Fat Facts. Permission to Copy - This document may be reproduced for non-commercial educational purposes Copyright 2009 General Electric Company

Transcription

1 Fat Facts Permission to Copy - This document may be reproduced for non-commercial educational purposes Copyright 2009 General Electric Company Note: Please identify students with food allergy before conducting these experiments.

2 Definition: Fats are compounds that are generally insoluble in water, and are categorized as lipids. Oils generally refer to fats that are liquid at room temperature. Fats are essential parts of the average diet vitamins A, D, E and K are all only fatsoluble, so they can only be digested by the body when dissolved in fat. In addition, fats keep skin and hair healthy, help maintain body temperature, help with healthy cell function, and provide energy reserves for the body. However, when a person isn t doing enough physical activity to tap into these energy reserves, the fat is stored in the body, and this excess of fat can lead to problems like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Examples: Lard, any type of oil, butter, margarine, shortening Why is the Fat Facts experiment important? Although fats are essential part of the average diet, they need to be consumed in moderation. This experiment shows first-hand how different foods contain more or less fats than others. Goal of Experiment Ideally, to make the children realize which foods have more fat than others, and to use that information to make healthy food choices, learning to eat those foods in moderation. Items needed for the experiment Brown Paper Bag cut into 5x7 inch pieces Pen Toothpicks Various foods Peanut Butter, Frosting, Potato Chips, Water, Butter, Milk, French Fries or other fast foods, etc. Instructions for the demonstration 1. Draw a circle on each of the paper bag pieces (one for each food) 2. Label each circle with the different food names 3. Using a toothpick, smear a small amount of the food into its corresponding circle 4. Let the smeared food dry, and then hold each paper up to the light to observe the grease spots left on the paper, showing which food contained fat 5. Fill out attached worksheet with observations/conclusions

3 Conclusions Some foods have more fat than others it s important to be aware of fat contents in foods so that those foods are eaten only in moderation Applications This activity helps children understand the importance of good nutrition on a daily basis seeing the fats in foods firsthand should teach them to consume such fat-rich foods very sparingly, as also suggested by the food pyramid.

4 Name: Fat Facts Activity Sheet How much fat? Guess how much fat is in each of the foods below, and rank the foods from 1-7, where 1 is the lowest fat content, and 7 is the highest. Perform the experiment, and compare the grease spots between the papers. Based on your observations, re-rank the foods from 1-7 again, and see how your predictions compare with your observations FOOD GUESS (rank 1 to 7) OBSERVATIONS (rank 1 to 7) Peanut Butter Milk Water French Fries Frosting Potato Chips Butter

5 FAT FACTS This activity reinforces performance indicators related to growth, development, and matter to be included in a nutrition unit, growth and life cycle unit, and introduction to chemistry matter unit. NYS Standard 4: The Living Environment Key Idea 1: Living things are both similar to and different from each other and from nonliving things. P.I Describe the characteristics of and variations between living and nonliving things. 1.1a P.I. 1.2 Describe the life processes common to all living things. 1.2a Key Idea 5: Organisms maintain a dynamic equilibrium that sustains life. P.I. 5.1 Describe basic life functions of common living specimens. 5.1a P.I Describe the factors that help promote health and growth in humans. 5.3a 5.3b NYS Standard 4: The Physical Setting Key Idea 3: Matter is made up of particles whose properties determine the observable characteristics of matter and its reactivity. P.I. 3.1 Observe and describe properties of materials, using appropriate tools. 3.1a 3.1b 3.1c

6 3.1d 3.1f P.I. 3.2 Describe chemical and physical changes, including changes in states of matter. 3.2c Key Idea 4: Energy exists in many forms, and when these forms change energy is conserved. P.I. 4.2 Observe the way one form of energy can be transferred into another form of energy present in common situations. 4.2a