Maharashtra Board Class 11 Food Science and Technology Chapter 3 Basic Food Groups PDF Download

Basic Food Groups

Food is an essential part of everyone's lives. It gives us energy and nutrients to grow, develop and maintain, be healthy and active, to move, work, play, think and learn. The body needs a variety of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals from the food that we eat. Our body gets these nutrients through a variety of food available. Generally food supplies all the nutrients, however, no single food item can provide all the nutrients in adequate amount required by our body. Therefore, a wise selection of food, in order to plan a meal is very necessary so that these food provide all the nutrients required by an individual in an adequate amount to maintain good health.

Need Of Food Grouping

Foods grouped together give an idea on accounts of the key nutrients of that food group. For example, milk, yogurt, cheese contain calcium and proteins, while the fruit group is a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals.

It is also important to enjoy a variety of foods within each food groups because different foods vary in the amount of the key nutrients that they provide. For example, in the vegetable food group, carrots and pumpkin contain significantly more vitamin A than other vegetables such as potatoes.

Teacher's Note

Food grouping helps us eat healthy foods every day. For example, eating dal and rice together gives us better protein than eating them separately.

Exam Trick

Remember: Four food groups = Four corners of your plate. Fill each corner with different food groups to make a balanced meal.

Points to Remember

Different foods have different nutrients.
No single food has all nutrients.
Eating variety of foods keeps us healthy.
Food grouping makes meal planning easy.

3.1 Classification Of Food Into Four Food Groups

Foods are classified into four food groups according to the nutrients present in them. These food groups help in wise selection of foods to plan a balance diet.

The four basic food groups are as follows:

1) Cereals, Millets and Pulses

2) Vegetables and Fruits

3) Milk and Milk products, Egg, Meat, Fish, Poultry and their products

4) Fats and Oils, Nuts and Oilseeds, Sugar

1) Cereals, Millets And Pulses Group: This Group Includes

i) Cereals: Wheat, rice and their products like wheat flour (atta), semolina (rawa), refined wheat flour (maida), vermicelli (sevai), puffed rice (churmura), flaked rice (poha), rice flour, bread, noodles, and other such items.

ii) Millets: Sorghum (jowar), bajra, maize, ragi (nachni), corn flakes, puffed jowar, ragi malt and others. Cereals and millets are rich source of energy as they are rich in carbohydrates. Millets are considered as coarse grains. Generally the size of one portion for Cereals and Millets is considered as 30g.

Number of portion per day for Cereals and Millets: 9 to 20

iii) Pulses and Legumes: Legumes such as bengal gram (chana/harbara), black gram (urad), green gram (mung), lentil (masoor) and their dals and red gram dal are included. Some other legumes like cowpea (chawli), moth beans (matki), dry peas (watana), soybean and field beans (val) are also included.

Pulses and legumes are rich source of proteins.

Size of one portion is considered as 30 g

No. of portion per day: 2 to 4

Cereals, millets, and pulses also provide B-Complex vitamin, minerals and fiber.

Teacher's Note

Cereals give us energy to play and study. Pulses give us protein to grow strong muscles. We should eat both every day.

Exam Trick

Remember: Cereals = Energy, Pulses = Protein. Rice and dal is a perfect meal because it has both!

Points to Remember

Cereals and millets are full of carbohydrates.
Pulses and legumes are full of proteins.
We need 9 to 20 portions of cereals daily.
We need 2 to 4 portions of pulses daily.
Both give us B-Complex vitamins and minerals.

2) Vegetables And Fruits Group:

Vegetable: It includes leafy vegetables, roots and tubers and other vegetables.

i) Green Leaf Vegetables (GLV): Spinach (palak), fenugreek (methi), coriander (kothimbir), onion leaves (kanda pat), amaranth (math), colocasia leaves (aalu pane), radish leaves, salad leaves, cabbage (patta kobi), dill leaves (shephu), drumsticks leaves (shevga pala) and others. These leafy vegetables are rich in vitamins like beta-carotene, vitamin C and minerals like calcium, iron and fiber.

Size of one portion is considered as: 100 g

Number of portion per day: 1

ii) Roots and Tubers: These include potatoes, sweet potatoes, colocasia, tapioca, beetroots, carrot and radish. Roots and tubers are rich sources of carbohydrates (mainly in the form of starch).

Size of one portion is considered as: 100 g

Number of portion per day: 2

iii) Others vegetables: These include all other parts of the plant like fruits, flowers, seeds, nuts, pods and others. Vegetables such as ladies finger, tomato, brinjal, peas, french beans, red pumpkin, all types of gourds and all other vegetables not included in subgroups i and ii are included in this group.

Size of one portion is considered as: 100 g

Number of portion per day: 2

iv) Fruits: It includes beta carotene rich fruits such as orange, fig, pomegranate, mango, papaya, etc., vitamin C rich fruits such as Indian gooseberry (amla), guava, orange, lemon, sweet lime, pine apple, straw berry, custard apple (seetaphal), cashew apple fruit and others are also included in this groups.

Other fruits such as apple, grapes, banana, water melon, cherry, peach, plums, pears, sapota (chiku), jamun, etc.

Size of one portion is considered as: 100 g

Number of portion per day: 1

Teacher's Note

Green vegetables like spinach make our bones strong and prevent anemia. Colorful fruits like mango give us vitamins to stay healthy.

Exam Trick

Remember: Green vegetables = Iron and Calcium. Orange fruits = Vitamin A. Citrus fruits = Vitamin C. Eat all colors of fruits and vegetables!

Points to Remember

Green leafy vegetables are full of iron and calcium.
Roots and tubers are full of carbohydrates.
Orange colored vegetables have vitamin A.
Fruits have vitamins, minerals and fiber.
We should eat 1 portion of fruits and 5 portions of vegetables daily.

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