Term
| What are the six groups of nutrients? |
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Definition
| Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water are the six groups of nutrients. |
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Term
| When you eat nutrients, the body uses them for energy. What units are used to measure this energy? |
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Definition
| When nutrients are used by the body for energy, the amount of energy they release can be measured in units called calories. |
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Term
| What is calorie equivalent to (Hint: think of one gram of water being heated up)? |
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Definition
| One calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. |
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Term
| One nutrient is called carbohydrates. Which three elements make up carbohydrates? |
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Definition
| The nutrients called carbohydrates, which are composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, are a major source of energy. |
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Term
| How many Calories does each gram of carbohydrate have? |
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Definition
| One gram of carbohydrate provides your body with four Calories of energy. |
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Term
| Carbohydrates can be divided up into two types. What are these two types? |
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Definition
| Based on their chemical structure, carbohydrates are divided into simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. |
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Term
| What are “simple carbohydrates” more commonly known as? |
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Definition
| Simple carbohydrates are also known as sugars. |
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Term
| What is one simple carbohydrate that is a major source of energy for your body? |
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Definition
| One sugar, glucose, is the major source of energy for your body’s cells. |
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Term
| What are complex carbohydrates made up of? |
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Definition
| Complex carbohydrates are made up of many sugar molecules linked together in a chain. |
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Term
| What is the name of the complex carbohydrate found in plant foods? |
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Definition
| Starch is a complex carbohydrate found in foods from plants. |
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Term
| What are examples of foods high in starch? |
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Definition
| Potatoes, rice, wheat, and corn are examples of foods high in starch. |
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Term
| What does the body have to do to use the energy in starch? |
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Definition
| To use starch as an energy source, your body first breaks down into smaller, individual sugar molecules. Only then can your body release the molecules’ energy. |
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Term
| Fiber is not considered a nutrient. So why is fiber important in our diet? |
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Definition
| Fiber is an important part of the diet, however, because it helps keep the digestive system functioning properly. |
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Term
| What’s the problem with eat lots of simple carbohydrates? Don’t they give you lots of energy? |
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Definition
| Foods made with a lot of sugar, such as candy and soft drinks, have few valuable nutrients. Also, while sugars can give you a quick burst of energy, starches provide a more even, long-term energy source. |
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Term
| What’s the problem with eat lots of simple carbohydrates? Don’t they give you lots of energy? |
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Definition
| Foods made with a lot of sugar, such as candy and soft drinks, have few valuable nutrients. Also, while sugars can give you a quick burst of energy, starches provide a more even, long-term energy source. |
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Term
| How are fats like carbohydrates? |
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Definition
| Like carbohydrates, fats are energy-containing nutrients that are composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. |
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Term
| In terms of energy, how are fats different than carbohydrates? |
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Definition
| Fats contain more than twice the energy of an equal amount of carbohydrates. |
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Term
| How many Calories are in one gram of fat? How does this compare to one gram of carbohydrate? |
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Definition
| One gram of fat provides your body with nine Calories of energy. In carbohydrates there are four. |
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Term
| Fats can be divided into two groups. What are these groups? |
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Definition
| Fats may be classified as unsaturated or saturated based on their chemical structure. |
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Term
| What are examples of fats that are unsaturated? |
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Definition
| Most cooking oils are unsaturated fats. |
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Term
| What are examples of fats that are saturated? |
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Definition
| Meat and dairy products contain relatively large amounts of saturated fat. |
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Term
| How are trans fats different that regular vegetable oils? |
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Definition
| Trans fats are made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oils. |
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Term
| Why do food companies use trans fats? What are examples of foods that might have trans fats? |
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Definition
| Foods containing trans fats stay fresh longer than foods containing unsaturated fats. Trans fats are found in margarine, chips, and commercially baked goods. |
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Term
| What two kinds of fats are considered to be less healthy than unsaturated fats? |
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Definition
| Both trans fats and saturated fats are considered to be less healthful than unsaturated fats. |
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Term
| Is cholesterol a necessary part of your diet? Explain your answer. |
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Definition
| Cholesterol is not a necessary part of the diet. Your liver can make all of the cholesterol your body needs. |
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Term
| What are the dangers of eating extra fats and cholesterol in your diet? |
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Definition
| Extra fats and cholesterol in the diet can lead to a buildup of fatty material in the blood vessels. This fatty buildup can cause heart disease. |
