Nutrition – Introduction

Table of Contents

• Balanced Diet
• Nutrition in Living Organisms
• Summary
• Did You Know?
• What’s Next?

In this segment of the chapter of ‘Nutrition in Plants’, let us get ourselves introduced to the

introduction of nutrition in plants.

What is a Balanced diet?

The connection between food and living beings

• Living beings depend on food for survival.
• Food is any substance containing essential nutrients, which we consume. It supplies the required energy to living beings.
• The human body needs six major types of nutrients, namely
  • Carbohydrates
  • Proteins
  • Fats
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Water
• All these nutrients should be included in our diet in the required amounts.
• The combination of food items in our meals is called a Diet. It consists of all the essential substances required for our growth and development.
• A diet which includes all necessary food items that supply all essential nutrients in the correct amount is called a Balanced Diet.

What is the Mode of nutrition in plants?

Autotrophic organisms and Heterotrophic organisms

• The process of obtaining all the necessary nutrients through our diet is called Nutrition.
• Animals consume various plants and animals to gain the necessary nutrients.
• Plants are capable of making their nutrients rather than consuming it from some external source. They prepare their food by utilizing solar power with the process called Photosynthesis. Since plants can prepare their own food, they are called Autotrophic organisms.
• Some non-green plants and animals are unable to prepare their own food and are called

Heterotrophic organisms.