What is nutrition – Class 7

Learn about nutrition on this page. The level of explanation is appropriate for class 7 science. You will also be given practice questions to help you prepare for your exam, along with the concept of nutrition.

Why do we need food?

Food is what we eat when we’re hungry, but its main job is to give us energy. All living things require energy to grow, develop, protect themselves from harmful things, stay healthy overall, and so on.

What are nutrients?

A nutrient is the most essential part of food that our bodies require. A nutrient is a substance that keeps a living thing alive and helps it grow.

Components of food

Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals form the majority of the nutrients found in food. Food additionally includes water and dietary fibre. Our bodies primarily get their energy from carbohydrates and fats. Minerals and proteins are essential for the development and upkeep of our bodies.

What is Nutrition?

Plants and animals require food to survive. The organisms need to take food:

(i) to obtain energy

(ii) to obtain materials for growth, and

(iii) to obtain materials for the repair of damaged parts of the body.

The process of taking food as well as the utilization of this food by the organism is called nutrition.

Plants can make their own food. Animals, including humans, cannot produce their own food. They eat plants or other animals that also eat plants for food.

Thus, human beings and animals depend on plants for their food, directly or indirectly. We will now discuss the various modes of nutrition in organisms.

Modes of Nutrition

Modes of nutrition are the ways in which organisms obtain food. These modes of nutrition vary from one organism type to another. For example, plants and animals have entirely different ways of obtaining food. 

There are two major modes of nutrition in organisms, depending on how they procure food.

1. Autotrophic
2. Heterotrophic

We will learn about modes of nutrition in detail in our next article. For now, try to answer the questions given below. These questions can be answered easily if you have read the article thoroughly.

Questions

1. Why do organisms need to take food?
2. What does the word nutrition mean?
3. What are two different modes of nutrition?
4. Name the components of food
5. From where humans and other animals get their food.