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How Do We Use Food

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- The food we eat gives our bodies energy.
- Energy from our food actually comes from THE SUN!
- The sun’s energy is transferred to plants & animals that become our food.
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Discussion Questions
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Before VideoWhat are some sources of food that people eat?ANSWER
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Sources of food can include eggs from chickens, meat from animals, and vegetables from plants. The list is huge since most things that come from plants and animals are food.
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Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert energy from the sun into a food source using carbon dioxide and water.
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Energy comes in many different forms. It is transferred when it passes from one thing to another.
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We use food for energy in order to perform daily activities in life such as walking, talking, and running. We also use food for building blocks in order to grow and repair.
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Burning food for energy means to convert food into a useable form of energy. Our bodies don’t burn food like a fire does. Instead we break it down slowly and use the energy to power us. We also use the building blocks in food in order to grow and repair.
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The digestive system helps the body break down food into small building blocks which can be used for energy or to help us grow and repair.
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After VideoHow does your body turn food into energy?ANSWER
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When a person eats food, their digestive system breaks it down into small pieces. Those small pieces are digested and absorbed by the body. Inside the body, food helps us get energy and also to grow and repair.
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Energy is first transferred from the sun to the plant by photosynthesis. Then, the plant is eaten by a person. When this happens, energy is transferred from the plant to a person.
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Almost all energy on earth can be traced back to the sun! Photosynthesis in plants converts light energy to chemical energy. Animals and people eat the plants and then the chemical energy in the plant can be used by animals (including humans).
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It gives us energy and building blocks to keep our bodies healthy and functioning properly.
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Plants do not ingest the food they need for survival. They must create their food through the process of photosynthesis. Animals ingest, or eat the food they need for energy from sources such as plants or other animals.
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One piece of evidence is hydroponic plants. They grow without any soil. It uses water, air and sunlight to grow. You can further confirm that a plant requires water, air and sunlight by trying to grow a plant in the dark or without water.
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Some foods contain very important nutrients that help the body grow. Others contain additives and other substances that are bad for you in large quantities.
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Vocabulary
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Food
DEFINE
Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat in order to give them energy and building blocks to grow and repair.
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Energy
DEFINE
It makes things happen. (Or more formally: the ability to do work)
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Hunger
DEFINE
The feeling that makes you want to eat. It is actually our bodies telling us that we need food for more energy and building blocks.
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Oxidizer
DEFINE
A chemical that provides a lot of oxygen to help things burn.
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Digestive System
DEFINE
Made up of the stomach, intestines and other components, it allows us to break down food and absorb nutrients.
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Photosynthesis
DEFINE
A process by which plants use sunlight to make sugar from carbon dioxide and water.
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Hydroponic Plant
DEFINE
A plant that is grown without soil. It uses minerals dissolved in water to grow along with sunlight and carbon dioxide from the air.
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Healthy Food
DEFINE
Healthy foods have a variety of nutrients that help give us energy and provide building blocks to help us grow and repair. Examples include fruits and vegetables.
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Unhealthy Food
DEFINE
Things like candy, potato chips and soda. They are often high in sugar and fat, which is bad in large quantities. They do help us get energy but are not as effective as healthy food at helping us grow and repair.
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Food
DEFINE
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Reading Material
Download as PDF Download PDF View as Separate PageDEFINITION OF FOODFood is any nutritious substance that people or animals eat to give them energy and building blocks to grow and repair. Our bodies tell us when we need food by feeling hungry. The types of food we eat determine what types of building blocks and energy sources our bodies use.
To better understand food and nutrition….
DEFINITION OF FOOD. Food is any nutritious substance that people or animals eat to give them energy and building blocks to grow and repair. Our bodies tell us when we need food by feeling hungry. The types of food we eat determine what types of building blocks and energy sources our bodies use. To better understand food and nutrition….LET’S BREAK IT DOWN!
The food we eat gives our bodies materials for growth.
Nearly all our food comes from either plants or animals. After it enters our digestive system, our bodies break it down into useful materials that have two uses.
Growth & repair (getting taller, stronger or mending broken bones), and energy to think, stay warm, and move around.