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Term
| How do amino acids form proteins? |
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Definition
| Amino acids link together chemically to form large protein molecules. |
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Term
| Your body can only make about half of the amino acids you need. What do you call the other half, and where do you get them? |
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Definition
| The others, called essential amino acids, must come from the foods you eat. |
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Term
| Some foods are complete proteins. What is a complete protein? |
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Definition
Foods from animal sources are sources of complete proteins because these foods contain all the essential
amino acids. |
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Term
| What types of foods have complete proteins? |
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Definition
| Meat and eggs have complete proteins. |
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Term
| Some foods are incomplete proteins. What is an incomplete protein? |
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Definition
| Proteins from plant sources are called incomplete proteins because they are missing one or more essential amino acids. |
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Term
| What types of foods have incomplete proteins? |
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Definition
| Beans, grains, and nuts have incomplete proteins. |
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Term
| How do people who do not eat animal foods get all the amino acids they need to make complete proteins? |
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Definition
| Different plant sources lack different amino acids. Therefore, to obtain all the essential amino acids from plant sources alone, people need to eat a wide variety of plant foods. |
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Term
| What are two types of nutrients needed by the body in only small amounts? |
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Definition
| Two kinds of nutrients—vitamins and minerals—are needed by the body in very small amounts. |
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Term
| In terms of energy, how are vitamins and minerals different from other nutrients (carbohydrates, fats and proteins)? |
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Definition
| Unlike the other nutrients, vitamins and minerals do not provide the body with energy or raw materials |
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Term
| What do vitamins do in your body? |
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Definition
| They help the body carry out various processes. |
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Term
| Even though vitamins are only needed in small amounts, what can happen if lack certain vitamins in your diet? |
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Definition
| Although vitamins are only needed in small amounts, a lack of certain vitamins in the diet can lead to health problems. |
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Term
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Definition
| Nutrients that are not made by living things are called minerals. |
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Term
| What are the three main functions of the digestive system? |
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Definition
| The digestive system has three main functions. First, it breaks down food into molecules the body can use. Then, the molecules are absorbed into the blood and carried throughout the body. Finally, wastes are eliminated from the body. |
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Term
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Definition
| The process by which your body breaks down food into small nutrient molecules is called digestion. |
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Term
| What are the two kinds of digestion? |
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Definition
| 1. Mechanical 2. Chemical |
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Term
| What are the two kinds of digestion? |
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Definition
| 1. Mechanical 2. Chemical |
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Term
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Definition
| Absorption is the process by which nutrient molecules pass through the wall of your digestive system into your blood. |
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Term
| Look at Figure 14. Which organs does the food pass through after leaving you mouth? |
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Definition
| After leaving the mouth the food passes down the salivary gland, epiglottis, esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine and the rectum. |
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Term
| In your own words, describe how mechanical digestion is done in the mouth. |
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Definition
| Mechanical digestion is breaking down food into smaller pieces that is done by chewing. |
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Term
| In your own words, describe how chemical digestion is done in the mouth. |
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Definition
| When the saliva is given off into the mouth the food is broken down into chemical molecules. |
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Term
| The chemical in saliva the digests starch is an enzyme. What are enzymes? |
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Definition
| nzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body. Each enzyme has a specific chemical shape. Its shape enables it to take part in only one kind of chemical reaction. |
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Term
| The chemical in saliva the digests starch is an enzyme. What are enzymes? |
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Definition
| nzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body. Each enzyme has a specific chemical shape. Its shape enables it to take part in only one kind of chemical reaction. |
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Term
| How is mechanical digestion in the stomach like a washing machine? |
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Definition
| The process of mechanical digestion occurs as three strong layers of smooth muscle contract to produce a churning motion. This action mixes the food with fluids in somewhat the same way that clothes and soapy water are mixed in a washing machine. |
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Term
| What enzyme in your stomach is used to digest the proteins in your food? |
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Definition
| Digestive juice contains the enzyme pepsin. Pepsin chemically digests the proteins in your food, breaking them down into short chains of amino acids. |
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Term
| Digestive juices in your stomach also contain hydrochloric acid (HCl), a strong acid. Without HCl, your stomach would NOT function properly. Why not? |
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Definition
| First, pepsin works best in an acid environment. Second, the acid kills many bacteria that you swallow with your food. |
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