6 nutrients (human body - grade 6) · you only need tiny amounts of vitamins but your body...

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Science and Technology/Engineering !

Close!Reading!and!Text!Dependent!Questions!in!Science!

Nutrients:!You!Just!Can’t!Live!Without!‘Em!(Human!Body!Systems!–!Grade!6)!

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!The$text$selection,$Nutrients:*You*Just*Can’t*Live*Without*‘Em,$is$found$in$the$

*STC*Human*Body*Systems$Student$Guide$and$Source$Book$pgs.$20A23.$$$!

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!Look$in$the$Student$Learning$Outcome$(SLO)$Documents$for$guidance$on$when$this$should$be$taught.$These$can$be$found$on$the$BPS$Science$Department’s$website:$http://bpsscience.weebly.com/$You$will$find$the$Student$Learning$Outcomes$documents$organized$there$by$grade$level.$

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t"EssoN 3 ExploRING CengoHyDRATES

You Just Cant Live Without'EmNUTRIENTS:

An lndian family enjoys dinner.

Foods are part of cultural traditions.All foods, however, contain one ormore of the same essential nutrients.Can you tell which of the foods thatyou see in the first three photographsof this article are high in carbohy-drates? Fat? Protein?

"Do you want frieswith that cheese-burger?"

"Sure, and alar$esoda, please."

You've ordere d a{reat-tasting lunch,but is it a healthymeal? The good newsis that you're gettingmany of the nutrientsyou need. The badnews is that you'realso about to eat a lotof stuff that you don'tneed-like extra saltand fat.

When you choosewhat to eat, you needto think about morethan your taste buds.You need to know

what your bodyneeds and what foodswill give it to you.You need to knowabout nutrients.

What are nutrients?They are the fuelsyour body needs tokeep you going. Theyare used for growthand repair. They helpfight disease.

There are six typesof nutrients: carbohy-drates, proteins, fats,vitamins, minerals,and water. The firstthree<arbohydrates,proteins,' andfats-make up the threebasic food types.

Tortillas, beans, and trimmings are popular foods in Mexico andmany other countries.

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Rice and vegetables are mainstays of this Asian family's diet.

carbohy-drate. It ism-ade ofthe sameraw mate-

- nals assu$ars:carbon,hydrogen,and oxy-gen. Butyou can'tdigest fiber.So whatgood is it?

that forms a plant'scell walls.

Proteins: The BodyBuildersProteins are at workin every cell of yourbody. You need pro-teins to build tissue(muscle tissue con-tains alot of protein).Your body also usesproteins to repairdama{e and to makesubstances such ashemoglobin, whichcarcies oxy$enthrough your blood.

When your bodydigests food, it breaksthe protein down intosimpler substancescalled amino acids.

Garbohydrates:Energy to BurnThe two most impor-tant kinds of carbohy-drates are su$ars andstarches. The simplestcarbohydrate is asugar called glucose.Glucose is your body'sfirst choice for fuel.

Complex carbohy-drates are calledstarches. When youeat complex carbohy-drates such as pasta,bread, or rice, yourbody breaks themapart to get the sim-ple sugars that itneeds for fast fuel.

But your bodydoesn't waste the left-overs. It turns mostof the extra $ucoseinto a substancecalled glycogen andsaves it in your mus-cles and liver. If youeat more food than

you need at themoment, some of theglucose gets turnedinto fat. Your bodystores fat to makesure it has fuel forits future energyneeds. (It's likeputting the fat awayin a warehouse.)

But watch out: thewarehouse carTgettoo full. If you contin-ually eat too much

sugar-such as thesu$ar in corn syrup,candy, and softdrinks-you canquickly put on extrapounds. What's more,candy bars and softdrinks usually don'tcontain other nutri-ents, like mineralsand vitamins that youcan $et from fruitsand vegetables.

Fiber is another

Fiber provides bulkthat helps move foodthrough your intes-tines. Fruits providefiber called pectin.Whole -{rain breadsand cereals cont aincellulose, the fiber

These foods are good sources of carbohydrates.Can you name them? Do you know any otherfoods that are high in carbohydrates?

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For many people, meat is an important sourceof protein. Other protein-rich foods include nuts,egg whites, and cheese.

such as obesity andheart disease. But fatisn't all bad news. Ithas more energy thanproteins or carbohy-drates. A gram of fatsupplies about twiceas much energy as agram of protein orcarbohydrates.