Flamingos are an excellent example of how food is used for growth. Flamingos like to eat algae which has a lot of beta-carotene, a natural chemical that has a red color. The bird’s digestive system breaks down the algae, which releases the red chemical. The red chemical then gets deposited in the flamingo’s feathers as they grow, giving flamingos a pink color.
If you feed a flamingo food without the natural red chemical, it would not be pink. Even though we are not the color of our food like a flamingo, we are also made up the materials that we have eaten. You are what you eat!
The food we eat gives our bodies materials for growth. Nearly all our food comes from either plants or animals. After it enters our digestive system, our bodies break it down into useful materials that have two uses. Growth & repair (getting taller, stronger or mending broken bones), and energy to think, stay warm, and move around. Flamingos are an excellent example of how food is used for growth. Flamingos like to eat algae which has a lot of beta-carotene, a natural chemical that has a red color. The bird’s digestive system breaks down the algae, which releases the red chemical. The red chemical then gets deposited in the flamingo’s feathers as they grow, giving flamingos a pink color. If you feed a flamingo food without the natural red chemical, it would not be pink. Even though we are not the color of our food like a flamingo, we are also made up the materials that we have eaten. You are what you eat!The food we eat gives our bodies energy.
Food also provides us with energy to move and stay warm. We can conduct experiments with food to show that it has stored energy by mixing it with an oxidizer and setting it on fire.
An oxidizer is a chemical that provides a lot of oxygen to help things release energy. The ability of food to burn shows that it contains stored energy.
The amount of energy and types of nutrients we get is determined by the types of foods we eat. Whole or natural foods contain lots of important nutrients. Unhealthy foods do not.
For example, broccoli contains carbohydrates, calcium, protein, fiber, iron, and vitamins. You need all these things to help you grow. Candy contains just sugar.
The food we eat gives our bodies energy. Food also provides us with energy to move and stay warm. We can conduct experiments with food to show that it has stored energy by mixing it with an oxidizer and setting it on fire. An oxidizer is a chemical that provides a lot of oxygen to help things release energy. The ability of food to burn shows that it contains stored energy. The amount of energy and types of nutrients we get is determined by the types of foods we eat. Whole or natural foods contain lots of important nutrients. Unhealthy foods do not. For example, broccoli contains carbohydrates, calcium, protein, fiber, iron, and vitamins. You need all these things to help you grow. Candy contains just sugar.Energy from our food comes from the sun!
All the energy we get from food can be traced back to the sun.
The sun’s energy is transferred to plants, which use it to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars. That process is called photosynthesis. Plants are then eaten by animals, which are eaten by larger animals.
Through this process, the energy from the sun is transferred from one living thing to another.
For example, a plant captures energy from the sun through photosynthesis, and then the plant is eaten by a caterpillar. The caterpillar gets eaten by a turkey, and we eat the turkey for dinner. The whole process is powered by the sun.
Energy from our food comes from the sun! All the energy we get from food can be traced back to the sun. The sun’s energy is transferred to plants, which use it to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars. That process is called photosynthesis. Plants are then eaten by animals, which are eaten by larger animals. Through this process, the energy from the sun is transferred from one living thing to another. For example, a plant captures energy from the sun through photosynthesis, and then the plant is eaten by a caterpillar. The caterpillar gets eaten by a turkey, and we eat the turkey for dinner. The whole process is powered by the sun.What is (or isn’t) food?
For something to qualify as food it must give us building blocks to grow and repair AND energy.
Wood is from trees, which is a plant, but it is not food for humans because we cannot break it down and use it for energy.
Leather is from a cow, which is an animal. It can be used for food, but it wouldn’t taste very good.
Vitamins give us building blocks to grow and repair, but they do not give us energy so technically, vitamins are not food.
What is (or isn’t) food? For something to qualify as food it must give us building blocks to grow and repair AND energy. Wood is from trees, which is a plant, but it is not food for humans because we cannot break it down and use it for energy. Leather is from a cow, which is an animal. It can be used for food, but it wouldn’t taste very good. Vitamins give us building blocks to grow and repair, but they do not give us energy so technically, vitamins are not food. -
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All the energy in food can be traced back to what?
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