Social work and cultural importance of Food

Social works and cultural importance of Food —

• Food helps in making and strengthening social relations. That is why food is served on various social functions. Food is a symbol of friendship. Snacks, prasad, feast are planned for social functions. Gatherings are organized to celebrate birthday, wedding, anniversary, tonsure, promotion in job, childbirth where feast and other elegant dishes are served. Special festivals are celebrated with good food.
• (i) Food is a symbol of financial status—Choice of an individual’s food depends on his financial status. A middle-class man arranges his food with the seasonal fruits and vegetables and other normal food items while a rich man can even arrange un-seasonal food items to his food. He can add expensive nuts, fruits and vegetables in his diet. In this way food indicates a person’s financial status. The food served to a guest is a symbol of our prestige and prosperity. Consuming good food and the resultant obesity from it is considered a symbol of prosperity in some communites.
• Food is a symbol of friendship and hospitality— New food items are served to friends to strengthen the bond of friendship. Food is served as a symbol of hospitality —tea, coffee, drinks are served to guests. In India, guests are treated equivalent to Gods and as kind hospitality good food is served.
  Food can solve many big problems because it is said ‘the way to heart is through the stomach’. Thus, many personal and social works can be easily carried out through food.
  While making arrangements for food choice of others should be kept in mind. Arrangements of snacks, food, drinks are done for establishing mutual comfort and amicability. Food served on special occasions should be palatable, satisfying and should be healthy and nutritious.
• Food is also a symbol of culture For example — makki ki roti and sarson ka saag is famous in Punjab, dal-bati churma in Rajasthan, rice-sambhar in south India, fish-rice in Bihar and vada-paav in Mumbai. This way some food items display the culture of a society or a region. We all like to eat food according to our own traditions and culture.
• Food is just not an article for eating but it is also a medium for expression of someone’s happiness and security and a medium of displaying emotions, traditions and culture. Food relieves stress and strengthens social relations. A psychological and emotional response towards a certain type of food has no scientific reason and thus, it is difficult to change that response.

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Important Points of Interrelationship Between Nutrition , Food and Health :- 

1. Air, water and food are 3 basic requirements for survival.
2.  Water included as a nutrient because it is essential for various activities of the body, for mainly proper balance and regulation of body temperature.
3.  All cereals like rice, wheat, maize, barley, millets, etc are main sources of carbohydrates.
4.  One gram fat gives 9 kilocalories. Ghee, oil, groundnuts, vegetable ghee, mustard oil, other oilseeds contain fat in adequate quantities.
5.  Protein is essential for cell formation and so, protein is known as ‘formative element’.
6.  Vitamins give body the strength to fight against diseases and thus consumption of vitamin-rich food is very important.
7.  65% of our body is made of water.
8.  Carbohydrate should be 60-70% of our food while fat should be 20-30% and protein- 10¬15%.
9.  Food as far as possible should be prepared keeping in mind every choice of every member of the fovily.
10.  Food is just not a thing for eating but is a medium of displaying emotions, traditions and culture.

Interrelationship Between Nutrition , Food and Health Questions and Answers :-

(i) The main source of energy is:-
(a) Carbohydrates
(b) Protein
(c) Vitamin
(d) Water

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(ii) Which of the following is not a physical function of food—
(a) Energy providing
(b) Growth and development
(c) Providing peace
(d) Protective and regulatory functions

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3. Which of the following is formative element?
(a) Carbohydrates
(b) Protein
(c) Water
(d) Fat

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(iv) What % of water is present in human body?
(a) 65%
(b) 67%
(c) 63%
(d) 64%

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