What else is goodabout fat? Thin layersof fat act as protectivepadding around yourheart and otherorgans. Fat helpsinsulate your body,too, so you don't haveto burn too much fuelto stay warrn.

There are two kindsof fats: saturated andunsaturated. Mostfats that come fromanimals are saturatedfats. Inside yourbody, saturated fats

cart turn into choles-terol-a substancethat may collectinside your blood ves-sels and place anextra burden on yourheart. Most fats thatcome from plants (forexample, from nutsandvegetables) areunsaturated fats.

Even though yourbody cart convertcarbohydrates intof at, you still need toeat some foods thatcontain fat. Why?Because your bodycan't build some ofthe unsaturated fatsthat you need.

But be careful. Youneed only a smallamount, and the fattyfoods you eat shouldcontain mostly unsat-urated, rather than

You might compareamino acids withletters in the alpha-bet. There are 20amino acids, andthey combine tocreate millions ofdifferent protein"words." Your bodyalso builds someamino acids fromscratch by combiningcarbon, hydrogen,oxygen, and nitro$en.

There are nineamino acids that youcan get only from thefood you eat. Yourbody can't build themon its own. These arecalled the essentialamino acids. A foodthat has all nineessential amino acidsis called a completeprotein. Food thatcomes from animals(for example, meat,eggs , and milk) hascomplete proteins.

F'oods that do nothave all the essentialamino acids arecalled incompleteproteins. Foods thatcome from plants-for example, ve$eta-bles, fruit, wheat, andrice-contain incom-plete proteins.

If you don't want toeat meat or animalproducts, you catr stillget your essentialamino acids. Justmake sure you com-bine foods that havedffirent incompleteproteins. For example,a meal that combinesblack beans and rice,or lentil soup andcorn bread, will grveyou the complete pro-teins that you need.

Fats: What's theSkinny?Tbo much f.at cancause health problems

Eat only small quantities of foods such as these,which are high in fat.

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saturated, fat. Meat,cheese, and butterhave saturated f.at.Sweet baked goodslike cookies and cakesalso have saturatedfat. Fish, avocados,and most liquid cook-ing oils are sources ofunsaturated fats.

Vitamins: The ABCsof HealthVitamins are chemi-cals that have beenmade by living orgart-isms. Scientists dis-covered the first vita-min (B-1, or thiamin)about 100 years ago.They have nowidentified a total of13 vitamins. Each ofthese vitamins has anessential role in thechemi cal reactionsthat $o on in ourbodies. Vitamins helpbuild blood cells andchemicals that controlthe neryous system.

You only need tinyamounts of vitaminsbut your body cart'tmanuf.acture them.The best sources ofmost vitamins arefresh fruits andvegetables.

Minerals: LittleThings That Meana LotMinerals are chemi-cals that occur

naturally in the envi-ronment. They donot need to be madeby a living orsanism.You need minerals tobuild bones, teeth,and blood cells.Minerals also regulatethe chemical andelectrical signals thatcontrol the way yourbody works. Mineralscome from the earth.They are absorbed byplant roots as theygrow, and they arepassed on to animalsthat eat plants.

You $et mineralsfrom many foods-fruits, ve$etables, and$rains, 4s well asmeat and milk.

You need only tinyamounts of some min-erals (for example,copper, iodifl€, iron,and zinc). Thes e arecalled trace minerals.You need more ofother minerals suchas calcium, ma$ne-sium, potassium, andsodium. Thes e arethe macrominerals.

Calcium, found inmilk and cheese, isespecially importantfor children wh o arestill growing. Yourbody uses calcium tobuild the hard, strongparts of your body-bones and teeth, forexample. Older

people need calciumtoo, to keep bonesstron$. Iron is a min-eral component ofhemo$obin. Becausewomen lose bloodduring their menstrualcycle, they need moreiron than men. Beef,tttna, and chickert are$ood sources of iron.

Water: Where lt AllComes TogetherHow can water be anutrient? There'snothing in it! Theremay not be muchnutrition in water,but there's an awfullot of water in you.Your brain and mus-cles are three-fourthswater, and bone is20 percent water.

Every cell in yourbody is packed withwater. Your bodyneeds it totransportnutrientsand wastes,controlyour tem-perature,and carryout chemi-cal teac-tions.

