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. All 13 “Let us enhance our learning” questions are answered below with explanations, teaching diagrams and clear distinctions between observations and conclusions.

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): the parts of plant foods that our digestive enzymes do not break down; fibre helps bowel movements and supports digestive health.

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.

A variety of grains, millets, pulses, protein foods, vegetables, fruit, dairy or fortified alternatives, nuts, seeds, oil and water.
No single food supplies everything. This illustration shows variety, not fixed portions or a personalised diet. Tap to view at full size.

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 sourcesPossible effect of deficiency
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 teethFatty fish, egg yolk and vitamin-D-fortified foods; skin also makes vitamin D in sunlightRickets
CalciumKeeps bones and teeth healthyMilk, curd, paneer and calcium-fortified soya drinksPoor bone mineralisation or weakened bones; tooth decay is not simply a calcium-deficiency disease
IodineNeeded to make thyroid hormones for growth and body functionsIodised salt; some dairy foods and seafoodGoitre
IronNeeded for haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in bloodPulses, leafy greens, fortified cereals and meat; vitamin C helps absorption from plant foodsIron-deficiency anaemia; anaemia can also have other causes

“Let us enhance our learning” — Solutions

Questions 1–13 follow the NCERT Curiosity exercise on pages 56–58. The explanations and diagrams are ClearStudy teaching aids; the nutrition table adds clarifications to the textbook summary.

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.

ANSWERRavi could ask:(a) Which nutrients help prevent particular deficiency diseases, and which foods supply them?(b) Why might a doctor prescribe a supplement as well as changes to someone’s diet?Other thoughtful questions are acceptable. A varied diet supports health and helps prevent nutrient deficiencies; it does not replace medical treatment for every illness.

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

ANSWERTaste alone does not tell us how nutritious a food is. Foods frequently high in added sugar, salt or unhealthy fats, such as sugary drinks and many packaged fried snacks, should not replace varied meals.Nutritious food can also be enjoyable: fruit, vegetable poha, dal, roasted chana or a well-prepared millet dish can be tasty. Preferences differ, and preparation matters. The aim is a varied balanced diet, not the idea that tasty food must be unhealthy.

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.

ANSWERThe textbook example suggests too little roughage (dietary fibre). Medu can gradually include vegetables, whole fruit, whole grains and pulses, and drink enough water. Fibre adds bulk to stools; water helps keep stools soft.A varied diet and regular activity can help bowel movements. Repeated stomach pain or constipation should be discussed with a parent and a health professional; the symptoms alone do not prove a fibre deficiency.

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?

ANSWERI would prefer (iii) fresh whole fruit, because it provides fibre as well as nutrients and takes time to chew. Juicing and straining usually remove much of the fibre.Juice, including freshly squeezed juice, can contain a lot of free sugars. Packaged juice varies, so check whether it is 100% juice or a drink with added sugar; do not assume every canned product contains preservatives. Wash whole fruit before cutting or eating it.

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) Calcium is needed to build and maintain bones. In the story, the doctor prescribed it to support Gourav’s needs during recovery.(ii) Vitamin D helps the intestine absorb calcium, so adequate vitamin D is important for bone mineralisation.(iii) One useful question is: “How did you decide when Gourav needed vitamin D as well as calcium?” We cannot infer the doctor’s reason from the story alone. Gourav should follow the prescription rather than replace treatment on his own.

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.

ANSWERThe statement is correct: starch and sugar are different kinds of carbohydrate.Teacher-supervised activity: Label two clean dishes A and B. Put a little boiled potato in A and sugar solution in B. Add 2–3 drops of the same dilute iodine solution to each using a dropper. Keep the samples separate and do not taste them.Observation: The potato develops a blue-black colour. The sugar solution does not turn blue-black; it retains the iodine’s yellow-brown colour.Conclusion: Iodine detects starch, not every carbohydrate. Knowing independently that both starch and sugar are carbohydrates, these results illustrate Raman’s statement. The iodine test alone does not establish that both samples are carbohydrates.
Boiled potato turns blue-black with dilute iodine; sugar solution stays yellow-brown because the test detects starch.
Q9–Q11: the blue-black reaction detects starch. A negative reaction does not mean a food contains no carbohydrate. Tap to view at full size.

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?

ANSWERThe saree may have been stiffened with starch. Iodine reacted with that starch to give a blue-black colour.No starch was detected on the socks. They may simply have been unstarched. This test cannot identify the fabric as cotton or synthetic: cotton fibre itself is not starch.

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 and dietary fibre, with amounts varying between millet types. 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?

ANSWERIn a teacher-supervised school experiment, put a small amount of known starch solution in a clean dish. Add a few drops of the supplied sample with a dropper.A blue-black colour supports the possibility that iodine is present. A comparison using known dilute iodine and starch helps check that the test works. A negative result alone is not conclusive if a solution is too dilute or the test was not carried out properly. Never taste or directly smell an unknown solution.

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 roughage and water when describing a balanced diet. Both are essential parts of the chapter’s food discussion.
  • 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

The questions and MCQs in this section are ClearStudy practice, separate from the NCERT exercise.

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 is needed for thyroid hormones, and using iodised salt in small amounts helps prevent 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?

ANSWERTeacher demonstration: Put about half a teaspoon of a food paste in a test tube and add 2–3 teaspoons of water. The teacher adds two drops of copper sulfate solution and ten drops of caustic soda solution, shakes carefully and leaves it for a few minutes. A violet colour indicates protein.Caustic soda is corrosive. Students should observe the demonstration and follow the teacher’s precautions; do not touch, taste or directly smell the chemicals.

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 pulses) 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 also essential.

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; vitamin-C-rich foods help prevent deficiency, while a diagnosed deficiency needs appropriate care. 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. These are teacher-supervised tests; caustic soda is corrosive and no sample or chemical should be tasted or directly 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 write a clear answer

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.

Sources: NCERT Curiosity Chapter 3 (official PDF); NIH vitamin D information; NIH iron information; WHO healthy-diet guidance. These are school learning explanations, not a personal treatment plan.

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