Colorado Reader March 2020: Building Blocks Fuel Your Fun | Page 6

Building Block:
Fiber
Fiber is the part of the plant
that your body does not absorb;
therefore, it contains no calories.
Its role is to clean out the intestines
so that toxins and left-over food
particles do not stay too long
in the intestine, where they can cause damage. Grains,
nuts, fruits, and vegetables are good sources of fiber.
Building Block:
Water
In addition to food, everyone needs
water every day. Your body does not
store water, it needs to be replaced
every day. Your body uses water to:
• carry nutrients
to your brain, muscles, bones, organs
• regulate your body’s temperature, for
example, sweating cools you off
• cushion and lubricates your brain, organs, bones and joints
• aids in the digestion of food
• keeps skin clear and healthy
• removes waste products from the body
• helps remove fat from the body
• carries food and oxygen to all parts of the body
Thirst is usually a good guide for water intake except during
certain times: when you are ill or exercising heavily you might
not feel thirsty, but you still need to drink plenty of water.
6 - Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom
What About
Calories
A calorie is a unit of energy. When you hear
something contains 100 calories, it is a way
of describing how much energy your body
could get from eating or drinking it.
Calories aren’t bad for you. Your body needs
calories for energy. But eating too many
calories — and not burning enough of them off
through activity — can lead to weight gain.
Most foods and drinks contain calories. Some foods,
such as lettuce, contain few calories (10 calories/ cup).
Other foods, like peanuts, contain a lot of calories
(427 calories/ ½ cup). One three-ounce serving of lean
beef is about the size of a deck of cards and contains
175 calories. You can find out how many calories
are in a food by looking at the nutrition facts label.
Of the six nutrition building blocks, proteins,
carbohydrates, and fats contain energy
in the form of calories. Here’s how many
calories are in one gram of each:
• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories
• 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories
• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories
Now, using the numbers above, calculate how
many calories from protein, carbohydrates, and
fat are in one 3-ounce serving of lean beef.
One 3-ounce serving of lean beef contains:
22 grams of protein = ____________ calories
0 grams of carbohydrates = ____________ calories
10 grams of fat = ____________ calories