English For Today chapter 12: Eating Healthy

Eating Healthy

1.1 Look at the picture of a grocery shop. Write down the names of the food items. Then share your list with your friends.

Figure

Labels: ভাই ভাই স্টোর Description: A grocery shop front with a shop sign at the top, shelves with packets, bottles and jars, and a shopkeeper standing behind a counter. In front, there are sacks and pots of spices and grains, a bunch of bananas on the counter, and boxes of packaged goods.

Names of the food items

• _______________
• _______________
• _______________
• _______________
• _______________
• _______________

1.2 Read the following conversation.

Shihab: It's tiffin time. Let's eat together.

Sarah: Sure. Who else like to join us?

Mong: Let's sit over there to enjoy our tiffin.

Sarah: Noodles again! I wish to have a chicken burger for tiffin every day.

Mong: If you eat them regularly, you'll get fat and sick.

Shihab: Mong is quite reasonable. You shouldn't eat them too often, Sarah.

Mong: I have bread and banana today. My mother sometimes prepares new items for me.

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Sarah: Oh! This banana looks fresh. It has vitamins to give you energy.

Mong: That's right. By the way, your noodles with sliced eggs and green vegetables look delicious.

Shihab: Look! I have sweet cake and juice for my tiffin.

Sarah: Don' t you think those sugary foods are harmful for our health?

Mong: Yes, I usually avoid junk food. You also should try.

Shihab: I know. But healthy foods are not always tasty.

Mong: Really? I find fruits and vegetables tasty. You can also try them regularly.

Sarah: Yes, besides, we must wash foods properly before cooking.

Mong: Oh, our tiffin break will be over soon. Let's eat quickly.

Shihab: No, Mong, my mom says that eating hastily can cause digestion problems.

Mong: Yes, you are right. We should take time and eat slowly.

Sarah: Let's finish and go back to the class.

2.1 Discuss in pairs and list the healthy and unhealthy foods mentioned in the conversation. Then answer the following questions.

a) Why are these foods healthy?

b) Why are these foods unhealthy?

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2.2 Discuss in pairs. Write the appropriate words from the box to describe the foods.

sour, bitter, spicy, sweet

Figure

Labels: singara Description: A pair of golden-brown, triangular singara.

Figure

Labels: olive Description: A branch with three green olives and two leaves.

Figure

Labels: mango Description: A single yellow mango with a small stalk at the top.

Figure

Labels: bitter gourd Description: A long, green, ridged bitter gourd.

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2.3 Identify the words from the conversation that describe how often they take the foods. Write them in the box. One is done for you.

always,

2.4 Read the conversation again. Identify the sentences that advise about taking food. Write them below. One is done for you.

a) You shouldn't eat them too often.

b)

c)

3.1 Language Focus: Adjectives

In the conversations, we find the words yummy, delicious, tasty, and sugary. These words are used to describe the quality of foods. These words are adjectives.

We use adjectives to describe persons, places and things.

Example:

a) I live in a small house.

b) My dress is new.

c) I saw a black dog.

d) Mangoes taste delicious.

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3.1.1 Fill in the blanks. Use the appropriate adjectives from the box to make the text meaningful.

sweet | green | sour | delicious | fresh | crispy | leafy

Nusair went to a grocery shop. First, he picked some yellow mangoes. Next, he picked some .................... grapes. He also bought ................. vegetables and some potatoes. Back home, he tasted the mangoes. They were ................. However, the grapes were ............. . But, Nusair had a clever idea! He added some sugar to the grapes and blended them to make ................. juice. Then, he asked his mother to make some French fries with the potatoes. They were very................ . Nusair shared this .................... food with his younger brother. They enjoyed the food together.

3.1.2 Now, make sentences using the following adjectives.

a) tasty ________________________________________ .

b) regular ________________________________________ .

c) yellow ________________________________________ .

d) clean ________________________________________ .

e) young ________________________________________ .

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3.2 Language Focus: Adverb

In the conversation, the words always, regularly, sometimes, often, usually are used to describe how frequently (time) they take their food. Again, the words properly, hastily, slowly are used to describe how they take their food. These words are adverbs.

Adverb describes or gives more information about adjective, verb or adverb. Adverbs are easy to identify because they usually end in–ly, but not always.

Examples:

a) I always go to school on time.

b) He usually eats bread and eggs at breakfast.

c) She sometimes watches cartoons on television.

d) He attends the debate class regularly.

e) She often plays cricket with his brother.

f) Do not walk hastily in a crowded place.

g) Could you speak slowly, please?

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3.2.1 Fill in the blanks. Use the appropriate adverbs from the box to make the text meaningful.

always | properly | soon | sometimes | safely never | quickly | usually | hastily | late

Sarah enjoys preparing her tiffin box. __________ she packs noodles and eggs for her tiffin. _________, she also takes biscuits and fruits for tiffin. She __________ carries a water bottle with her to school. Before having her tiffin, she washes her hands __________ . She __________ takes her food _______. One morning, Sarah woke up ______ . She ______ packed some snacks in her tiffin box. _______ she left home. She arrived at school ___________.

3.3 Language Focus: Modal Verbs (should, shouldn't, must)

Read the following sentences used in the conversation:

• You shouldn't eat them too often.
• You also should try.
• We should take time and eat slowly.
• We must wash foods properly before cooking.

Here the words– should, shouldn't, must are modal verbs.

We use should or shouldn't to give advice. We use must when it is compulsory to follow.

Examples:

• You should eat vegetables regularly.
• You shouldn't eat junk food.
• You must always drink pure water.

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3.3.1 Nusair wrote a letter to his friend Sarah. Read the letter and choose the appropriate modal verbs (should/shouldn't/must) to make it meaningful.

44, Mohammadpur Dhaka-1207

01 August 2026

Dear Sarah,

I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. We missed you during tiffin time.

My mom says that we ___________ try to stay strong and healthy. We _____________ eat junk food because it can make us sick. We _________take plenty of fruits and vegetables because they give us energy. We ___________drink pure water. You _____________try to grow a healthy food habit. It can keep you away from the diseases.

Get well soon, Sarah.

Your friend, Nusair

4.1 Suppose, your cousin Mamun loves to eat junk food and gets sick most often. Now, write a letter to your cousin telling him about the benefits of eating healthy foods and advise him to avoid unhealthy foods. [Note: Use adjectives, adverbs and modal verbs you have learnt.]