Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body — NCERT Solutions

Answer: I would prefer (iii) Fresh fruit.

Reasons:

1. Maximum nutrients: Fresh fruit contains all its natural vitamins (especially Vitamin C), minerals, and antioxidants in their original form, which are not destroyed by processing or heating.

2. Rich in dietary fibre: Fresh fruit contains the fruit pulp and skin, which are excellent sources of roughage/dietary fibre. This aids digestion and prevents constipation. Both fresh fruit juice and canned juice lose most of this fibre.

3. No added sugar or preservatives: Canned fruit juice often contains added sugar, artificial flavours, and preservatives, which are not healthy. Fresh fruit juice, if made at home, is better than canned juice but still loses fibre during juicing.

4. Lower food miles: Locally grown fresh fruit has fewer food miles, making it more environmentally friendly.

5. Natural and wholesome: Fresh fruit is the most natural form of the food, providing energy, vitamins, minerals, and fibre together.

Conclusion: Fresh fruit $>$ Fresh fruit juice $>$ Canned fruit juice, in terms of nutritional value and health benefits.

Given: Gourav has a bone fracture. The doctor prescribed calcium tablets.

Concept: Calcium is a mineral that is the primary building material of bones and teeth.

Answer: The doctor gave Gourav calcium tablets because:

• Calcium is essential for bone strength and repair. When a bone fractures, the body needs calcium to rebuild and heal the broken bone tissue.
• Calcium helps in the formation of new bone cells at the fracture site, speeding up the healing process.
• An adequate supply of calcium ensures that the repaired bone becomes strong and dense.

Conclusion: Calcium tablets were prescribed to provide the body with the necessary mineral to repair the fractured bone and restore its strength.

Given: On the second visit, the doctor added Vitamin D syrup along with calcium tablets.

Concept: Vitamin D plays a crucial role in the absorption of calcium in the body.

Answer: The doctor gave Vitamin D syrup along with calcium tablets because:

• Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium from the food/supplements in the intestine into the bloodstream.
• Without sufficient Vitamin D, even if calcium is consumed, the body cannot absorb and utilise it properly.
• Vitamin D also helps in the deposition of calcium in bones, making them strong.
• Therefore, taking calcium alone may not be sufficient — Vitamin D is needed to ensure that the calcium is actually absorbed and used by the body for bone repair.

Conclusion: Vitamin D acts as a helper for calcium absorption. Together, they ensure effective bone healing and strengthening.

Possible questions that arise:

1. "Why did the doctor not prescribe Vitamin D from the very first visit along with calcium tablets? Was there a specific reason to add it only on the second visit?"

• Perhaps the doctor first checked whether Gourav's Vitamin D levels were adequate before prescribing it.

2. "Are there natural food sources or sunlight exposure that could provide Vitamin D instead of a syrup? Can Gourav get enough Vitamin D naturally?"

• Sunlight is a natural source of Vitamin D. The doctor may have assessed that Gourav's exposure to sunlight was insufficient.

3. "Is there a risk of taking too much calcium or Vitamin D? What are the side effects of excess supplementation?"

(Any one or two such thoughtful questions are acceptable.)

Given: Sugar is a carbohydrate, but it does not turn blue-black with iodine solution.

Concept: The iodine test is specific to starch, not to all carbohydrates.

Explanation:

• Iodine solution turns blue-black only in the presence of starch. This happens because iodine molecules get trapped inside the helical (coil-like) structure of starch molecules, forming a blue-black coloured complex.
• Sugar (sucrose, glucose, fructose) is a simple carbohydrate (simple sugar). Its molecules are small and do not have the same complex helical structure as starch.
• Therefore, iodine molecules cannot get trapped in sugar molecules, and no blue-black colour is produced.

Conclusion: The iodine test detects only starch among carbohydrates. Sugar does not give a positive iodine test because it lacks the structural complexity (helical chains) of starch that is needed to produce the blue-black colour.

Raman's Statement: "All starches are carbohydrates but not all carbohydrates are starches."

Analysis: This statement is correct.