Eachduy, yourbody losesmore than2liters ofwater. You

replace some of itwith food, but besure to drink six toeight glasses of liquideach day to maintainyour water supply.When you're thirsty-and even whenyou're not-havesome water.

So What's forDinner?The best way to getthe nutrients youneed is to eat good,fresh food. Getenough of the rightstuff, and you won'thave to worry aboutvitamin or mineralpills. Knowin$ aboutnutrients can helpyou choose foods thatgive your taste budswhat they want andthe rest of your bodywhat it needs. tr

Copper is a trace mineral. You need justa tiny bit of it in your diet. ln fact, if thispenny were pure copper, it would con-

tain enough of this mineral to meet yourdaily needs for three and a half years!

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Student!Questions!$

1. What$are$nutrients,$and$why$do$we$need$them?$$$$$$$$$$$

2. What$are$the$six$types$of$nutrients?$$$$$$$$

3. The$text$says,$“Glucose$is$your$body’s$first$choice$for$fuel”$(p.$21).$What$happens$if$you$have$left$over$glucose$that$your$body$doesn’t$immediately$need$for$fuel?$

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4. What$are$“essential$amino$acids”$and$how$can$you$make$sure$your$body$gets$them?$$ $

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Science and Technology/Engineering 5. According$to$the$text,$what$is$one$reason$why$fat$is$good$for$your$body,$and$one$reason$why$it$is$not?$

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6. Compare$and$contrast$vitamins$and$minerals.$$$$$$$$$$$$

7. Based$upon$the$reading,$describe$what$foods$might$be$in$a$healthy,$wellAbalanced$meal$and$explain$which$foods$provide$which$nutrients.$$

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Sample!Answers!$

1. What!are!nutrients,!and!why!do!we!need!them?!

Nutrients*are*the*fuels*for*your*body.*Nutrients*are*used*for*growth,*repair,*and*to*help*fight*disease.*

$2. What!are!the!six!types!of!nutrients?!!!

The*six*types*of*nutrients*are:*carbohydrates,*proteins,*fats,*vitamins,*minerals,*and*water.*$

3. The!text!says,!“Glucose!is!your!body’s!first!choice!for!fuel”!(p.!21).!What!happens!if!you!have!

left!over!glucose!that!your!body!doesn’t!immediately!need!for!fuel?!

Extra*glucose*can*be*changed*into*glycogen*and*saved*in*your*muscles*and*liver.*It*can*also*be*turned*into*fat*to*be*stored*for*future*energy*needs.*

$4. What!are!“essential!amino!acids”!and!how!can!you!make!sure!your!body!gets!them?*

The*essential*amino*acids*are*the*nine*amino*acids*that*your*body*can’t*build*alone.*You*can*get*them*by*eating*food*that*comes*from*animals*or*by*combining*different*foods*with*incomplete*proteins.*

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5. According!to!the!text,!what!is!one!reason!why!fat!is!good!for!your!body,!and!one!reason!why!

it!is!not?!

One*reason*fat*is*good*is*fat*can*help*insulate*your*body,*which*helps*you*save*energy*when*staying*warm.*One*reason*fat*is*bad*is*saturated*fats*can*turn*into*cholesterol*that*collects*inside*your*blood*vessels,*placing*a*burden*on*your*heart.*

$6. Compare!and!contrast!vitamins!and!minerals.!

Vitamins*are*chemicals*made*by*living*organisms,*but*minerals*are*not.**Minerals*come*from*the*Earth.*Vitamins*help*build*blood*cells*and*chemicals*that*control*the*nervous*system.*The*best*place*to*get*vitamins*is*from*fresh*fruit*and*vegetables.*Minerals*help*build*bones,*teeth,*and*blood*cells.*You*can*get*minerals*from*all*sorts*of*food.*

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7. Based!upon!the!reading,!describe!what!foods!might!be!in!a!healthy,!well[balanced!meal!and!

explain!which!foods!provide!which!nutrients.!!

A*healthy*meal*could*be*composed*of*chicken*and*avocado*sandwich,*a*side*salad,*and*a*glass*of*water.*The*chicken*is*a*complete*protein*(all*essential*amino*acids),*the*avocado*has*unsaturated*fats,*the*bread*is*a*complex*carbohydrate,*the*salad*has*vitamins*and*minerals,*and*the*glass*of*water*provides*water.**