NCERT Solutions for Class 4 EVS Chapter 5: Food for Health – Free PDF Download

Chapter 5 of the Class 4 EVS textbook Our Wondrous World is Food for Health. It introduces children to taste, food groups, junk food, regional thalis, cooking methods, and healthy eating habits.

Last Updated: September 23, 2026

NCERT Textbook Questions and Answers – Chapter 5: Food for Health

Write (Page 74)

Q: Can you think of at least five ingredients or food items that match each of the tastes listed below (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy)?
A: Sample answer: Sweet — sugar, jaggery, honey, mango, banana; Sour — lemon, tamarind, curd, raw mango, orange; Salty — salt, pickle, papad, namkeen, chips; Bitter — bitter gourd (karela), neem, fenugreek leaves; Spicy — chilli, pepper, ginger, mustard.

Discuss (Page 74)

Q: Discuss in small groups and identify the food items having at least three different tastes.
A: Sample answer: pickle can taste sour, salty and spicy together; a mixed chaat can taste sweet, sour and spicy at the same time.

Find Out (Page 75)

Q: Find out more about a millet-based food prepared at your home.
A: Sample answer: Bajra roti is a millet-based food commonly eaten in many Indian homes, especially in winter, and is known to be rich in fibre and nutrients.

Discuss (Page 75)

Q: Why do we need to eat different kinds of food items?
A: Different foods give different nutrients — no single food has everything the body needs, so eating a variety keeps us healthy and gives us balanced energy, growth and immunity.

Discuss (Page 77)

Q: What happens if we eat food from a single group of foods every day?
A: Our body would miss out on other important nutrients, which can lead to weakness, poor growth, and health problems over time.

Write (Page 78)

Q1: Can you name a few more junk food items?
A: Chips, colas, burgers, instant noodles, sugary sweets, and packaged fried snacks.

Q2: Why do you think we should avoid eating junk food?
A: Junk food is usually high in unhealthy fat, sugar, and salt but low in real nutrients, and eating too much can affect growth, weight, and overall health.

Q3: List the junk food items that you will avoid.
A: Sample answer: I will try to avoid chips, colas, and sugary packaged snacks, and eat fruit or nuts instead.

Activity 1 (Page 79) — Make a Food Diary

Q: Create a week-long food diary documenting breakfast, lunch, and dinner; circle healthy items and mark unhealthy ones with ‘X’.
A: Students record what they eat every day for a week in a table, then mark fruits/vegetables/home-cooked meals as healthy and packaged/sugary/fried snacks as unhealthy, to reflect on their own eating pattern.

Find Out (Page 80)

Q: Find out a “food thali” from your region, and list its food items.
A: Sample answer: a typical North Indian thali includes roti, dal, a vegetable curry, rice, curd, salad, and pickle.

Write (Page 81)

Q: Identify different methods used to cook the food items given in the list below.
A: Sample answer: Boiling — rice, eggs; Frying — puri, pakora; Steaming — idli, momos; Roasting/grilling — papad, corn; Baking — cake, bread.

Discuss (Page 82)

Q1: Do you help in cooking at home?
A: Sample answer: Yes, I help my mother by washing vegetables, setting the table, and sometimes mixing the dough.

Q2: Do you think all family members should know how to cook? Why?
A: Yes, because it makes everyone independent, shares the household work fairly, and ensures the family always has someone available to prepare food when needed.

Let Us Reflect (Pages 83–84)

(Exact page wording should be cross-checked against your physical copy.)

Q1: Hands-on activity — food collage. Create three sections showing energy-giving, body-building, and protective foods.
A: Students paste pictures/cut-outs of foods like rice and potato (energy-giving), pulses, milk and eggs (body-building), and fruits and vegetables (protective) into three labelled sections of a collage.

Q2: Check the label — look at a packaged food label and answer questions about its ingredients and nutrition information.
A: Students read a real food packet label to note the ingredients list, sugar/salt content, and expiry date, and discuss whether it is a healthy choice.

Q3: Organise a food festival.
A: Students plan a class food festival where each child brings a healthy, home-made regional dish to share and describe to classmates.

Q4: Find and circle (word search) — find hidden food-related words in the grid.
A: A word-search puzzle activity; students circle food/nutrition-related words such as protein, vitamin, fibre, and calcium hidden in the letter grid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should we avoid eating too much junk food?
Junk food is often high in unhealthy fats, sugar, and salt but low in essential nutrients, and eating too much of it can affect growth and health over time.

What nutrients does the body need for healthy growth?
The body needs proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water, each playing a different role in growth, energy, and overall health.

Written by Satish

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