iNDIAN fOOD rECIPES iMAGES mENU cALORIE cHART tHALI pHOTOGRAPHY pICTURES phOTOS dISHES iTEMS pHOTOS : Nutritive Value Of Indian Foods Indian Food Recipes Images Menu Calorie Chart Thali Photography Pictures Photos Dishes Items Photos Pics Images

Nutritive Value Of Indian Foods Biography

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People are becoming nutrition conscious. Print and

electronic media pour out nutrition messages to the public. Super

markets are flooded with foods of varied types, natural,

processed, and ready to eat. The common man turns towards

nutrition scientists and dietitians for scientifically proved

information on Nutrition and Dietetics. Hence it is essential that

Nutrition and Dietetics is offered at various levels of education.

This textbook on Nutrition and Dietetics includes content

on Food Science and Nutrition at plus one level, while at plus two

level on Family Meal Management and Dietetics. At plus one

level the student learns the rudimentary aspects while at plus two

level the application aspects are included. The contents are so

arranged that the student gains knowledge with application and

skill.

The authors collected scientifically proved and updated

information from various authentic sources. The reviewers and

chairman offered valuable suggestions on the write up. It is

hoped that the students will understand Nutrition and Dietetics in

the right perspective using this book.

Grateful acknowledgement is expressed to the Director

and Joint Director, School Education, Government of Tamilnadu

for this enriching opportunity.1

1. FOOD GROUPS – A GUIDE IN MENU

PLANNING

Food is the basic necessity of man. It is a mixture of

different nutrients such as carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins

and minerals. These nutrients are essential for growth,

development and maintenance of good health throughout life.

They also play a vital role in meeting the special needs of

pregnant and lactating women and patients recovering from

illness.

1.1 FUNCTIONS OF FOOD

Food may be classified according to their functions in

the body.

Functions of Food

Physiological Social Psychological

functions functions functions

Energy yielding Body building foods Protective foods

Foods (Protein) (Vitamins and

minerals)

Fig1.1 Functions of food

(Carbohydrate,

protein, fat)2

Physiological functions of food:

i. Energy yielding foods:

Foods rich in carbohydrates and fats are called energy

yielding foods. They provide energy to sustain the involuntary

processes essential for continuance of life, to carry out various

professional, household and recreational activities and to

convert food ingested into usable nutrients in the body.

The energy needed is supplied by the oxidation of foods

consumed. Cereals, roots and tubers, dried fruits, oils, butter and

ghee are all good sources of energy.

ii. Body building foods:

Foods rich in protein are called body building foods.

Milk, meat, eggs and fish are rich in proteins of high quality.

Pulses and nuts are good sources of protein but the protein is not

of high quality. These foods help to maintain life and promote

growth. They also supply energy.

iii. Protective and Regulatory foods:

Foods rich in protein, minerals and vitamins are known

as protective and regulatory foods. They are essential for health

and regulate activities such as maintenance of body temperature,

muscle contraction, control of water balance, clotting of blood,

removal of waste products from the body and maintaining

heartbeat. Milk, egg, liver, fruits and vegetables are protective

foods.

Social functions of food:

Food has always been the central part of our

community, social, cultural and religious life. It has been an

expression of love, friendship and happiness at religious, social

and family get-togethers.

Psychological functions of food:

In addition to satisfying physical and social needs, foods

also satisfy certain emotional needs of human beings. These

include a sense of security, love and acceptance. For example,

preparation of delicious foods for family members is a token of

love and affection.3

unctions of food41.2 ICMR FIVE FOOD GROUPS

TABLE – 1.AFive Food Group SystemFood Group Main Nutrients

I. Cereals, Grains and Products :Rice, Wheat, Ragi, Bajra, Maize,Jowar, Barley, Rice flakes, Wheatflour.

Energy, protein,Invisible fat Vitamin B1, Vitamin – B2, FolicAcid, Iron, Fibre.

II. Pulses and Legumes :Bengal gram, Black gram, Greengram, Red gram, Lentil (whole as

well as dhals) Cowpea, Peas,Rajmah, Soyabeans, Beans.Energy, Protein,Invisible fat, Vitamin –B1, Vitamin – B2, Folic

Acid, Calcium, Iron,Fibre.II. Milk and Meat Products :Milk :Milk, Curd, Skimmed milk,CheeseMeat

Chicken, Liver, Fish, Egg, Meat.Protein, Fat, Vitamin –B12, Calcium.Protein, Fat, Vitamin –B2IV. Fruits and Vegetables :

Fruits :Mango, Guava, Tomato Ripe,Papaya, Orange. Sweet Lime,Watermelon.Vegetables (Green Leafy) :

Amaranth, Spinach, Drumstickleaves, Coriander leaves, Mustardeaves, fenugreek leaves .Other Vegetables :

Carrots, Brinjal, Ladies fingers,Capsicum, Beans, Onion,

Drumstick, Cauliflower.Carotenoids, Vitamin –C, Fibre.Invisible Fats,Carotenoids, Vitamin –B2. Folic Acid, Calcium,Iron, Fibre.

Carotenoids, Folic Acid,Calcium, Fibre5Food Group Main NutrientsV. Fats and Sugars :Fats :Butter, Ghee, Hydrogenated oils,Cooking oils like Groundnut,Mustard, Coconut.Sugars :Sugar, JaggeryEnergy, Fat, EssentialFatty AcidsEnergy

Source :

Gopalan. C, Rama Sastri B.V. and Balasubramanian

S.C., 1989, Nutritive Value of Indian Foods, National

Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad.

Significance of the five-food group system

The five food group system can be used for the

following purposes :

i. Planning wholesome balanced menus to achieve

nutritional adequacy.

ii. Assessing nutritional status – a brief diet history of an

individual can disclose inadequacies of food and

nutrients from any of the five groups.

Based on the assessment, nutrition education can be

imparted to the individual.

1.3. FOOD PYRAMID :

The food guide pyramid was introduced in 1992 by

USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) as a general

plan of what to eat each day. The food guide pyramid is a

valuable tool for planning a health promoting diet.

By incorporating the principle of balance, variety and

moderation, an individual can still eat their favourite foods

while following the food guide pyramid.6

Fig.1.3 -Food guide pyramid

Source:

Srilakshmi .B 2003.Dietetics, New Age International (P)

Publishers Ltd.Chennai.

Balance:

It means choosing food from different food groups.

Fruits and

Vegetables

Milk

and

Meat

Pulses

Cereals

Sugar

and

oil7

Variety:

This means including different foods within each food

group. For eg. consuming a variety of fruits.

Moderation:

This means keeping serving sizes reasonable. This

involves self control.

The food guide pyramid provides recommendation for

the number of daily servings that should be consumed from each

of the food groups.

The diagram Fig. 1.3, clearly represents that cereals

should form the major bulk of the diet followed by fruits and

vegetables, pulses, milk and meat products and sugars and oil.

The portion size of foods for adolescents (13-18 years) is given

below.

TABLE 1.B

Portion size of foods for adolescents

Number of Portions for

Food Groups Portion Size Adolescents

Girls Boys

Cereals and millets 30 g 10 14

Pulses 30 g 2 2

Milk 100 ml 5 5

Roots and tubers 100 g 1 2

Green leafy

Vegetables

100 g 1 1

Other vegetables 100 g 1 1

Fruits 100 g 1 1

Sugar 5 g 6 7

Fats and oils 5 g 5 5

(For non-vegetarians substitute one pulse portion with one

portion (50 gm) of egg / meat / chicken / fish.)

Source :

Dietary guidelines for Indians – A manual (1998), National

Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad – 500 007.