• Starch is one type of carbohydrate (a complex carbohydrate/polysaccharide). So all starches are indeed carbohydrates.
• However, carbohydrates include many other types such as sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose — simple carbohydrates) and cellulose (dietary fibre). These are carbohydrates but are NOT starches.
• Therefore, not all carbohydrates are starches.

Activity to test this:

Aim: To verify that the iodine test is positive for starch but not for all carbohydrates.

Materials required: Iodine solution, dropper, small dishes/plates, the following food items:

• Boiled rice or potato (contains starch)
• Sugar solution (contains sucrose — a simple carbohydrate)
• Glucose powder dissolved in water (simple carbohydrate)
• Bread (contains starch)

Procedure:

1. Place a small quantity of each food item in separate dishes.
2. Add 2–3 drops of iodine solution to each item using a dropper.
3. Observe the colour change.

Expected Observations:

Conclusion: Only starch-containing items turn blue-black with iodine. Sugar and glucose (which are also carbohydrates) do not turn blue-black. This confirms Raman's statement — all starches are carbohydrates, but not all carbohydrates are starches.

Given: Iodine turned blue-black on the teacher's saree but not on Mishti's socks.

Concept: Iodine turns blue-black only in the presence of starch.

Possible Reason:

• The teacher's saree was likely made of a natural fabric such as cotton or silk. Cotton is made of cellulose, but more importantly, the fabric may have been starched (a common practice of applying starch solution to clothes to make them stiff and crisp). The starch present in the fabric reacted with iodine to give the blue-black colour.

• Mishti's socks were likely made of synthetic fibres (such as nylon, polyester, or wool blends) which do not contain starch. Therefore, iodine did not produce a blue-black colour on the socks.

Conclusion: The blue-black colour on the saree indicates the presence of starch (from starching/ironing treatment of the fabric). The absence of colour change on the socks indicates the absence of starch in the sock material. This observation further confirms that iodine is a reliable indicator for the presence of starch.

Why millets are considered a healthy choice:

Millets (such as Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Foxtail millet) are called nutri-cereals because:

1. Rich in nutrients: They provide carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins (especially B vitamins), and minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus).
2. High in dietary fibre: Millets contain more roughage than polished rice or refined wheat, aiding digestion and preventing constipation.
3. Ragi (finger millet) is exceptionally rich in calcium, making it excellent for bone health.
4. Bajra is rich in iron, helping prevent anaemia.
5. Gluten-free: Most millets are gluten-free, making them suitable for people with gluten intolerance.
6. Low glycaemic index: They release energy slowly, helping manage blood sugar levels.
7. Environmentally resilient: Millets can be grown in dry, less fertile soils with minimal water, making them sustainable crops.

Can eating just millets suffice for all nutritional requirements?

No, eating only millets cannot completely fulfil all nutritional requirements.

• While millets are highly nutritious, they are primarily cereal crops and may not provide adequate amounts of all vitamins (especially Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12) and all essential amino acids.
• The body also needs proteins from pulses and legumes, fats from oils and nuts, vitamins from fruits and vegetables, and minerals from a variety of food sources.
• A balanced diet requires a combination of cereals (including millets), pulses, vegetables, fruits, dairy/animal products, and fats/oils.

Conclusion: Millets are an excellent and healthy component of our diet and should be included regularly. However, they should be combined with other food groups to meet all the body's nutritional requirements.

Aim: To check whether a given solution is iodine solution.

Concept: Iodine solution has a characteristic brown/orange-brown colour and turns blue-black in the presence of starch.

Method:

Step 1 — Visual observation:

• Observe the colour of the solution. Iodine solution is typically brown or orange-brown in colour. If the solution is colourless or any other colour, it is likely not iodine solution.

Step 2 — Starch test (confirmatory test):

• Take a small piece of boiled potato or boiled rice (which are known to contain starch) and place it on a dish.
• Add 2–3 drops of the given solution onto the food item using a dropper.
• Observe the colour change.

Observation and Inference:

Conclusion: If the given solution is brown in colour AND turns starch-containing food items blue-black, it can be confirmed to be an iodine solution. This is because the blue-black colour with starch is a unique property of iodine.