4. Exercises

It’s Your Turn

  1. List four functions of carbohydrates in the body.
  2. Count the carbohydrates you consume in a day by following the steps for carbohydrate counting. Is your intake within the recommended range?
  3. Determine your daily fiber intake and whether your diet supplies the amount of fiber recommended to promote health and prevent disease.

Apply It

  1. Conduct a dietary assessment of the GI of foods in three of your dinners. To aid in this process peruse the website, http://www.gilisting.com/. Plan a dinner menu that balances the GI of the entire meal.

  2. Learn more on glycolysis and cellular respiration by watching this video on YouTube, and describe in a short paragraph what happens in the body as it uses the process of glycolysis to fuel short bursts of activity.

    Glycolysis Cellular Respiration Overview

    (click to see video)
  3. Conduct an experiment in the classroom that evaluates the sweetness and tastefulness of sugar substitutes. Try them in pure form by putting a small amount on your finger. Record the results from you and your classmates and make a sweetness and taste comparison chart.

Expand Your Knowledge

  1. Design a Thanksgiving feast with at least ten items that help balance the GI of the meal.
  2. Draw a flow chart that incorporates the concept of negative feedback in the regulation of blood glucose levels.
  3. Visit the website of the CDC (http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDTSTRS/default.aspx) and record the estimates of obesity, physical inactivity, and Type 2 diabetes in the county you live in. Make a list of five ways to curb the trends of obesity, physical inactivity, and Type 2 diabetes in your county.