- Health and safety
- Classes 3-5
- 4 min read
A balanced diet
Find out what nutrients our food gives us, the main food groups, and how to build a balanced plate every day.
Let us begin
The big idea
Food gives us energy to play and learn, helps us grow and keeps us healthy. No single food has everything our body needs. That is why we eat a mix of foods, called a balanced diet.
Our food has nutrients. Carbohydrates give us energy; they are found in rice, roti, millets and potatoes. Proteins help the body grow and repair; they are found in dals, milk, curd, paneer, eggs and fish. Fats give energy too, and we need them in small amounts; they are found in oil, ghee, butter and nuts.
Vitamins and minerals keep us healthy and protect us from illness. Fruits and vegetables are rich in them. Milk gives us calcium for strong bones and teeth. Green leafy vegetables like spinach have iron.
Fibre, also called roughage, helps our food move through the body. It is found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Water is also very important. We should drink enough clean water every day.
The food groups are cereals and millets, pulses, vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products, and foods such as eggs, fish and nuts for those who eat them. A balanced diet has food from several groups.
Eating only chips, sweets or fried snacks is not healthy. We can enjoy them sometimes, but most of our food should be fresh and home-cooked. If a child cannot eat some food, an adult can help to plan.
Worked examples
See how it works
Sort the foods
Roti and rice: cereals, which give energy. Dal: a pulse, which gives protein. Spinach: a vegetable, which gives vitamins, minerals and fibre. Banana: a fruit. Curd: a milk product.
A balanced lunch
Roti (cereal), dal (pulse), a vegetable sabzi, a small bowl of curd (milk product), a slice of cucumber or an orange (fruit) and a glass of water. This has 5 groups.
Count the food groups
Plate A: rice and potato chips. That is only 2 items, both mostly carbohydrate and fat. Plate B: rice, dal, vegetables and curd. That is 4 groups. Plate B is more balanced.
Try it at home
My balanced plate
You will need
- A sheet of paper
- Crayons or colour pencils
- Old magazine or newspaper food pictures (optional)
What to do
- Draw a big circle on the paper. This is your plate.
- Divide it into four parts with lines.
- Draw or stick a different type of food in each part: a cereal, a vegetable, a fruit and a pulse or milk food.
- Write the name of each food group next to it.
- Show your plate to your family and tell why it is balanced.
Ask a grown-up: An adult can help with cutting pictures using child-safe scissors, and can talk about your family's foods.
Practice sheet
Check what you learned
Practice sheet: A balanced diet (Classes 3-5, Health and safety)
- Which nutrient gives us energy, like the nutrient in rice and roti?
- Which nutrient helps our body to grow and repair itself?
- What do vitamins and minerals do for us?
- What is fibre good for, and name one food that has it?
- Name three food groups.
- Is it healthy to eat only chips and sweets every day? Why or why not?
- Which drink is the best to have many times a day?
- Which food group gives us calcium for strong bones?
- Name one green leafy vegetable.
- Plan a lunch that has foods from at least four groups.
Answer key
Answers: A balanced diet
- Carbohydrates.
- Proteins.
- They keep us healthy and protect us from illness.
- Fibre helps food move through the body. Whole grains, vegetables and fruits have it.
- Sample answer: cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products.
- No. Our body needs a variety of foods; chips and sweets alone do not give all the nutrients.
- Clean water.
- Milk and milk products, such as curd and paneer.
- Sample answers: spinach (palak), fenugreek (methi), amaranth leaves.
- Sample answer: roti (cereal), dal (pulse), sabzi (vegetable), curd (milk product) and an orange (fruit).