1. What are proteins? Where do they come from? Proteins are organisms that are the main structure of many of your body, including your muscles and organs. They come from food and your body. A lot of proteins ("essential" proteins) cannot be manufactured in your body, so you have to consume them in your diet. 13 of the 22 proteins that exist are essential. 9 proteins can be synthesized by your liver and other organs. Proteins are mainly found in meats and starches.
2. How are proteins used in your body? Proteins are used in your body for regenerating tissue, and the amino acids found in proteins can help you stay healthy. Proteins can be used as fuel when carbohydrates are low.
Glycine
Alanine
Threonine
Valine
What is one thing you learned about proteins and will use in your everyday life? I think one thing I will use in my life that I learned about proteins in this unit is about essential amino acids. I didn't know that some of these were required for functioning of your body, and I'll really take that into account when choosing what I want to eat.
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are the body's main energy component. Carbohydrates are a compound of carbon and water, or literally "hydrates of carbon". Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram and account for total calorie count in foods. Our bodies uses carbohydrates as energy, and if they are consumed but not used they will accumulate in the liver and into fat. A major cause of health problems among overweight and obese people is fatty liver. Different types of carbohydrates include monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Carbohydrates are essentially sugars, so the amount of sugar (mono (one), di (two), and poly (many)) determines whether it is a simple or complex carbohydrate.
Where do we obtain carbohydrates and how do we use them?
Carbohydrates are found in most foods and are how we receive energy from eating. We use carbohydrates in exercise and is the energy and calories we burn in activity. As stated above, for every carbohydrate you burn you burn 4 calories. If you don't use your carbohydrate intake they are converted into fat and stored around your body, causing you to gain weight.
Geometry Exercise
In the geometry exercise, we used pieces of molecules to build larger molecules of glucose, fructose, and sucrose. Below are pictures of my group's creations and explanation.
This is a fructose molecule, and the one I created myself. A common feature of all of these molecules is the ring structure they all have in the middle.
This picture shows a glucose molecule, which is the base unit for sugar energy in your body. It's simplicity can be noted by the lack of intricate structure.
This picture shows a sucrose molecule, which is a combination of glucose and fructose. This molecule has much more structure than glucose and fructose. Sucrose is also commonly known as table sugar, or the sugar that you can purchase in a store.
This photo shows two glucose molecules combined, with two hydrogen and one oxygen removed (water).
Carbohydrate lab
(I was absent and couldn't test the food portion, so those results are not included)
Summary of results - I was very surprised to see a very large change in color and appearance of the reagents after mixing the solutions in. The starch was the most easily identifiable, as it was tested positive in the first test. It was difficult to keep track of once we started eliminating samples that were already positive, but after the third or fourth test it was pretty streamlined. I was surprised to see some mixed results throughout the test when it seemed like two results turned positive. It actually turned out that the two I thought were positive were actually negative. I think that could've been helped by myself trying to examine what each test would output before starting the lab.
reflection
I think what I eat on a daily basis is fairly high in carbohydrates, and I think this unit has opened my eyes to the benefits and drawbacks of consuming carbs. I still need to consume carbs to be healthy and have energy, but I am going to take time to examine the different types of carbs I am consuming in my diet and try to cut a lot of processed carbs and try to focus on natural energy from fruits, vegetables, and other foods. One take-away I have learned from this unit is that no-carb foods can be detrimental to your health and energy, as carbs are your energy. However, too many carbs can lead to weight gain.