Maharashtra Board Class 11 Health And Physical Education Chapter 3 Nature And Diet PDF Download

Nature And Diet

Objectives

To understand importance of diet based on Indian Ayurvedic science.

To understand diet specific to one's region and natural environment.

To understand diet suitable to one's own nature.

To create awareness that diet affects on the body as well as the mind.

To maintain and enhance physical fitness through proper diet.

To differentiate between diet requirements of an player and a normal person.

Food is the most basic and renewable source for the body. It is the source of fuel for the body to keep functioning continuously. Diet provides the life-giving nourishment that the body needs. It is the tonic that replenishes our body. In other words, diet enables the body to complete all the functions.

The energy required for every organism comes from the food it consumes. All living organisms right from a single cell amoeba to the super intelligent human being, have the ability to obtain their food. Although the nature of food, the ability to obtain, consume and digest it, may be different for different living beings. The ultimate truth remains is that food sustains life.

Dietary Factors As Described In Traditional Indian Sciences

On a minute note it can be observed that each constituent of food is obtained from nature. All the living beings as well as the nutrition required by has come from the nature itself.

According to the principles of Indian Sciences the whole universe is formed after the integration of five basic principles that is the 'Panchamahabhutas', earth, water, fire, air and ether.

Although the universe is enable after combining all above Panchamahabhutas one always finds a dominance of one of these in the food that one consumes. For example one observes a dominance of the earth elements in wheat, jowar or component of water in fruits and milks or component of air in the formated food substances.

Teacher's Note

Food gives energy to our body. Just like a mobile phone needs electricity, your body needs food for energy and strength.

Exam Trick

Remember: Panchamahabhutas = Five elements. Panch = Five. Think of it as five friends - earth, water, fire, air, and ether - all working together to make food.

Points to Remember

Food is basic fuel for the body.
All living things need food to live.
Five basic elements are earth, water, fire, air, and ether.
Food has one main element or more than one element.
Nature gives us the food we need.

Five Basic Elements (Panchamahabhutas) And Six Tastes (Shadrasas)

The diet consisting all the five Panchamahabhutas is a balanced diet as it is enriched with proper proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. One can find the important information on diet in the Indian Ayurvedic science. According to Ayurveda, an ideal diet should incorporate all the six tastes (flavours.) They are sweet (madhura), sour (amla), salty (lavana), pungent (Tikat), Bitter (katu) and Astringent (kashaya). Our daily diet should consist of these tastes.

The food based on these six different flavours is also a combination of the five basic elements (panchamahabhutas) in various proportions.

Example :

Sweet - earth and water

Sour - earth and fire

Salty - water and fire

Bitter - air and Ether

Pungent - air and Fire

Astringent - air and earth

Teacher's Note

Six tastes mean sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Like how your mother makes dal (sour and salty) and rice (sweet) together - you need all tastes for good health.

Exam Trick

Remember: Sweet and Sour are opposite. Salt is salty. Bitter taste like neem. Pungent means spicy and hot. Astringent means your mouth feels dry - like eating raw banana skin.

Points to Remember

Six tastes help digestion and appetite.
Sweet taste makes body strong.
Sour taste helps digestion juice.
Bitter taste reduces hunger and helps eating.
All six tastes together make a healthy meal.

Role Of The Six Basic Tastes

The food items consisting of these six types of tastes helps us to enhance our appetite as well as in different bodily functions and movements for example the sweet help in nourishing and strengthening the human body . The sour tasting food items help creating an appetite , escalate the speed of the digestive juices. The food items with salt help in given taste to the food, reduces lethargy and obesity, increase secretions of various glands. The bitter tastes absorbs excessive secretions helps the production of hunger and digestion of food. It also absorbs food after digestion, reduces excess viscosity and gives taste to the food gives contentment to the mind. Thus the diet constituting of four colours should be inclusive of all six rasas. (tastes).

Teacher's Note

Each taste does different work in your stomach. Sweet gives strength. Sour helps you feel hungry. Salty makes food tasty. Bitter helps digestion.

Exam Trick

Remember: Each taste = Each work. Sweet = Strength. Sour = Saliva. Salt = Taste. Bitter = Digestion. This makes studying easy!

Points to Remember

Six tastes help make appetite better.
Sweet taste strengthens muscles and bones.
Sour taste starts digestive juice flow.
Salty taste removes tiredness.
Bitter taste helps digestion and hunger.

Food Culture

The Indian culture is known for its diversity. This diversity is reflected in standard of living, costumes, traditions duties, religious practices followed and also the diet of the particular regions. The Indian food culture is the manifestation of deep thought process of our ancestors. Thus each of such states came up with a diet conducive with the climate conditions and thus 'Ahar Sanskriti' was created.

Food Components Suited To The Natural Environment

The cereals, fruits and vegetables produced in a particular region are suitable for that region and thus became the staple diet of that region. It is the mechanism created by nature. Thus walnuts which are warm in nature are produced in colder regions while coconuts which quench thirst are produced in humid costal regions. Thus the availability of different food constitutes to create a regional food culture. The regions are diverse environment, temperature and water so they produce specific food grains, vegetables and fruits of good quality.

Teacher's Note

Food grown near your home is best. In Kashmir, walnuts grow because it is cold. In Kerala, coconuts grow because it is hot and wet. Nature is smart!

Exam Trick

Remember: Local food = Local climate. Cold area = warm nuts (walnut). Hot wet area = cooling fruit (coconut). Your body likes local food best!

Points to Remember

Local food grows in your region naturally.
Walnuts are warm and grow in cold places.
Coconuts are cool and grow in wet places.
Your body digests local food easily.
Each region has different food culture.

Listen To The Call Of Your Body

It is always advisable to consume the food and grain produced locally as it is easy for the body to digest the food and grain produce which may lead to indigestion and can also lead various aliments. We also need to acclimatize to the climatic conditions of the region-wised stay in adjusted. A dip in temperatures creates a desire to the drink hot tea. Similarly a rise to drink cold lemon water.

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