Elements of a Thanksgiving Dinner

Elements of a Thanksgiving Dinner

Name: ______Date: ______

Introduction: There are currently 25 elements identified by the FDA as essential for good health. These elements, classified as ‘major’, ‘lesser’, and ‘trace’, are listed in the table below. Around the room several tables are set up containing items that represent different phases of a typical Thanksgiving celebration. You will be assessing the nutritional value of the celebration.

MAJOR
Make up 99% of your
body mass / LESSER
Build body tissues and
maintain cell processes / TRACE
Essential to important functions
such as forming bones, teeth,
and red blood cells
H - Hydrogen / Fe – Iron Zn - Zinc / V – Vanadium Sn - Tin
O - Oxygen / K – Potassium / Cr – Chromium B - Boron
C – Carbon / Na - Sodium / Co – Cobalt Si - Silicon
N - Nitrogen / S - Sulfur / Cu – Copper Se – Selenium
P - Phosphorus / Cl - Chlorine / Mn – Manganese I – Iodine
Ca - Calcium / Mg - Magnesium / Mo – Molybdenum F- Fluorine

Procedure:

1.  Each table has items from a different phase of the celebration. Begin at any phase and record its name on the data table.

2.  Read the nutrients and/or ingredients listed on the labels of several items on each table. Identify 3 elements listed on 2 different items. You must find at least 10 different elements.

3.  Record the item name, element identified, and family name or number (if it doesn’t have a family name) to which that element belongs, and classify the element as a major, lesser, or trace nutrient (or none) in the data collection tables.

Note: Elements may be combined in chemical compounds. For example, the ingredient “calcium chloride” contains both Ca and Cl. The ingredient “sodium phosphate” contains Na, P and O. The elements C, H, and O are contained in most acids, fats, carbs, and proteins.

Data:

Phase I:

Item Name / Element Name / Family Name (or Group #) / Major, Lesser,
Trace or n/a
1. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.
2. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.

Phase II:

Item Name / Element Name / Family Name (or Group #) / Major, Lesser,
Trace or n/a
1. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.
2. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.

Phase III:

Item Name / Element Name / Family Name (or Group #) / Major, Lesser,
Trace or n/a
1. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.
2. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.

Phase IV:

Item Name / Element Name / Family Name (or Group #) / Major, Lesser,
Trace or n/a
1. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.
2. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.

Phase V:

Item Name / Element Name / Family Name (or Group #) / Major, Lesser,
Trace or n/a
1. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.
2. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.

Phase VI:

Item Name / Element Name / Family Name (or Group #) / Major, Lesser,
Trace or n/a
1. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.
2. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3. / 1.
2.
3.

Conclusion Questions:

1.  Which elements did you find the most of? (Even though you were writing down as many different ones as you could.) Based on the introduction to this lab, why does it make sense that most of the foods you examined contain these same elements?

2.  Select one of the elements you found that falls in to the “trace” or “lesser” category. Use the internet to look up what function that element serves in the human body. Summarize that here and cite your source.

3.  Use the nutrition information given below to calculate how many milligrams of iron you actually ingest if you eat one serving of turkey. What percent of the serving of turkey is comprised of iron? (Keep in mind that the % of iron on the food label is of the recommended daily value from the FDA, not of the serving size.)

Food Component / Daily Value
Sodium / 2,400 mg
Potassium / 3,500 mg
Calcium / 1,000 mg
Iron / 18 mg
Phosphorus / 1,000 mg
Iodine / 150 µg
Magnesium / 400 mg
Zinc / 15 mg
Selenium / 70 µg
Copper / 2 mg
Manganese / 2 mg
Chromium / 120 µg
Molybdenum / 75 µg
Chloride / 3,400 mg

4.  State at least two things that you learned from this lab. Please use complete sentences.