1. Exercises

Study Questions:

1. What does Essential mean?

2. What are the 6 classes of essential nutrients? Put a star by the MOST essential nutrient.

3. How many of the 6 classes of essential nutrients are present in the food you eat?

4.  Which of the nutrients give you Calories?

5.  If you ate a food that contained: 10 grams of Carbohydrate, 10 grams of Fat and 10 grams of Protein, how many Calories would that food contain (approximately)? Hint:  Use 4 Calories per gram of Carbohydrate, 9 Calories per gram of Fat and 4 Calories per gram of Protein

6. Is Alcohol a nutrient?  Does Alcohol give you Calories?

7. When it comes to nutrients, is it “the more the better”? Why or Why not?

8. Are there “good foods” and “bad foods”? Why or Why not?

9. What are “phytochemicals”?

10. What is meant by the term “serving size”?  For example, a “serving size” of potato chips is 1 ounce or about 15 chips.  

11.  What is your opinion of the role of the federal government in promoting health and preventing disease in Americans?

Expand Your Knowledge

  1. Conduct an assessment of your diet. Begin by recording what you eat every day, including snacks and beverages, in a journal. Then visit the website, myfitnesspal.com which has tools to help you assess your diet and exercise. Calculate how many Calories you are eating in a day compared to how many are suggested for you per day.
  2. Conduct an informal survey of five of your friends and family members. Create a questionnaire with ten to fifteen questions pertaining to their perception of food, their favorite food shows, what restaurants they frequent, what they purchase from the grocery store each week, etc. Ask questions about their general eating habits and record the answers. Next, get a camera and take pictures of the insides of their refrigerators. What have you learned about their eating habits? What advice would you give them? Review all the material and put it together in a report. Be prepared to share your findings.

  3. Define eight steps your community can take to build a more sustainable food system. Visit the websites of Toronto’s and California’s plans to help provide you with some good ideas to accomplish the challenge.  Toronto’s plan for a sustainable food system: http://wx.toronto.ca/inter/health/food.nsf/Resources/340ACEEDBF1B2D6085257738000B22F2/$file/Cultivating%20Food%20Connections%20report.pdf