us healthy, supports local farmers and is good for the planet by lowering food miles. Most importantly, taking only as much food as we can eat helps us respect the effort of farmers and reduce food wastage.

How to score full marks in this chapter

Learn the three groups of foods by heart — energy-giving (carbohydrates, fats), body-building (proteins) and protective (vitamins, minerals) — and memorise the vitamin/mineral → deficiency-disease table (Fig. 3.5). For the food tests, always state the reagent, the colour change and the conclusion (iodine→blue-black→starch; oily patch→fat; violet→protein). Remember that only starch, not all carbohydrates, gives the iodine test — this idea appears in several questions. Use textbook examples like millets, iodised salt and food miles to make your answers complete.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Class 6 Science Curiosity Chapter 3 about?

Chapter 3, Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body, is about the diversity of food in India, changing cooking practices, the components of food (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals), simple food tests, a balanced diet, junk food, millets and food miles from farm to plate.

What is the exercise in Class 6 Science Curiosity Chapter 3 called?

The end-of-chapter exercise is titled “Let us enhance our learning” and has 13 questions. Every question is reproduced verbatim and solved with step-by-step answers on this page.

Why does sugar not turn blue-black with iodine solution?

Because the iodine test detects only starch, which is one type of carbohydrate. Sugar is a different type of carbohydrate and does not contain starch, so it does not turn blue-black.

Are these Class 6 Science Curiosity Chapter 3 solutions free?

Yes. All solutions are free and follow the official NCERT Curiosity textbook for 2026–27.

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