SI worksheet 12: Animal Nutrition

Animals need two types of organic precursors from their food, _____, to serve as the raw materials for the synthesis of larger organic molecules.

  1. Organic carbon and organic nitrogen
  2. Organic hydrogen and organic oxygen
  3. Organic carbon and organic oxygen
  4. Organic carbon and organic hydrogen
  5. Organic nitrogen and organic oxygen

A breakfast cereal advertises that it contains essential vitamins and minerals. In this context, the word "essential" means _____.

  1. That it contains the essence of vegetables used to extract nutrients
  2. That they can be made in the body but its better to obtain them from outside sources so we don’t waste energy synthesizing them
  3. The nutrients must be supplied by the diet and cannot be made in the body
  4. They are necessary for life
  5. Nothing, it’s a gimmick by general mills

In general, vitamin B functions in your body as….

  1. A source of energy
  2. Structural component of cell membranes
  3. A source of minerals
  4. Coenzymes
  5. Antioxidants

The fat-soluble vitamins include _____.

  1. Vitamins A, D, E, and K
  2. Vitamin A and the B group (b is water soluble)
  3. The B vitamins and Vitamin C (water soluble)
  4. Vitamins C, D, E, and K (vitamin C is water soluble)
  5. Riboflavin and niacin

An insufficient supply of chemical energy in the diet or a shortage of one or more essential nutrients results in _____.

  1. Undernutrition
  2. Malnutrition
  3. Protein deficiency
  4. Hypernutrition
  5. None of the above

Why is it important to consume B vitamins every day, but not Vitamin A?

  1. B vitamins are essential, vitamin A is not
  2. Vitamin A can be stored in body fat while B vitamins cannot.
  3. The human body needs much more B vitamins than it does Vitamin A
  4. The body requires B vitamins but vitamin A is just and “extra.”
  5. Vitamin A is water soluble and B vitamins are fat soluble.

How many “essential amino acids” do humans require?

Animals need 20 amino acids to make proteins. About half can be synthesized using sulfur and oxygen. The other 10 must be obtained from food in preassembled form and are essential amino acids. Humans require 8 of these amino acids.

What is the difference between a complete and incomplete protein?

Complete proteins contain all 8 of the essential amino acids that humans need. Incomplete proteins do not. Meat, eggs, and cheese provide these acids and are “complete” proteins. Plant proteins are “incomplete”

Essential fatty acids are “unsaturated.” What does this mean?

It means that each of the carbon bonds on the fatty acid chain are single and connected to 2 hydrogens. They are “saturated” with hydrogen. Saturated fats are sold at room temperature, like butter. But unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature.

True or false? Overconsumption of vitamins is never harmful because you can never have too much of a good thing. Explain.

False. Overconsumption of water-soluble vitamins are disposed of in urine but excess fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in fat deposits and be toxic.

What is a major difference between vitamins and minerals?

Vitamins are organic and minerals are inorganic.

Briefly list and describe the four stages in food processing.

  1. Ingestion – eating or feeding
  2. Digestion – food is broken down into molecules small enough to absorb

-Mechanical – chewing, breaks down food into smaller pieces, increasing surface area

-Chemical – in the gut, retrieve molecules from the food that can be used for bodily functions

  • Enzymatic hydrolysis – breaking bonds with the addition of water
  1. Absorption – animal cells take up small molecules
  2. Elimination – unused digestive material is passed out of the digestive system.