CBSE Class 6 Science Sources of Food and Food Habits of Animals Notes Set 01

Why We Need Food

Food is any substance that an organism takes in to get energy and materials for growth, repair of worn-out parts and protection from diseases. Every living thing needs food. Green plants make their own food, but animals, including humans, must obtain it from plants or other animals.

Food from Plants

Many parts of plants are eaten: roots (carrot, radish), stems (potato, sugarcane), leaves (spinach, cabbage), flowers (cauliflower), fruits (mango, tomato) and seeds (wheat, gram). The main plant foods are grouped below.

1. Cereals: wheat, rice and maize are rich in carbohydrates and give energy.
2. Pulses: dals such as gram, peas, beans and soya bean are rich in proteins.
3. Vegetables and fruits: they supply vitamins, minerals and roughage; fruits have a lot of water.
4. Sugars: sugarcane and sugar beet are sources of sugar.
5. Beverages: tea comes from leaves and coffee from seeds.
6. Spices: pepper, cardamom, ginger and coriander add flavour and give very little nutrition.
7. Oils: groundnut, mustard, coconut, soya bean, sunflower and cotton seeds give edible oil.

Food from Animals

1. Milk-yielding animals such as cows and buffaloes give milk, from which curd, butter, ghee, paneer and cheese are made.
2. Meat-yielding animals such as goats and sheep are reared for meat.
3. Poultry animals such as hens, ducks and turkeys give eggs and meat.
4. Fish such as catla and rohu are rich in proteins. Rearing of fish on a large scale is called pisciculture.
5. Honeybees collect nectar from flowers and turn it into honey, which they store in the small compartments (combs) of a beehive. Rearing of honeybees on a large scale is called apiculture.

Food Habits of Animals

Animals are grouped by what they eat.

1. Herbivores eat only plants and plant products: cow, deer, goat, elephant.
2. Carnivores eat only other animals: lion, tiger, frog.
3. Omnivores eat both plants and animals: humans, crow, bear, cockroach.

The teeth and digestive system of an animal match its food. Herbivores usually have flat grinding teeth, while carnivores have sharp pointed teeth for tearing flesh.

Key Points

1. Plants are the first source of food for almost all living things.
2. Animal foods such as milk, eggs and honey are called animal products.
3. A single food item may come from both groups; for example, a cake can use flour from plants and eggs from animals.

Plant Parts and Animal Products Together

Many meals mix the two groups. Roti is made from wheat flour, a plant source, and is often eaten with ghee or curd, which come from milk. Understanding the source of each ingredient helps us see how plants and animals are linked in food chains and why both need to be protected.

Worked Examples

Example 1. A crow eats grains and also worms. What kind of eater is it?
It eats plant and animal food, so it is an omnivore.

Example 2. Classify as plant or animal product: butter, jaggery, honey, mustard oil.
Butter and honey are animal products. Jaggery (from sugarcane) and mustard oil (from seeds) are plant products.

Example 3. Why are pulses important in a vegetarian diet?
Pulses are rich in proteins, which the body needs for growth and repair. Vegetarians do not eat meat or fish, so pulses help to supply the proteins.

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