Food, Nutrition and Dietetics
Food, Nutrition and Dietetics
This domain tests nutrient functions, food sources, balanced diets, deficiency diseases and meal planning for Indian families. Numerical questions on energy and protein are common.
Core rules and concepts
- Nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, water and fibre. Carbohydrates and fats are energy-giving; proteins are body-building; vitamins and minerals are protective.
- ICMR food groups: cereals and millets; pulses and legumes; milk and meat; fruits and vegetables; fats and oils; sugar and jaggery.
- A balanced diet supplies energy and nutrients in correct proportions; it is a diet, not a single food.
- PEM appears as marasmus (energy deficiency, severe wasting) and kwashiorkor (protein deficiency, oedema, moon face).
- Anaemia: iron, folic acid, vitamin B12. Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness; iodine deficiency causes goitre.
- Cooking losses: vitamins B and C are water-soluble and heat-labile; use minimal water, covered cooking, and avoid repeated reheating.
Worked example
Plan a low-cost lunch for a 13-year-old girl using at least four food groups. Reasoning: energy need is high and iron is critical. Choose rice (cereal), dal (pulse), spinach (vegetable), curd (milk), and a little oil. Add lemon for vitamin C to improve iron absorption. Cost is controlled by using seasonal vegetables and local pulses.
Traps
Calling a diet balanced without quantities; confusing marasmus and kwashiorkor; assuming all fats are harmful; ignoring absorption enhancers and inhibitors such as phytates and tannins.